A perpetually leaking ceiling in an Airbnb rental seems like a problem the host should fix immediately. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the experience of one young mom who paid $5,400 for the privilege of living in a soggy apartment.
Here’s her story.
After Jessica Dommar’s job temporarily relocated her about 90 miles from her home, she turned to Airbnb for short-term housing. Unfortunately, the ceiling of the apartment she booked leaked from day one. Despite complaining to the Airbnb host dozens of times, Dommar and her child lived in the waterlogged rental for two months.
Dommar, a veterinary technician, says the constant dripping forced her into daily unpleasant water clean-up duty. At the end of each busy work day, instead of relaxing, she emptied buckets of water and scrubbed away emerging mold. All the while, the Airbnb host assured her that a repairperson would soon permanently fix the leaks.
Those repairs never happened. Eventually, the leaking water caused the bathroom ceiling in the Airbnb rental to partially collapse.
All in all, Dommar says this Airbnb rental was a $5,400 dud.
She’s grateful to finally be back in her own home, which she shares with her partner, Dillon, and their three-year-old child. But the couple is asking Consumer Rescue for help.
The host offered just a token refund to compensate for the watery fiasco at the Airbnb rental. Dommar finds that offer dismissive and insulting, given that she was responsible for cleaning up the mess every day. Dillon says he was forced to take several days off work to deal with the repairmen the host periodically sent to the property. They’re hoping we can convince Airbnb that his awful experience is worth more than a few hundred dollar refund.
But Airbnb has already released the entire rental payment to the host and considers the case closed.
Is there anything Consumer Rescue can do now?
A long-term Airbnb rental after a temporary job relocation
Last spring, when Dommar received the temporary job assignment, she knew commuting would not be possible. The young mom along with her son would relocate for her two-month stint to a suburb of New York City. Dillon would hold the fort down back home.
Admittedly, Dommar didn’t want to spend much time on her apartment hunt. She simply needed a clean, safe two-bedroom rental close to the veterinarian’s office where she’d be working. When someone suggested Airbnb as a place to begin her search, Dommar headed straight to her computer.
Scrolling through the Airbnb listings, she zeroed in on a rental that seemed fine. The photos showed a bright, fully furnished unit in a great location, which would make commuting to work a breeze.
Since this was her first time using Airbnb, she carefully read through all the instructions and booked the rental. Dommar only had a little time before she and her son would be moving into the apartment.
Within days, she had packed up their belongings and soon they were walking through the front door of their temporary home.
Almost immediately, the problems began and Dommar quickly realized she’d made a mistake choosing this Airbnb rental.
Asking the Airbnb host to fix the leaking ceiling
On the first day, Dommar noticed the apartment had a musty smell. When she looked under the kitchen sink, she saw what appeared to be spots of mold.
The rest of the apartment looked okay, though, and Dommar set about making it feel like home. She spent the rest of the weekend focused on that task while she and her son settled in.
On Monday, Dommar started her new job, and everything seemed to be going as planned. But that night, as she was preparing dinner, she began to hear intermittent tapping coming from the bathroom.
Walking into the bathroom to find the source of the sound, she stood patiently, waiting for it to happen again.
“Then I saw that little droplets were forming around the light fixture on the ceiling,” Dommar recalled. “The water seemed to be slowly leaking from the apartment above us.”
Dommar placed a towel on the floor where the drops were falling and finished dinner. In the morning, she texted the Airbnb host about the leaking ceiling.
That would be the first of many texts and calls to the owner about this Airbnb rental.
The leaking in the ceiling of the Airbnb is getting worse
The next day, the host sent someone to the Airbnb rental to “fix” the leak. Dommar was working so she asked Dillon to take the long drive up to the Airbnb and let the repairman in.
It’s unclear what repair work was done during that visit, but the leak continued and grew worse each day. Dommar put towels and buckets on the floor to catch the water, which was now dropping more consistently across the length of the bathroom ceiling.
At the three-week mark, the ceiling in the bathroom was beginning to bulge, and Dommar was worried it might collapse. The paint was starting to peel, and there was visible water damage.
Dommar sent updated photos to the Airbnb host, letting him know the leak was clearly getting worse. Again, Dillon took the 90-mile drive drive to deal with the workmen while Dommar went to her job.
When she got home from work that night, she was shocked to see what the repairmen had done. There was now a giant hole in the ceiling of the Airbnb rental’s bathroom. The workers had cut away all the damaged material above their heads and left.
“I didn’t know what to do. I still had a month left at my temporary job and needed to complete that assignment,” Dommar explained. “So I just continued to clean up the mess each day.”
Looking up into the gaping hole, Dommar could see a lot of condensation on the exposed pipes and, what looked like, wires. Worse, the leaking seemed to be spreading into the kitchen area as well.
The kitchen ceiling in the rental is leaking too
The final straw for Dommar came a few weeks later when she arrived home to find the kitchen sink filled with dirty water. She immediately sent the Airbnb host a text.
When I got back from work today, I found the kitchen floor soaked and the kitchen sink filled with water and black stuff. I got most of the stuff out with a bucket, but it quickly came back up through the sink and is overflowing onto the floor again. Help!
Dommar texting the Airbnb host
And he quickly responded with his standard answer.
Wow! I’m sorry to hear that! Letting the HOA know immediately!
And even though Dommar had already attached the photos of the overflowing sink and dirty water, he asks her for “pics and videos.”
If possible, can you please send pics and videos? Thank you.
Text from the Airbnb host
The identical texts that Dommar received after each complaint to the host suggest that he’s using some type of artificial intelligence to respond to guests.
Unfortunately, companies are increasingly using AI programs to replace human customer service. These programs are designed to give consumers the impression that they’re getting lightning-fast assistance. But as we’ve seen in many cases here at Consumer Rescue, AI only gives the illusion of efficient customer service in most situations.
That was certainly true in this case. Within seconds of Dommar’s text, every response from this Airbnb host began in the exact same way:
“Wow! I’m sorry to hear that. Letting the HOA know immediately.”
Despite those immediate and enthusiastic responses, help from this Airbnb host never came quickly.
On this night, Dommar continued bailing water out of the sink and cleaning it off the floor until 11 p.m. That’s when someone finally showed up to take over.
However, the fix was once again only temporary.
“Daddy, it’s pwaining in here!”
A few days later, the leaking began again. At this point, only about seven days were left on the rental. Dommar couldn’t wait to get out of there forever. When Dillon drove there for a visit one evening, he was shocked to see the hole in the ceiling had not been repaired and had actually expanded. Water was cascading in large drops from the space above their heads. The Airbnb smelled musty and was humid.
Dillon began filming the water steadily falling from the dark hole onto the floor. In that video the couple sent to me, their son can be heard laughing in the background.
In his tiny, high-pitched voice, the little boy gleefully exclaims, “Daddy, it’s pwaining in here. Look! It’s pwaining!“
It really did look like it was raining inside the bathroom to the three-year-old. But of course, it wasn’t raining. And since the water source was unknown and could easily be coming from the neighbor’s toilet upstairs, Dommar kept her son far away from the “pwain” sprinkling down from the ceiling.
The situation was intolerable now.
After documenting the conditions, the couple packed up their child and went back home for the night. A few days later the ordeal was finally, permanently over.
Then, the Airbnb host added insult to injury.
Asking Consumer Rescue for help
Dommar says the host told her he would knock off $800 from the $5400 she’d paid for the Airbnb rental. That seemed very unfair to her since she had been working full-time and cleaning up the disgusting mess created by the leaking ceiling during her entire stay.
When she had difficulty conveying to Airbnb just how awful her rental had been, and the team sided with the host, she turned to Consumer Rescue.
She hoped our advocacy team could mediate a positive outcome with Airbnb.
This seems to be unacceptable to me. That Airbnb is not in livable or rentable condition with the problems the way they are. I’ve had to sacrifice three days of pay at work to be there to address these issues. Do you agree that this isn’t fair?
Can you help me?
Dommar to Consumer Rescue
Looking through Dommar’s visual documentation of the consistent and growing water problem in the Airbnb rental, I agreed with her assessment. However, I immediately noticed that she had made a significant mistake by relying on the host to handle this problem.
If you’re an Airbnb guest in a situation that puts your health or safety at risk, it’s critical to involve the resolution team ASAP.
AirCover for Airbnb guests (Safety line: 1-844-234-2500)
No Airbnb guest should ever feel compelled to stay in a rental if they perceive their health or safety is at risk. Remember, every rental booked through Airbnb comes with AirCover. That’s your guarantee from Airbnb that you’re protected should something go seriously wrong during your rental.
Every booking comes with AirCover for guests. If there’s a serious issue with your Airbnb that your Host can’t resolve, we’ll help you find a similar place, depending on availability at comparable pricing. If a similar place isn’t available or you’d prefer not to rebook, we’ll give you a full or partial refund.
Airbnb’s description of AirCover
Airbnb has a 24-hour safety line for guests: 1-844-234-2500. You can also sign into your account and immediately reach customer service through the Airbnb resolution center.
Note: you must have an active Airbnb account tied to your phone in order to be connected to an actual person via 1-844-234-2500. Airbnb will send you a text to your phone with a link to confirm.
Unfortunately, Dommar, a first-time Airbnb user, knew none of this. So the frazzled mom needlessly endured stress and frustration, not to mention spending countless hours on gross clean-up duty that should never have been her responsibility in the first place.
I was confident that the executive team at Airbnb would put a much higher value on Dommar’s inconvenience. At least, I hoped they would.
Asking the Airbnb executive: “Shouldn’t the host refund more?”
Luckily, Dommar had done fantastic work documenting the problems with this Airbnb rental. That made my job, proving to Airbnb exactly why $800 wasn’t a fair resolution, easy.
….In the end, the host offered her $800 for her trouble and it seems that Airbnb is okay with that figure so far. She paid $5,400 to live in this apartment with her son — a place which seems quite dangerous. The property is now removed from Airbnb so the management company must have allowed it to stay live until the end of this rental and then took it down.
I don’t think [the Airbnb host] should be allowed to profit from this rental. $800 seems like a very small refund for this situation. Could you all have a look and see what you think? I’ve attached the video from two weeks ago with the little boy saying, “It’s raining!” (at least he’s trying to say raining) while they’re standing in the bathroom. The photos of the leak begin in April.
Thank you! 😀
Michelle Couch-Friedman to the Airbnb executive team”
I also included the many texts between Dommar and the host, which documented her two-month struggle.
Yay! Airbnb is sending a full $5,400 refund
As soon as the Airbnb executive team reviewed Dommar’s paper trail, they agreed with me that the host should not be permitted to profit from this rental.
In the end, Airbnb issued a full $5,400 refund to Dommar for her unpleasant experience.
Hi Michelle,
We received an email from Airbnb stating they were refunding the entire amount. We just wanted to thank you so much for your help! I’m beyond happy with how fast this was resolved by you and Consumer Rescue.
5 out of 5 stars!💫”
Jessica Dommar
You’re very welcome, Jessica. We’re super happy to have been able to help and add you to our ever-growing list of rescued consumers!
Tips: How to get a refund from Airbnb
Airbnb guests must follow a few critical steps to qualify for a refund from a host.
Here’s what you need to know about qualifying for a refund from Airbnb.
Report problems to the host and Airbnb
As soon as you become aware of a significant problem with your rental, you should alert both your host and Airbnb.
This is especially important if the issue is a health or safety matter. It’s best to stay off the phone and keep all your communications in the Airbnb resolution center, including your photos, videos and conversation with the host. You can easily reach the resolution center by signing into your Airbnb account.
In general, Airbnb gives hosts about 24 hours to correct problems with the rental before it will consider your request for a replacement rental or a refund. Of course, if the issue is a safety matter, you should leave immediately.
Photograph and video the problem with the Airbnb
These days, nearly everyone has a phone that’s capable of taking time-stamped photos and videos. That’s why it’s always surprising to hear from consumers with lengthy narratives, but zero visual evidence supporting their complaints about their vacation rentals. Without evidence, it’s impossible for our advocates to create a compelling case to present to the Airbnb team.
If you are confronted by something so egregious that you must reject an Airbnb rental, it’s absolutely necessary to document the problem visually. To give yourself the best chance of qualifying for a refund, make sure the photos and videos are clear and accurately illustrate what you’re seeing.
Note: If you must explain what the photos and video depict, consider re-shooting. Your visual evidence should be able to speak for itself. Don’t forget to take close-up and panned-out shots so that the rental is identifiable.
Ask Airbnb to find you a replacement rental
If the host refuses to correct the problem with the property in a satisfactory way, guests should formally ask Airbnb to provide a replacement rental. Remember, as a guest, you’re protected by AirCover. Airbnb hosts must provide accommodations that pose no health or safety risks to their guests. Guests should not be expected to clean up messes caused by a structural problem in a rental, like a leaking ceiling. (Or, as we’ve seen in other Airbnb cases, remove mice or other rodents)
Airbnb will re-accommodate guests in a similar or better rental from the available inventory if your host can’t fix the issue with the property. But you have to ask to be relocated.
Do not cancel the reservation even if the Airbnb host asks you
A common trick that some unscrupulous Airbnb hosts will try if there is a problem with the property is to ask the guest to cancel. This request usually is framed in a way that makes the guest assume that the host intends to refund the rental as soon as it is canceled through the Airbnb system. Don’t fall for this trick.
What actually happens is that as soon as the guest cancels, Airbnb releases the entire rental payment to the host. In the Airbnb system the reservation appears as canceled by the guest and the cancellation terms will be applied.
Never cancel your reservation at a host’s insistence. If there is a problem with the property that makes it uninhabitable, the Airbnb host must cancel in order for you to avoid cancellation penalties and receive a refund.
The bottom line
Always remember, you’re under no obligation to endure living conditions in an Airbnb rental that you would not accept at home. If an Airbnb host isn’t providing you with a safe environment and won’t fix the problem, following the steps above should lead to your refund (or relocation).
But if your diligent efforts to resolve the problem haven’t worked and you’re still stuck in an Airbnb rental with a health or safety issue, send our team your request for help. We’ll be happy to investigate and go to bat for you, too. Our advocacy is always fast, friendly, and best of all, free of charge to consumers. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Consumer Rescue)
GREAT save with the leaking Abb, Michelle. Abb and all the vacation rentals are such a terrific idea, but so fraught with dishonesty. I'd never use one, but the horror stories make such interesting reading. For the first time, it occurs to me that a forum should be set up that can be used for honest reports from users, much like TripAdvisor for hotels and everything else. A place where nobody could remove a post, and it would serve as early-warning to potential renters.
Good idea, J. :). By the way, don't be afraid of Vrbo or Airbnb. I've had fabulous experiences all over the world with both. You just have to be careful and understand the resolution process…
Wow, great job helping out her and her son!
I hope ABB dumps that lowlife rental forever!
🙂