My family and I found this listing on Airbnb, good reviews, nice images. My family loves animals and when we saw pictures of horses grazing off the backyard, we were sold,

We arrived in October 9th of 2022 and the place was filthy. I told the fam maybe we should go but they pleaded to stay. We bought some cleaning supplies and went to work. 

In the main sitting area are two mismatched couches. I sat on one and fell through it, the middle legs collapsed. I turn the couch over and the middle legs need 4 screws there were 2 for both of the legs. In the garage was the other matching couch, I brought that one in to the den and moved the two pieces of the broken couch to the garage.

In the master closet a hole was punched in the wall. In the master bathroom, a crack in the shower insert. Around the showers the grout is filthy. 

All air vents are filled with dust, including the lamps and the cable from the ceiling going to the light fixture is coated in dust. Wiping the floors, the towels we used were black. 

The house was infested with large carpenter ants all over the place. The source was coming from the bathroom that shares a door with the outside sitting area. They were coming from inside the shower insert where you saw dirt under a hole they came through. 

The screened in pool; all the screens were ripped down. I understand that Hurricane Ian did come through Florida and I spoke to the host prior via Airbnb Message Center. 

Max 7:34 PM Hi. What are the conditions of the areas were they effected by the hurricane. I hope your safe.

Michael 7:54 PM Hi Max, Hope all is well with you and your family. We were very fortunate in central Florida. Everything is pretty much back to normal. The coastline got hit pretty bad in the Ft myers area. We just had some strong winds and some down screens. Have a great trip! Thanks again 

I understand some down screens, but they were all down. What I didnt understand was this property seemed to be the ONLY one affected by the hurricane. ALL the neighbors screens were perfectly fine. Not to mention my wife getting stung by a bee and the amount of frogs, lizards, bees and mosquitos. Yes, I get it Florida but why were only our screens down?

We had our first night out at Disney Springs on October 11th and we came back to the house around 11pm. The digital lock was not working...were locked out. My kids started crying afraid we were sleeping outside. I went to the airbnb site where it says "contact the host" and it gives you their number. I texted the host letting him know what was happening and if there was another way in or a key. He texted back saying there is a key in the lockbox by the door the code is XXXX. Well that didnt work. As the crying persisted, I went around the back of the house to see if there was an unlocked door or window. Thankfully a bedroom window was unlocked that I had to climb through in order to gain access to the house. I told the host, I had to climb through the window to get in. He said he would send the property manager the next day. He never came. I texted him 1:17pm asking if he was coming we would like to leave the house. He told me "Not sure but you can use the key for no. Try code XXXX for the lock box." which opened right away with the key. 

The morning of October 12th, I was awoken by an ant on my back..lovely. I texted the host he's got an ant problem if there was an exterminator to call. Then I told him about everything else that was a problem with the pictures of everything. 

- Couch broke

- Hole in wall

- Crack in Shower

- The pool table corner pocket was broken off

- The air hockey table didnt work, the plug didnt even reach the outlet 

- All the broken screens

Michael replied October 12th 1:41PM "Thank you for letting me know. The previous guest did quite a bit of damage. The pool screens came down during the hurricane. I will have the guy guy stop in."

TWO DAYS LATER Friday, October 14th I asked Michael if he had an update on the exterminator. He replied "Sorry still waiting to hear back." An hour later they arrived. Weird.

I asked him about the property, telling him this place was definitely not ready to rent after the horrible house guest he said he had. When booking on Airbnb, theres a cleaning fee you pay, plus a satisfaction guarantee called "aircover" Every booking includes free protection from Host cancellations, listing inaccuracies, and other issues like trouble checking in.

He replied "combination of horrible guest and major hurricane. Sorry out of my control."

OUT OF YOUR CONTROL?? How are horrible guests out of the hosts control to maintain a property in order for the next guest to have a pleasant experience. Thats exactly what you should control. 

The trip went on and on our last day Michael texts me on October 18th 8:57PM "Ok sounds good. I hope you and your family enjoyed your trip. I want to apologize for some of the things that were not up to par at the house. I usually check up on things monthly but haven't had time recently and have to rely upon others to get things done, which is a big struggle now a days. I would like to refund you $150 for your patience. In return I will ask a favor of not leaving a bad review. Let me know if that will be ok. Thanks again." "Looks like I have to find a new bug company. He is supposed to spray periodically to prevent this. I can definitely give you another night on the house. I will let the property manager know you will be checking out on Thursday. Thanks"

He says he usually checks up on things monthly but havent had time. Why is this my fault again? 

Well I didnt accept his bribe. This is where it gets interesting. Michael files a reimbursement claim against me for $3,348.00!

Michael requested $3,348 

Oct 20, 2022 at 12:20 PM EDT Airbnb is reviewing Request sent by Michael F. 

Oct 9, 2022 - Oct 19, 2022 · 7 guests PRIVATE 5 Bedroom Villa with AMAZING views Host message Multiple damaged items.

Date of report Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Item(s)

Futon couch Amount requested: $400

Light fixture Amount requested: $100

couch leg broken Amount requested: $799

Grill Amount requested: $150

Pool table Amount requested: $899

Broken shower wall. Amount requested: $1,000

Now, I would like to make something clear. My family is a pretty easy going family. I have siblings that would have walked out the minute they walked in. We went on vacation, with all the issues my family found the silver lining and we made it the best we could. I was not looking for any money back on the trip. He offered me $150.00 I didnt grab it. But when I received his bogus claim for $3400 this is what got me upset. 

I got this notification and was shaking. I couldnt believe the audacity of Michael after all the communication weve had and he admitting the damage was done prior to my visit. I contacted Airbnb and explained the details of my visit and sent them all the text messages and images I had taken from the trip. On October 20th, 2022 Airbnb granted me 30% of the trip. I thanked them and in my mind, case closed. Well Michael persisted. On October 25th, 2022 he opened ANOTHER reimbursement claim for the $3348.00. Now I started to panic. Would I have to repeat and relive this experience over and over to every resolution specialist that reached out to me? When will this nightmare end?? 

I emailed Daphne C. the details of my stay and why Michael's claims were completely false. I called Airbnb the next morning. The rep told me:

Airbnb Support 12:26 PM "I am sorry if you feel harassed by the email, If there is a way for you to blocked it feel free to do so or you may ignore the email you are recieving."

He told me to block the email. Block airbnb?? I told him thats like throwing out a certified letter someone sent you who is suing you for money compensation. You cant just throw it in the garbage. If that was the case why not have that in the email. 

Airbnb said they would get back to me and I was getting nervous. I spoke to my credit card company about it and they agreed to place a freeze on any charges from them. 

I spoke to Airbnb again and they told me not to worry about the claim. Then why are they allowing Michael to continue to file repeating claims against me?? 

Finally, today November 3rd, 2022 I received an email from Airbnb stating "Hi Max, After careful review of the available information, we’ve determined that the items included in Michael’s reimbursement request are not eligible under Airbnb’s Host Damage Protection Terms, so we won’t be pursuing payment from you for these items. Still, if you have any additional information about the incident you’d like to share, just let us know by replying to this email. We’re closing our correspondence with you regarding your Host’s reimbursement request. We’ll reach out in the future if anything further is needed. If you’d like to pay some or all of the amount your Host requested, just let us know and we’ll be happy to help you. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let us know by replying to this message. We’re here to help. Best, Daphne.C"

Review time came for this stay and I left an honest review. See images. 

Michael had the gall to reply "Response from Michael November 2022 Wow, what a horrible so called guest. This is Florida! A hurricane had just passed through the area and blew down some screens. You think that was under my control? Why would any normal person break a window to get into the house, when there is an extra key in the lock box outside? Completely trashed my home and caused extensive damage to the interior. I will do whatever it takes to accommodate my guests for any issues. DO NOT RENT TO MAX he will not respect you or your property. Will say and try anything to get out of paying for his stay. Unlike him, I have plenty of great reviews. Stay far away from this guy!"