I rented an Airbnb in Madrid for one week. On the last day of my stay, I had the windows in the apartment open, and this is an old Spanish building with wooden shutters on the inside. It was quite windy outside, and the wind knocked one of the shutters into the wall, causing about 7 cm of plaster to fall off. The host has since asked me for reimbursement to fix the wall, and has asked for €300. I contacted Airbnb support and explained that even though I don’t believe I’m 100% responsible for what happened, I would gladly pay the damages if they show me actual receipts for the materials and the work done, because I live in Spain and I know it doesn’t cost that much to fix something like this.
In their reimbursement request, the hosts also claimed that I broke a lamp but they will kindly let that slide – however, the lamp was broken when I checked in, and I have a video to prove it. That alone makes me think that they’re just trying to get more money out of me.
Airbnb support said that they will look into the question, but they just got back to me and said that after looking into the matter, they’ve decided I have to pay the 300 euros. And I’ve still not seen any documentation supporting this sum.
What are my options here? Can I demand to see the invoices? What happens if I refuse to pay, for example? Any kind of advice would be greatly appreciated 🙏🏼