You've found damage after a checkout, or a guest wants money back, or your payment processor just told you a charge is being disputed. Before you write a single message, answer one question: which channel was this booking made on? A short-term rental dispute doesn't follow one universal process. Airbnb, Booking.com and your own direct bookings each have their own route, their own deadline and their own decision-maker.
First, write down the booking channel, the checkout date, what kind of dispute it is (damage, a refund demand, a card dispute or guest behavior), and the amount you can document. Then use the map below to find your deadline.
This is general operational guidance, not legal advice.
Which process handles a short-term rental dispute on each channel?
The channel the guest booked through decides the process: Airbnb stays use its Resolution Center, Booking.com stays use the extranet, and direct bookings use your own terms and payment processor.
Use this map to find the route and the clock:
| Situation | Where it runs | Your deadline | Who decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest damage on an Airbnb stay | Resolution Center request, then Host damage protection | Request to the guest within 14 days of checkout; full claim with evidence within 30 days | Guest first, then Airbnb |
| Other money on an Airbnb stay (refund, agreed extra) | Resolution Center | Up to 60 days after checkout | Guest; Airbnb can mediate if you can't agree |
| Guest damage on a Booking.com stay, damage programme | Damage payment request in the extranet | Within 14 days after checkout | Guest decides whether to pay |
| Guest damage on a Booking.com stay, damage deposit | Your own deposit terms | Per the terms agreed at booking | You, within those terms |
| Guest misconduct on a Booking.com stay | Misconduct report in the extranet or Pulse app | From check-in to 7 days after checkout | Booking.com, if you ask it to follow up |
| Card dispute on a direct booking paid through Stripe | Stripe dispute response | Usually 7–21 days to respond, by card network | Cardholder's bank |
Most deadlines run from checkout, not from when you noticed the problem. And in most rows, the first decision belongs to someone other than you or the platform.
The same evidence works on every row: dated photos of the unit before and after the stay, a repair quote or invoice for the exact amount, and the booking's message thread. Our recommendation: photograph every unit at each turnover, not only when something breaks, so you always have a "before" to compare against.
What happens if a guest damages your Airbnb?
You ask the guest to pay through the Resolution Center within 14 days of their checkout, and if they don't pay in full, you can ask Airbnb to review the claim under Host damage protection.
Airbnb's Host damage protection article sets out the order: document the issue with photos or videos and repair estimates or receipts, file a reimbursement request in the Resolution Center within 14 days of the responsible guest's checkout, and give the guest 24 hours to respond. If the guest doesn't respond, pays partially or declines, you can submit the request to Airbnb.
The Host Damage Protection Terms add a second clock. Within 30 days of checkout you must file the payment request form and provide what Airbnb calls legitimate and verifiable evidence, including receipts, photos and an inventory of damaged items with purchase dates and repair or replacement costs. Some requests may be reviewed automatically; you can ask for a human review if you disagree.
Not every Airbnb guest dispute is about damage. The Resolution Center article gives you up to 60 days after checkout to send or request money for things like agreed refunds or optional fees. If you and the guest can't agree, you can ask Airbnb to mediate. The same article says that for mediation requests, you have one hour to respond, so watch your notifications once a case is open. When the guest is the one asking for money, it also notes that issues must be reported within 72 hours of discovery to qualify under Airbnb's rebooking and refund policy.
A card chargeback on an Airbnb booking is a separate track that goes through the guest's bank, not the Resolution Center. The Airbnb chargeback guide covers what hosts can and can't do there. For the step-by-step on requests and damage claims, see how the Airbnb Resolution Center works.
How do you handle Booking.com guest damage and misconduct?
It depends on the damage option you set before the stay: with the damage programme you submit a payment request within 14 days of checkout, and with a deposit you manage everything yourself.
Booking.com's damage policy options page says that outside the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands you can choose a damage deposit or the damage programme. Under the programme, Booking.com contacts the guest and handles the payment, but it says it "can't guarantee payment and you'll only receive it if the guest agrees to pay." You can only request up to the maximum amount that applied when the guest booked.
The same page says furniture damage, broken fixtures, third-party cleaning beyond general mess (invoice required) and lost keys are eligible; routine cleaning, smoking, house-rule breaches and unpaid extra fees aren't. It also asks you not to upload conversation screenshots or invoices showing personal details, so keep a redacted copy of each invoice.
With a damage deposit, you collect it directly, you must collect and return it as agreed at booking, and you can keep all or part of it if the guest is proven to have caused the damage. Whether a deposit is worth holding at all is covered in our security deposit guide.
Behavior problems run on a separate report. Booking.com's guest misconduct article says you can report from check-in until seven days after checkout, choose whether Booking.com follows up, and block the guest from booking your property again. It's explicit that bad reviews or complaints don't count as misconduct, and cancellations or no-shows can't be reported.
What if the dispute is on a direct booking?
There's no platform in the middle: your booking terms govern the stay, and if the guest disputes the card payment, their bank decides using the evidence you submit through your payment processor.
Stripe's explanation of how disputes work says that when a cardholder disputes a charge, Stripe debits the disputed amount plus a dispute fee from your balance, and it "doesn't have influence over the outcome, which is at the sole discretion of the account owner's bank." You usually have 7–21 days to respond, depending on the card network. For future services such as a vacation reservation, the dispute window generally starts on the stay date, not the payment date, so a dispute can arrive well after checkout.
That puts the weight on what you prepared before the booking: plain-language terms the guest accepted, a written damage and cancellation policy, and a record of check-in and checkout messages.
If a direct guest owes you money and won't pay, and no card dispute is involved, the remaining routes are formal ones. For EU businesses, the EU's Your Europe portal describes the European Small Claims Procedure for claims up to €5,000, excluding expenses, against a customer in any EU country except Denmark. It says you don't need a lawyer to start, you usually pay a court fee, and it's simpler especially for cross-border claims. Whether it fits your case, and which national procedure applies otherwise, is a question for a local lawyer or the court.
Before any formal step, send a calm, specific message with the photo, the quote and the amount. Our guide to handling difficult guests has scripts for that conversation.
When this advice does not apply
- US listings on Booking.com: Booking.com says its damage programme there was replaced by Host Property Insurance from November 10, 2025. Check that page for your claims route.
- Airbnb listings in Japan, or stays through Airbnb Travel, LLC: Airbnb says Host damage protection doesn't apply there. Washington state claims are reviewed by Airbnb's insurer.
- Injuries or damage to guests' belongings: these fall under liability cover, not damage reimbursement. Contact your insurer and the platform's support team.
- Legal action: this is general information, not legal advice. Court routes, limits and fees vary by country, so get advice where your property is.
What to do next
- For any open issue, write down the channel, checkout date, dispute type and documented amount, then find your deadline in the map above.
- Add a turnover photo set for every unit to your cleaning checklist, with the same angles each time.
- Check which damage option your Booking.com listing uses, and the maximum amount set.
- Review the damage and cancellation terms direct guests accept at checkout, and rewrite anything vague in plain language.
- Set a reminder for day 10 after each checkout on busy weeks, so late-found damage still lands inside the 14-day windows.
FAQ
How long does a guest have to pay an Airbnb damage request?
Airbnb says the guest has 24 hours to respond to your Resolution Center request. If they don't respond, pay only part or decline, you can ask Airbnb to review it under Host damage protection.
Does Booking.com cover guest damage?
Outside the US it offers a damage programme that asks the guest to pay, but it doesn't guarantee payment. In the US, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, it says Host Property Insurance applies instead.
Using BookBed: two-way iCal sync with Airbnb and Booking.com puts every unit's stays, and their checkout dates, on one calendar, so you can see which stay a damage report belongs to and how much of its claim window is left. The claim itself still runs in each platform's own process. See BookBed pricing
Sources
- Airbnb Help Center, "How the Resolution Center helps you" — Verified 2026-09-30
- Airbnb Help Center, "Host Damage Protection Terms" — Verified 2026-09-30
- Booking.com for Partners, "Everything you need to know about damage policy options" — Verified 2026-09-30
- Stripe Docs, "How disputes work" — Verified 2026-09-30
- European Union, Your Europe, "European Small Claims procedure: Cost and process" — Verified 2026-09-30