Devon Airbnb host says home was damaged during stay, with repairs estimated at £25,000

A Devon woman says her home was badly damaged during an Airbnb stay in April, with assessors estimating the repairs at £25,000. Airbnb says it reimbursed her for the damage and removed the guest who booked the property from its platform; police said they could not establish who among those present caused it.

Leanne Duff, from Plymouth, said food was smeared on walls, doors were taken off their hinges, a television was smashed and belongings in her 13-year-old son’s bedroom were damaged. She said she felt “violated” and was too upset to return home, staying with her mother while police investigated.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the 17-year-old who booked the property was spoken to and given words of advice. The case was filed because it was impossible to prove who among those present had caused the damage, or how it happened.

Duff, who had hosted for seven years and received 200 positive reviews, said she could not fault Airbnb’s handling of her case. She now vets guests more closely and no longer accepts one-night bookings.

Airbnb said disruptive parties are banned and that the guest was removed for breaching its policies. It said its identity checks were designed to give users greater confidence, while acknowledging that “no verification system is foolproof”. The company also said incidents on the platform were exceptionally rare.