By Suzanne Phan
Erika Gemzer, host of the show says: “I woke up with water sounding in my ears.” “Water is coming out of every crack, opening and light fixture.”
An Airbnb host in Northern California was faced with an unimaginable mess. Her San Francisco house was overrun by guests. She now has a huge bill to pay and no place to stay.
Erika Gemzer says she faces nearly $300,000.00 in damages and losses after guests damaged and flooded her Mission District apartment.
I find it hard to imagine that a broken and clogged toilet could have done so much damage.
Gemzer said, “It’s the toilet which was running for more than 15 hours.”
Gemzer and husband, who were expecting their first baby any moment now, had to leave their Mission District home six months before. The house still needs to be fixed.
Gemzer said, “There are no usable bathrooms or kitchens.”
Four guests signed up to stay for a month in the upstairs apartment on March 15.
Gemzer said, “They left the evening of April 13 assuming that this was before or right after it started.”
Gemzer was living in the apartment directly below. She did not see the red flags before it was too late.
Gemzer said, “I was woken up by the sound of running water.” Water coming out of every crack, opening and light fixture.
Gemzer called Airbnb immediately and was told to obtain a detailed estimate for repairs. She also requested receipts. The extent of damage, she says, made it difficult to obtain a fast assessment.
I tried to explain Airbnb that this was not a furniture piece or a damaged door. Gemzer said that the entire house was destroyed, two houses.
Gemzer said it took Airbnb weeks to send an investigator plumber out to determine what caused the toilet’s clog.
Gemzer said, “He told me there were baby wipes in the S-trap of the toilet.”
Gemzer doesn’t blame guests
It’s actually all three things — the feces, the baby wipes they used for the thirty days that they were in the country. It was their idea of cleanliness, and they used it. They also tried to clear the blockage by tampering with the tank.
Gemzer’s estimate of the damages, lost income from being unable to rent out her home, and the other costs totals about $300,000.
Gemzer is disappointed in Airbnb’s host coverage policy.
They advertise that $3 million is available for host protection. As a host you can rest assured that we will cover all your bases.
Gemzer says that this is not true.
It turns out that 90% of the cost isn’t covered. Gemzer said, “They have made me an offer for $31,000.”
Gemzer said she thought she was covered by both Airbnb’s hosts coverage and her homeowner’s policy.
I believed it. “I believed it. Since my house was not worth that much, I thought I would be covered by both the home insurance and this policy. This was not true. If you are considering being a guest, make sure to look at all the different insurances that could be purchased. “Buy it all,” Gemzer said. “It’s such an over-promise/under-deliver situation. “If hosts knew about the situation, then they would have taken out more insurance to cover these kinds of catastrophes.”
Airbnb’s spokesperson provided ABC7 News with this response late Friday in response to Gemzer’s case.
We take Aircover requests very seriously. In this particular case, we sent a third party investigator to assess the damages, but she declined. She said that her homeowners’ insurance covered the temporary accommodations and the damage. We offered, as a goodwill gesture, to cover the lost bookings and her insurance deductible, along with additional reimbursement. “We have maintained constant contact with the host, and spoke to her today to show our support.”
Gemzer replied that she was shocked by the statement. She claimed that much of the statement was false. Gemzer claims that she sent 60 emails to the independent investigator to convince him to visit the site and assess the damages. He never came.
Gemzer wrote: “I offered multiple times for the third-party adjuster who came on site to visit, and I never refused any support or assistance from Airbnb.” Gemzer continued, “Airbnb employed a third party – Crawford and Company.” Crawford, however, hired a plumber to come out seven weeks later on May 31.
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