A shady Airbnb host charged former guests of his Parisian vacation rental $3,500 for a coffee stain. Despite the host having no evidence of damages to his vacation rental, Airbnb approved his claim. How to protect yourself against vacation rental damage scamsUnfortunately, the complaints I receive each week suggest that some vacation rental owners are hoping to boost their profits by charging fake damage fees. If you find any obvious damage, make sure you contact the vacation rental host or management company and Airbnb immediately. Keep all conversations with your Airbnb host on the platformAirbnb makes it easy to communicate with your vacation rental host through your account.