Guest damage isn't billed to Lakeland STR Cleaning — it's a claim between the host and Airbnb's Host Damage Protection or Vrbo's coverage. The crew's role is timing: a turnover clean happens between checkout and the next check-in, so damage gets photographed and flagged before a new guest ever sees it, giving the host a same-day head start on filing.
Who's actually on the hook?
Airbnb's Host Damage Protection and Vrbo's equivalent program exist for exactly this situation — a guest breaks or ruins something, the host files against the platform, not against Lakeland STR Cleaning. If the crew itself caused the damage during a clean, that's handled directly with the host as a separate matter, not folded into a guest claim.
How does a clean turn into evidence?
The visit between one guest's checkout and the next arrival is the only point anyone from the business is inside the unit with nobody staying there. Anything wrong with the property — broken, stained, missing — gets caught, photographed, and reported to the host that same visit, before a second or third guest has had a chance to get blamed for something they didn't do.
What separates damage from normal wear?
A cushion that's gone flat or a towel that's faded after enough washes isn't damage — that's what a short-term rental looks like after a season of guests cycling through. What gets flagged is anything that wasn't there at the last clean and doesn't come out with the crew's normal turnover products: a stain that won't lift, a crack, a broken fixture, something missing from the property's inventory list.
Does this work the same across every property the business covers?
Yes — the same catch-it-at-the-next-turnover approach applies whether the unit sits close to home base or out toward the far edge of the 7 areas Lakeland STR Cleaning services. The process doesn't change by location; only the drive time to get there does.
Will Lakeland STR Cleaning file the damage claim for me?
No — that claim goes through Airbnb or Vrbo directly, filed by the host, since the host is who the platform recognizes as the account holder. Lakeland STR Cleaning's part stops at documenting what the crew found and when, which becomes the evidence attached to that claim.
What if the damage isn't noticed until a few stays later?
It gets harder to pin on a specific guest the longer it sits, which is exactly why catching it at the very next turnover matters. A claim tied to a clean immediately after the guest checked out is a lot easier to support than one filed after two more reservations have come and gone.
Who should a host call first if a clean turns up damage?
Lakeland STR Cleaning, at (863) 267-8959 — get the specifics down (what's damaged, which property, which service area) while they're fresh, then start the platform claim the same day. Waiting doesn't help the claim; the timestamp on the report is part of what makes it credible.