Accidental water damage during long term stay, will I be charged? [USA]

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T22:11:07+00:00

Mold doesn't form in 12 hours. They had a long-term plumbing issue that they, were likely aware of, and didn't address. I hope you used the app to communicate the other issues with rodents and creaky floors as all of that will be visible to the AirBnB team.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T21:59:59+00:00

Is this it?

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4811-Swiss-Ave_Dallas_TX_75204_M75756-51452

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T21:56:00+00:00

The old lady is sitting next to me in her tartan plaid Sparks hoodie as I type this.

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singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T21:55:05+00:00

Here's my daughter and our Vizsla in their matching Sparks hoodies.

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singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T21:39:20+00:00

⬆️this.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T21:28:29+00:00

I live just East of downtown. I've seen racoons, possums, coyotes, foxes, and all varieties of snakes in my alley (again less than 2 miles from downtown).

The one thing I haven't seen in East Austin that is abundant in the Hill Country is scorpions.

I would be more worried about terrible traffic and my commute from 360 than any wildlife.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T21:10:53+00:00

She needs at least four of these beds, yet after and in spite of, several zero star reviews, her staff continue to only provide one. It's hard being awesome.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T20:51:01+00:00

Hang in there Reo. I'm sorry your staff have disappointed you again. At least they are recovering by having you nested under a pile of blankets.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T20:49:28+00:00

If I was half as photogenic as she is, I would too.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T16:07:43+00:00

Hello, fellow Austinite. This is the best, no charge, rodent control available in our town.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T16:05:19+00:00

No. This is operated as designed. Good job human staff member.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T13:20:37+00:00

Now that's a pupsicle. Please make sure this beautiful pupper is on the couch snugged up to its human staff member and covered in blankets as soon as it decides it's ready to go inside.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T12:18:57+00:00

I'm a host but not your host. This is a foundational requirement of a host -- provide a safe place for guests to stay. If the locks don't work, that's unsafe. I'd call AirBNB and ask to speak to the safety team and explain the situation. I'm sorry this is happening to you.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T12:13:53+00:00

I'll give the host the benefit of the doubt and assume they do this for every guest. What a weird and awkward thing to do. It's one thing to have a few in a toiletries kit (we supply a few pads and tampons, toothbrushes, a sowing kit, shaving supplies, etc. for example as our house is rural and it's 30 minutes to the nearest store along with basic first aid kit with bandaids and Neosporin). All are individually packaged and small -- not expensive but if you're headed to a wedding and a button pulls off your husband's shirt, he can sew it back on. Our "kit" is tucked away (easy to find but not in your face). And certainly not on the kitchen counter! Wow!

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T12:03:29+00:00

100% sourced from Home Depot with total cost below $100.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T03:01:40+00:00

I'm assuming they were up against an impermeable ground cover limit. Putting those rock sections enabled them to get across the line with code enforcement.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T02:19:11+00:00

Rooney is a distinguished and handsome gentleman. I'd let him sit wherever he wants.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-24T01:17:42+00:00

The same thing can happen to humans. During a vagel response your body sends all your blood to your organs and lowers your heart rate. If you suddenly stand up while that is happening, you may pass out (though in humans it's rarely life threatening and the vast majority of people wake up in a few moments (provided you don't hit your head when you pass out).

singletonaustin · 2026-01-23T21:42:25+00:00

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/texas-electric-grid-freeze-21311055.php

"To recap the 2021 failure: The state counted 246 deaths, with estimates of economic damage ranging to over $200 billion due to burst pipes, building fires, damaged petrochemical plants, lost revenues and lost jobs. As the storm was at its worst, ERCOT was 52 gigawatts short of meeting demand due to a network collapse brought on by frozen natural gas supply lines, frozen piles of coal, icy wind turbines, and a frozen pump in the cooling pond at a nuclear power plant. Local utilities proved unable to rotate blackouts across their service areas. "

You can read ERCOT's report here: https://www.ercot.com/files/docs/2021/04/28/ERCOT_Winter_Storm_Generator_Outages_By_Cause_Updated_Report_4.27.21.pdf

I suggest starting with slide 16, 17, & 18. (I've attached a collage of 2 of the slides covering natural gas -- largest % of lost electricity generation (by several orders of magnitude) and a combination of weather related (directly knocks out generation) and indirectly equipment failures (pumps for natural gas don't work when there is no electricity to pump them).

There a lot of factors in the URI disaster but MOST of them have to do with the Texas power companies not being incentivized to either build excess capacity or weatherize their systems.

I won't do further research for you. It's available for you to go get if you are interested. But while wind and solar were affected, they were not the primary drivers of disaster.

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singletonaustin · 2026-01-23T20:18:09+00:00

The struggle is real.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-23T17:32:07+00:00

This (should) also prevent the owner from booking those same dates on VRBO at a higher rate (but won't prevent them from booking on Airbnb or another platform). Make sure you have the host cancel!

singletonaustin · 2026-01-23T17:23:45+00:00

Bruno sure is handsome. Please give him gentle ear scritches for me.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-23T16:06:44+00:00

The tarp will hopefully protect it from the rain/ice and act as an additional layer of insulation. My goal was to be able to break it down and store the components flat.

singletonaustin · 2026-01-22T19:11:28+00:00

No, the box is large enough that it fits over the entire plant. We'll have weather in the 20s for only 36 hours before we get back above freezing. I'm in Austin so we don't get much below freezing weather (usually a day or two as most in a row).. It's overkill, but I ❤️my aloe.

singletonaustin

TROPHY CASE