Filing a Damage Dispute (Guest)

If a host reports damage connected to your trip, review the report and respond with clear facts and evidence from the claim workspace.

Prelaunch: Live trips and claims are not open yet. This article describes the guest response flow currently intended for launch.

Your trip record matters

Check-in photos, checkout photos, odometer and fuel records, trip messages, and additional evidence can all help establish what happened. Damage visible before the trip is important evidence, but Afto reviews the complete record rather than promising an automatic result from one image.

When a report is filed

Afto notifies the guest and connects the report to the affected trip. Open the claim from the trip and review:

  • What the host reported
  • The claimed incident details
  • Existing trip evidence
  • Any action or response due date

Do not respond by creating a separate support story with disconnected files when the claim workspace is available. Keeping the response on the claim preserves the evidence trail.

How to respond

  1. Open the claim from Trips.
  2. Read the report and requested response carefully.
  3. Add relevant photos, video, documents, or receipts.
  4. Give a clear factual account, including dates, handoff details, and where the vehicle was when relevant.
  5. Reference the in-app message or consented call record if it contains useful context.
  6. Submit before the displayed deadline.

Timing

The current configuration targets an eligibility review within 3 business days, but complete resolution can take longer when an estimate, guest response, third-party document, or additional evidence is needed. The claim workspace shows the dates that apply to that individual claim.

Appeals

If the product makes an appeal available, submit it before the exact deadline shown with the decision. The current configuration uses a 5-business-day appeal-window target. Help does not promise a different assigned specialist or a fixed appeal-decision date that the current workflow does not enforce.

Good-faith participation

Responding honestly does not create a separate dispute fee by itself. Fraudulent, misleading, or abusive evidence can still lead to account action under the applicable terms.