A lot of unexpected things can happen at an Airbnb. A renter could find a completely different place than the photos, be met with a ridiculous set of rules, or, in the case of TikTok user Micah (@mdugas7), accidentally break something on the property.
In a video with over 414,000 views, Micah says she accidentally left a curling iron on the toilet seat of an Airbnb, inadvertently causing the plastic to melt.
Rather than get charged for the damages, she and her husband decided to take matters into their own hands.
“We got an Uber to a small hardware store and bought some supplies…[and] snuck it inside…” she writes in the text overlaying the video. The video concludes with an image of her husband installing a new toilet seat in place of the old one.
@mdugas7 I never said life with ne would be boring! Jesus knew what he was doing when he sent me a handyman 🔧 #nobodysgonnaknow #trending #fyp #airbnb #airbnbsecrets #upgrades #accident ♬ original sound – Dude Dad
“I never said life with [me] would be boring,” she writes in the caption. “Jesus knew what he was doing when he sent me a handyman.”
While Airbnb advises resolving the problem with the host directly, many users in the comment section commended Micah’s quick thinking and ingenuity, saying that had she not replaced the item she likely would have faced high charges from the property owner.
“The way they probs would have charged $400 for that $20 lid,” wrote a user.
“$2000 clean and damage fee,” echoed another.
That said, many self-proclaimed Airbnb hosts claimed that they would have loved Micah’s replacement.
“Airbnb host – tbh it’s the cost of doing business, I’ve replaced three seats, nbd!” shared a user. “But would be excited if the guest did it for us.”
“I’m an Airbnb owner and this wouldn’t bother me a bit,” offered a second. “I’d actually be impressed that you took time out of your trip to replace it!”
“As an Airbnb owner I wouldn’t charge anything if you had a replacement waiting for me when I came to clean,” stated a third. “You handled this great!”
A few users fessed up to making similar replacements in the past.
“We literally had to repair two holes in the drywall at ours when my boyfriend tripped and fell down the stairs,” recalled a user. “Never heard a word about it.”
“I accidentally broke a bar lock on screen door, I thought it was jammed lol. Went and got a replacement,” detailed an additional TikToker. “The host said it was better that before.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Micah via TikTok comment.
Update 7:36am CT, May 14, 2023:
In a TikTok direct message exchange, Micah says she hasn’t heard from the Airbnb owners since the replacement.
“…We did receive [a] review after that we are allowed to stay again, lol, so I don’t think they noticed at all,” she wrote.
“In our defense, the toilet seat we took off was the cheapest one ever — so thin and plastic and had plastic screws holding it to the toilet,” she continued. “We purchased one that was much nicer…The seat we bought was thicker, nicer, soft close lid & had metal screws holding it to the toilet, so truly they got an upgrade.”
Performing this swap may have cost money, but Micah says it was worth it to avoid the potential charges she may have incurred from the host.
“[It] cost us about $75 in total once you add the seat, the pliers to make sure it fit well, and the two Uber rides to and from,” she recalled. “I assume they would’ve charged us way more and possibly hurt our rating as a customer, and being someone who owns 3 small businesses and a rental property, I couldn’t leave it broken — so now I jokingly tell my husband he’s mini TikTok famous for being the toilet seat man. But truly, I’m very thankful for a handy husband for when I accidentally break things.”
