How to file evidence-backed damage claims

A damage claim is a short story with receipts. The card network, if it ever reviews the capture, wants to know that the guest authorized the amount, that your contract allowed a capture, and that the amount matches a real repair. Build the file that way the first time and most claims never become disputes.

File before the hold expires

You cannot capture an authorization that the bank has already released. Check the expiry on the deposit the morning after checkout, not the following week. If a contractor needs a day to quote the repair, extend the hold while it is still authorized. Once it expires, the only path left is a new invoice the guest can ignore.

Photograph the specific damage

Wide shots prove which room. Close shots prove the damage. Include a photo from check-in if you have one, so it is obvious the mark was not already there. Name the files after the booking reference. Three clear photos beat thirty dark ones.

Match the amount to an invoice

Capture the contractor's number, not a round figure you hope is close. If the hold was $2,500 and the floor repair is $640, capture $640. The rest should release the same day. Partial capture is the single best way to stay on good terms with a guest who already knows something broke.

Write the incident in one paragraph

Who found it, when, what it is, and what it costs. On Saturday checkout the housekeeper found a cracked marble vanity in the primary bath. Restoration quote from Luna Stone is $890, attached. That paragraph, plus the photos and the PDF, is what you will paste into a bank response if the guest disputes the capture.

Tell the guest before you capture

Send the amount and the evidence, then capture. Surprise captures create disputes even when you are right. HoldGuarantee keeps the claim, the evidence, and the Stripe capture on one timeline so you can show the sequence later: authorized, documented, captured, remainder released.

If the bank asks

Respond with the booking terms, the authorization receipt, the photos, and the invoice. Do not add new damage that was not in the original claim. Stick to the amount you captured. A narrow, documented claim is easier to defend than a broad one.