Airbnb Guest Complaints and How to Handle Them

The biggest source of stress and anxiety for many new Airbnb hosts is learning how to handle Airbnb guest complaints. The more experience you have, the more adept you will become at weeding out false or inaccurate complaints from true problems. You will also become more comfortable dealing with upset or disappointed guests. Don’t worry, it is possible to turn a guest complaint into a 5-star review. There are a few steps you can take to make the task of handling guest complaints less daunting.

Check for Accuracy

When possible, ask for pictures of the issue of concern. This is a time when you will be grateful to have someone local who is available to investigate any issues if you host from a distance. Guests tend to retract fraudulent or exaggerated complaints the second you mention that your handyman or head cleaner can drop in and take a look.

Respond to Airbnb Guest Complaints Early

Address the complaint as soon as it comes in. Even if you can’t address the underlying problem for a few hours, showing you are responsive and dedicated to resolving the issue increases the odds of a positive result and good review, even if the pilot light goes out or the shower leaks.

Keep Your Guests Updated

Keep your guests in the loop and involved in the resolution. If you have an issue that requires a plumber, handyman, or any other intrusive presence in the house, let the guest know you’re dedicated to fixing the problem as soon as possible, but check with them for a preferred time and date for repair. You don’t want a guest to have to wake up early or stay up late to explain an issue to a vendor, and you don’t ever want to surprise a guest with an unplanned visitor.

Negative Reviews

If an issue comes up during a stay that results in Airbnb guest complaints, and the guest is not satisfied with the resolution, they may leave a negative public review on your listing. Respond to – but don’t argue with – negative reviews. You have the ability to publicly respond to public reviews on most short term rental websites.

Don’t let your anger at a false or misleading negative review turn your listing page into the comments section of an Internet forum. Explain why you think there was a misunderstanding, the steps you took to remedy the situation (including refunds, if applicable) and keep your tone respectful and apologetic that their experience was, for any reason, less than perfect. It will show future guests that you are not defensive, and that you respond reasonably to concerns if they should arise. Frame your response as if you’re speaking to future guests and let them know their experience is important to you.

If you feel the review is dishonest or does not reflect what happened, you can also try to have the review removed from Airbnb.