6 Common Airbnb Complaints and How Hosts Can Deal with Them

As a host, you’ve probably come across an Airbnb guest complaint or two over the course of your career. However, those who are new to the business might be unaware of and confused by some common Airbnb complaints.

The first thing you need to remember is that instead of worrying about the complaints, focus on solutions. These complaints could easily result in bad reviews and have a negative impact on your business. Try to resolve them before they become a bigger problem.

However, you are unlikely to please each guest, and complaints will happen sometimes. Though, by following these suggestions, you will be able to keep them to a minimum.

6 Most Common Airbnb Complaints and How to Prevent Them

The good news is that most Airbnb complaints are actually easy to prevent. It takes some careful planning and extra effort to accomplish it, but it can be handled by your next booking. Here are some of the top complaint types from guests and how you can resolve them as a host.

1. Complaints about the rental cleanliness

2. Complaints about the lack of guest-host communication

3. Complaints about having issues with the Wi-Fi network

4. Complaints about the amenities provided

5. Complaints about handling and resolving emergency situations

6. Complaints about inaccurate rental representation through photos

1. Complaints about the rental cleanliness

Guests expect your property to be sparkling clean. This is why you must maintain a high level of cleanliness to ensure you meet the Airbnb quality standards. In addition, an enhanced cleaning routine guarantees a healthy environment for your guests.

How to prevent guest complaints about cleanliness?

Hiring a professional cleaning service will ensure that your place is perfectly clean for each new guest and avoid causing a complaint. If you plan to do the cleaning by yourself, you must put in extra effort to ensure an exceptionally clean and disinfected space.

Cleaning your rental doesn’t only mean taking out the trash and vacuuming. You need to clean all hard-to-reach places as well and pay attention to areas that are often overlooked. For example, dusting inside the kitchen cabinets might sound trivial to you, but it can have a big impact on your guests’ overall experience.

Guests will comment on things that you didn’t think mattered in their Airbnb reviews. You know how negative reviews can affect your business.

Moreover, make sure there are no unpleasant scents in the rental if you want to avoid a complaint. Guests usually report unpleasant scents as a huge problem in reviews. Some may even exaggerate and describe their stay as unbearable due to the bad smell. To avoid such comments, equip your rental with scented candles and air fresheners.

Whether you opt for a professional cleaning company or plan to do the cleaning yourself, it is good to have a cleaning checklist at hand. It will help you ensure that you haven’t overlooked anything while preparing your rental for guests.

What to do if the complaint about your property’s cleanliness are severe?

You should get to the property immediately or send someone over to address the problem. If you don’t handle the situation quickly, you may have to give them a full refund. This refers to a situation in which guests contacted Airbnb within 24 hours of check-in. To avoid getting a devastating review, offer a partial refund to the guest. Offering a refund is a small price to pay if it keeps your good reputation in the Airbnb hosting community.

2. Complaints about the lack of host communication

Although Airbnb hosts are ready to go the extra mile to create a warm welcome, many guests expect them to act as unofficial tour guides as well. To avoid bored guests complaining about the lack of attention and communication on your end, offer them an abundance of entertainment options.

In addition, anticipate potential questions and describe the peculiarities of your property, and give a list of things to do in your area in your welcome book.

How to prevent an Airbnb complaint about communication?

Provide your guests with detailed info to ensure they have a great Airbnb experience. In your welcome book, you can leave tourist guides and mention your favorite community eateries, cafes, pubs, etc. You can also include information on how to get to each destination from your place.

Keep your them engaged by offering dining ideas and entertainment options in your area. This way you will welcome them to your city and ensure they have a great time getting to know its hidden gems.

Show them you are a caring host who goes above and beyond to ensure an exceptional experience.

As your guests arrive and get settled, be sure that you are quick in responding to any questions. Leave them several options for contacting you such as FaceTime, WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, etc. Such a thoughtful attitude will bring you one step closer to gaining a Superhost title! Also, it will help you to increase your occupancy rate and profits.

To handle all communication effortlessly, you can rely on iGMS. With iGMS vacation rental software, you can automate your vacation rental management with an advanced smart messaging feature and ensure flawless communication. In addition, you’ll be able to streamline other business operations. These include:

• Managing multiple accounts and listings on the top OTAs from a single interface
• Synchronizing reservations across multiple platforms to eliminate the risk of double bookings
• Organizing messages into a single feed with a unified inbox
• Improving communication with automated templates and triggered messaging
• Automating the process of guest reviews
• Creating and coordinating cleaning tasks with live tracking to completion
• Creating your own direct booking website
• Managing direct bookings using a direct booking management toolkit
• Processing payments securely via integration with Stripe.
• Creating essential reports on your business results within minutes
• Adjusting your pricing in a smart way through integrations with PriceLabs, DPGO, and Wheelhouse

Sign up today to discover how we can help you run your vacation rental business efficiently.

Sign Up for Free

3. Complaints about having issues with the Wi-Fi network

Some people might have trouble using electronics in your home. Be sure to leave detailed instructions for them on how to use the devices and connect to your Wi-Fi network.

How to prevent guest complaints about Wi-Fi connection problems?

A very common problem that guests might have after checking in is not being able to connect to your Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi is as important as heating and light nowadays. Your guests might feel really upset if they fail to connect to your Wi-Fi network.

herefore, include info about what to do in case the Wi-Fi doesn’t work, i.e. an explanation on how to reset the Internet modem/router. Share your Wi-Fi credentials before your guests’ check-in and highlight them in your welcome book.

To avoid an Internet-related complaint, be sure to respond quickly if your guests have some issues. Try to explain the solution via a call or direct them to where they can find detailed instructions.

4. Complaints about the amenities provided

When guests book your property, they expect to find the same amenities that are mentioned in your property description. If you want to avoid a complaint about amenities, you shouldn’t claim to offer amenities that you don’t actually have.

How to prevent Airbnb complaints about your rental amenities?

Specifying amenities in your property description is one of the best ways to attract more guests to book with you. Honesty is the best policy and that’s why you should always specify only those amenities that you are able to provide. Be sure to check if all amenities are usable and in a working condition.

The odds are that there will always be that one guest who actually checks. Some may want to try out an amenity you promoted just because they find it interesting or want to see how it works. If they fail to find it or if it doesn’t work properly, you can end up receiving a bad review.

Also, if you decide to downsize, and remove some of the amenities from your property, be sure to update your description along with photos and delete the amenity from the list.

5. Complaints about handling and resolving emergency situations

If a dishwasher stops running or a thermostat/AC doesn’t work properly, your guests will expect you to fix them right away. Otherwise, you can expect that there will be a complaint about it.

How to prevent guest complaints regarding your problem-solving approach?

If you aren’t able to resolve the issue yourself, ensure that your visitors know that someone is on the way to repair any broken appliances. It is good to have a list of maintenance vendors that you can reach out to in such situations.

Time is of the essence if you want to avoid a complaint on your vacation rental platform listing. Trusted maintenance professionals who are available at all times can help you avoid complaints about your promptness in handling emergencies. Moreover, always check the appliances in your rental before new people check in to keep track of their condition.

6. Complaints about inaccurate rental representation through photos

This is one of the most common Airbnb complaints that hosts receive. And, like many other ones, this complaint is also easy to prevent.

How to prevent an Airbnb complaint about photos vs the real condition of your property?

Such Airbnb complaints usually arise because hosts don’t upload enough photos that reflect the real condition of their property. Therefore, always take shots from several angles, not just the one that makes it look perfect. This way you will give your potential visitors an honest representation of your accommodation.

If you are planning to hire a professional photographer, explain to him/her your expectations. If you decide to take the photos yourself, you can learn some tactics for taking property pictures that can help you capture great shots.

A few close-ups of carefully picked decorative items will also help to attract more guests and do wonders for your rental marketing!

Conclusion

Now that you know what the most common Airbnb complaints that hosts receive are and how to deal with them, you can use this knowledge to your advantage. Honesty can help you to maintain your reputation as a reliable host. Don’t make false promises of a great stay if you can’t meet the high expectations you’ve set.