Guest Wants a Refund for a Dirty Airbnb: What Happens Next
If a guest reports that your Airbnb was not reasonably clean at check in, Airbnb's Rebooking and Refund Policy can give them a full or partial refund or help them rebook, and your payout is reduced by the amount refunded. Guests are expected to contact you first and report within 72 hours of discovering the issue, so the fastest way to limit the damage is to respond quickly, fix the problem, and offer a fair partial refund yourself when it is warranted.
I have been on the receiving end of this message, and the first few minutes matter more than anything else. Here is how the process works and what I do.
What Airbnb's policy actually says
Airbnb's Rebooking and Refund Policy covers "Reservation Issues." One of them is a home that is not habitable at check in, including when it is "not reasonably clean and sanitary" or contains safety or health hazards.
Key points from the policy:
| Topic | What the policy says |
|---|---|
| Reporting window | Guests must report Reservation Issues within 72 hours after discovery |
| Host first | Whenever feasible, the guest must notify the host and try to resolve it directly before going to Airbnb |
| Evidence | Requests should be supported by evidence such as photos, videos or confirmation from the host |
| Host contact | In most circumstances Airbnb will attempt to confirm the concern with the host |
| Outcomes | A full or partial refund, or help finding a similar place, depending on availability at comparable pricing |
| Your payout | The host receives no payout or a payout reduced by the amount refunded to the guest |
| Cancellation policy | When the policy applies, it takes precedence over the reservation's cancellation policy |
That last row surprises a lot of hosts. A strict cancellation policy does not protect you when a stay qualifies under this policy.
What guests are told to do
Airbnb's guest facing article on what to do if a place isn't clean at check in tells guests to:
- Take photos or video of the cleanliness issue.
- Contact the host, describe what is wrong and where, and include the documentation.
- Request a partial refund from the host and try to agree on an amount.
- Contact Airbnb if the host is unresponsive, cannot resolve it, or declines.
- Keep all communication on Airbnb.
So when a guest messages you with photos and asks for money, they are following Airbnb's instructions. Treat it as the start of a process, and assume Airbnb may read the whole thread later.
What I do in the first hour
1. Reply fast and calmly
Acknowledge the problem, apologize once, and say what you are going to do. Avoid arguing about whether it is "really" dirty in the first message. Something like:
I am so sorry, that is not the standard we hold ourselves to. I am sending my cleaner back right now and they can be there by 4pm. Can you send me a photo of anything else you noticed so we fix everything in one visit?
2. Fix it in person
Send your cleaner or a backup back to the property as fast as you can. A same day return visit solves most complaints and gives the guest a reason to stay. Our guide to what to do when a guest says your Airbnb was dirty covers this conversation in more depth.
3. Offer something proportionate
If the problem affected the stay (a dirty bathroom on a one night trip, for example), a partial refund is often fair. You can send it through the Resolution Center, which keeps it on the record. Resolving it directly with the guest is usually better for everyone than leaving it for Airbnb to decide.
4. Keep everything on Airbnb
Never move the conversation to text or WhatsApp. If Airbnb gets involved, your messages are your evidence that you responded quickly and in good faith.
How to respond when you think the complaint is not fair
Sometimes the photos show something minor, or you have good reason to believe the home was clean. You can still respond professionally.
- Check your turnover record first. Look at your cleaner's photos from that turnover. If they show the exact area the guest photographed looking clean, that is useful context.
- Share it politely. "Here is how the bathroom looked when my cleaner finished at 2pm. I am still happy to send someone to check." Stay on the problem, not the person.
- Tell Airbnb your side if they contact you. The policy says Airbnb will usually try to confirm the concern with you. A dated photo record and a message thread showing a fast response are the strongest things you can offer.
This is one reason I push every host to keep a photo record of every turnover. With Clyn, your cleaner's photos are checked by AI against your standard before check in, and each turnover is saved with dates, so if a guest raises a cleanliness issue you can see exactly what the home looked like when it was handed over.
The real fix: stop dirty arrivals before they happen
Refunds are a symptom. The cause is almost always one of these:
- A rushed same day turnover
- A new or substitute cleaner who does not know your standard
- A checklist that does not include the spots guests inspect
- Nobody checking the result before the guest arrives
The first three are about training and scheduling. The fourth is the one most hosts skip, and it is the cheapest to fix.
A simple pre arrival check
- Use a written checklist for every room. Start from our Airbnb cleaning checklist.
- Require photos of each room from the same angles after every turnover. Our guide to what photos to ask your cleaner for lists the shots that matter.
- Review them before check in. If you cannot do this reliably yourself, this is the step Clyn automates: missed items are flagged while the cleaner can still fix them, and blurry or dark photos get sent back for a retake.
- Fix and learn. When something is missed, show your cleaner the photo and update the checklist.
What this does to your reviews and status
A refund request usually comes with a lower cleanliness rating. That can affect your overall average, which matters for Superhost, and a guest contacting Airbnb about quality counts toward the reliability factors Airbnb uses for Guest Favorites. Resolving it quickly and kindly will not always save the review, but it often softens it.
After the stay, respond publicly to any cleanliness review with a short note on what you changed. Future guests read host responses.
FAQ
How long does a guest have to report a dirty Airbnb?
Airbnb's policy says guests must report Reservation Issues within 72 hours after discovery. The guest help article also says they have 72 hours from noticing the issue to report it to the host or to Airbnb.
Does the host pay for a refund Airbnb gives the guest?
Yes. Under the Rebooking and Refund Policy, the host receives no payout or has their payout reduced by the amount refunded to the guest.
Does my cancellation policy protect me from a cleanliness refund?
No. Airbnb says that when the Rebooking and Refund Policy applies, it takes precedence over the reservation's cancellation policy.
If you want every turnover checked before check in, you can try Clyn free on one property at clyn.com.