What to Do When a Guest Says Your Airbnb Was Dirty
When a guest says your Airbnb was dirty, reply within the hour, ask for a photo, apologize once, and offer a fix the same day. How you handle the next few hours decides whether you get a fair review or a one star cleanliness score that follows your listing for months.
Step 1: Reply fast, and ask for a photo
Speed matters more than the perfect wording. A guest who waits three hours for a reply has already started writing the review in their head.
Something like this works:
Hi Sam, I'm so sorry about this. That is not the standard we hold ourselves to. Could you send me a photo so I can see exactly what was missed? I want to get it fixed for you today.
Asking for a photo is not about doubting the guest. It shows you what your cleaner missed, and it gives you a record if the issue turns into a refund request.
Step 2: Offer a fix, not an argument
Match the fix to the problem:
- Small miss (hair in the shower, crumbs on the counter): send your cleaner back, or offer supplies and a small gesture like a local coffee gift card.
- Bigger miss (unwashed linens, dirty bathroom): send a cleaner back the same day and offer a partial refund for the night.
- Health issue (pests, mold, soiled bedding): move fast. Offer a full clean immediately, and be ready to help them rebook if the place is not livable.
Never tell the guest it was clean when they arrived. Even if you believe it, you will lose that argument in the review.
Step 3: Follow up before checkout
Message once more after the fix: "Is everything good now?" That second message is often the difference between a 3 and a 5. Guests review the experience, not just the room, and a host who fixed a problem quickly is part of a good experience.
Step 4: Find out what was missed
Once the guest is happy, figure out why it happened:
- Was the item on your cleaning checklist?
- Did the cleaner take a photo of that area?
- Did anyone look at the photos before check in?
Nine times out of ten, the answer to the last question is no. The work happened, the photos existed, and nobody checked them in time.
Step 5: Stop it happening again
Add the missed item to your Airbnb cleaning checklist, with a photo requirement. Then set up a check that happens before the guest arrives, not after they complain.
That is what Clyn does. Your cleaner takes turnover photos in the Clyn app. Clyn's AI checks every photo against your standard and flags anything missed, so you can send the cleaner back before check in instead of apologizing after it.
Start free with one property and five AI quality reports a month at clyn.com.