Seeking Insight on a Difficult Guest Situation—Has This Happened to You?

[Oliver886]

Hello Airbnb Community,

I’m reaching out because I’m in the midst of a difficult situation with a recent guest, and I’m hoping to get some advice or insights from fellow hosts. I’ve been an Airbnb Superhost for a while and always strive to go above and beyond for my guests. My goal is to provide a safe, clean, and welcoming environment, and I take any concerns raised by my guests very seriously.

Recently, I had a guest who stayed for over two weeks without any issues. Towards the end of the stay, the guest suddenly reported finding bedbugs. I immediately took action—within hours, I had a professional exterminator come to the property to conduct a thorough inspection. The exterminator found no evidence of bedbugs or any significant pest issues. The guest was present during the exterminator’s inspection and saw firsthand that nothing was discovered. Despite this, she continued to claim there were bedbugs, which is why I very confused but wanting to help, offered her the option to check out early with a full refund for the remaining nights if she was uncomfortable staying. However, the guest chose not to check out and continued her stay.

What’s particularly confusing, both to me and to Airbnb at the moment, is that despite the guest alleging such severe issues—she even mentioned that she might need an EpiPen—she still chose to stay and sleep at the property for three more nights. This behavior left us questioning the legitimacy of her claims. It was this inconsistency that led Airbnb and me to conclude that there were likely no bedbugs, as someone genuinely concerned about their health would presumably have left immediately.

It’s important to note that two nights before she made the claim about bedbugs and her bites, the guest didn’t even sleep at the property. We know this because she informed us that she needed a bedsheet and towel change and asked for them to be ready before she returned. Additionally, she initially mentioned that she thought the bites were from mosquitoes, so we promptly sprayed for mosquitoes as a precaution.

What’s more troubling is that during the remainder of her stay, the guest continued to violate house rules. She brought in unregistered guests, used the pool beyond the allowed hours, and even smoked on the property, all of which are clear violations of the guidelines I have in place to ensure a safe and pleasant experience for everyone.

After the guest checked out, I gathered evidence to send to Airbnb regarding her house rules violations. While reviewing footage from our security cameras, I discovered a clip where one of the guests found a bug on a pool toy. The guest suggested placing the bug on the bed to fabricate evidence of a bedbug problem. I was shocked by this clear attempt to manipulate the situation, so I immediately sent this video evidence to Airbnb, along with all other necessary documentation.

Despite all this,  a week after her checkout Airbnb decided to cancel the reservation, issue a full refund, and suspend my listing for 21 days. The guest was refunded for her entire 15-night stay, which amounted to more than $4,000. This outcome feels incredibly harsh and unjust, especially given the proactive steps I took to resolve the situation and the clear evidence that was provided. It’s been disheartening to see such severe consequences when I’ve always made every effort to be a responsible and attentive host. To make matters worse, after receiving this response from Airbnb, I tried to raise my concerns and mention all the documentation, including the video evidence I had sent previously. However, Airbnb claimed they never received any of the information or videos I sent. This has left me feeling completely unheard and unsupported.

Has anyone else experienced something like this, where despite doing everything possible to address a guest’s concerns and providing clear evidence, the situation was still ruled against you? How did you handle it, and what was the outcome? I’m looking for any advice or insights on how to navigate this situation and ensure that it’s resolved fairly.

Thank you so much for any help or suggestions you can offer. I’m really hoping to find a way through this that doesn’t result in such severe penalties, especially when I’ve done everything I could to be a good host.

[Levi165]

Unfortunately, I've been on the end of both sides of this. Although it's common to feel that the outcome is "unjust" when it's against you, I think the undeniable truth is that Airbnb is extremely inconsistent, does a very poor job of dealing with things "in the moment," and will always prioritize Airbnb over everything, even Hosts' business and guests safety.

I had guests who broke rules and made desperate claims that were clearly frivolous, and in my last stay, I had a Host who had two broken bathrooms (out of 3) and who had private security harass us at 2am for hours when we reported the issues (including filming through bedroom windows), in what was so bad that the listing is suspended and the City of Seattle is investigating and Airbnb said "whoops, here's $300 of your $5,000 stay back."

You will get ripped off by guests again. You might have one or two rulings that feel more fair, but make no bones about it -- the only way to not get screwed by Airbnb is by not using Airbnb. You're almost certainly better off renting long term as a landlord and relying on established housing laws, and getting a hotel from a real proprietor as a guest. There's a reason that Airbnb is seeing such a huge decline (and this is from a SuperHost who made about $900/night at 90% occupancy at the peak). 

[Oliver886]

Thanks for sharing your experience—it really resonates with how I’m feeling right now. It’s frustrating and discouraging to see how inconsistent and unfair Airbnb can be, especially when you’ve put so much effort into being a good host. I’m seriously considering taking my listing off Airbnb too because it’s hard to keep putting in the work when it feels like the platform doesn’t support us.

I’m wondering, though, is there any real way to appeal these decisions? Or is it just not worth the effort? I want to make sure I explore every option before deciding whether to stay or go.

Thanks again for your honesty and for taking the time to share—it helps to know others are dealing with the same struggles.