am i missing something? What do you think? Pool Closed Guest wants refund

[Allyson109]

Hi Guys, 

I have a very fairly priced air bnb.  The condo has a pool but something broke in it and it's been out for  two weeks total. I only do long stays, so this guest has another month on her stay. She wants some money back bc the pool has been under repair. I told her that's completely beyond my control. Things break sometimes. She pushed on, and wants some amount of refund. I told her to call airbnb to help resolve. Air bnb wants me to give her some compensation; and warned me if it goes to Air Cover and I am found negligent some amount could come out of my earning anyway. 

What do you all think? Am i missing something? To me she seems like a Karen. It's austin texas - GO DO SOMETHING. There are plenty of water options here while the pool is being fixed. 

Thanks for reading this! A

[Joan2709 · Accepted solution]

@Allyson109 

A guest does have a right to expect an amenity shown on your listing will be available to them during their stay. Airbnb does usually offer a 30% refund for every day the amenity shown on the listing that is not available to a guest. That is a risk you take when offering a listing with a pool controlled by another party.

Refunds

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2868

If we determine that a Reservation Issue has disrupted a guest’s stay, we’ll give the guest a full or partial refund. The term "Reservation Issue" refers to these situations:

Special amenity or feature advertised in the Listing is not present or does not function (e.g. pool, hot tub, major appliance, heating, and air conditioning systems).

The fact the pool is broken and was an amenity listed when booked, does give the guest the right to request a refund (and they will probably get it). 

[Elegant-Homes-Retreat0]

Hi @Allyson109,

Thanks for sharing your situation — I completely get your frustration. When something like a pool is listed as an amenity, guests generally expect it to be available, especially for long stays. Even though it’s out of your control, Airbnb does view this as a “Reservation Issue” if the amenity is unavailable during the stay.

In cases like this, offering a small goodwill refund can actually protect you from a larger deduction through AirCover if Airbnb sides with the guest later. It also shows you're trying to be fair, even when the issue wasn’t your fault.

If you continue hosting long stays, I’d recommend updating your listing description with a note like:

“Pool access is managed by the condo association and may occasionally be unavailable due to maintenance beyond our control.”

It helps set expectations without discouraging bookings.

At the end of the day, you’ve got a great location and offering — sometimes it just takes a little flexibility to keep things smooth.

[Zheng49]

Yes the guest should be entitled to between 30-50% refund for any days where the swimming pool is not working.