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AIBU?

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Guest walks out of Airbnb and wants full refund

351 replies

IgglePiggleLovesUpsey · 10/01/2025 00:39

I've had a bit of a crap day today tbh and the icing on the cake has been having to liaise with Airbnb support - I feel I have gone over so many details regarding a guest that decided to leave early due to issues with my property and now wants full refund.- so naturally I have come here to go over it again.

Timeline

  • guests confirms that she and her partner will be using property only but would like use of spare bedroom. 2 adults
  • I inform guest some building work has taken place to access loft eg new staircase and loft hatch, it's not quite finished so please avoid the area. She says it's fine.
  • Guest arrives, is shown round property, then mentions she will be returning and bringing 3yo. They return, order takeaway, use bathroom etc and then contact Airbnb support to complain about property and say they want to leave citing hygiene and safety as issue. They don't cancel reservation.
  • Airbnb contact me, back and forth we go, I want to know what the issue is exactly and be shown photos but they aren't shared.
I call, I message etc and eventually I reach out to guest asking to clarify issues and if she has left of intending to, only then do I find out she left that night. By this point I've stayed away for 2 nights and have packed all my stuff expecting them to stay for 11 nights. I think it's cheeky for them to expect a full refund when they made use of the facilities, didn't indicate they had any issues when being shown around, cost me time and effort to prep for their arrival , lied about number of guests and never even informed anyone they had left.

Or am I unreasonable? They found one small screw on the floor...so they felt it was unsafe for the child...the one we didn't know was going to be there. Also I forgot to check behind the TV stand...there was a clean coffee lid and a light switch to the loft in the area they were asked to avoid wasn't screwed back. I wiped clean the mirrors one last time before leaving and the tissue was referred to as 'trash' left lying around and bathroom slippers suddenly counted as shoes left lying around. The only issue I accept wasn't ideal was that a cupboard - that was not for the use of the guests but had the door removed and was leaning against cupboard.

OP posts:
Octavia64 · 10/01/2025 00:46

Partially complete building work is often not safe.

It's hard to tell from what you have described but if you've got an open plate to a switch, a cupboard door off then I personally wouldn't be happy staying.

I have lived in a house while building work was going on and stuff is left in an way that's ok if you are the person who has liased with builders (don't touch that, stay out of the kitchen, the electrics are going to be off for the next few hours) but not ok if you are renting your house out.

I think you probably shouldn't have accepted the booking. People who haven't had building work done don't know what it is like living in the middle of it and it seems quite likely your living space wasn't safe.