Airbnb Refund Appeals: The Ghost in the House Was Not as Friendly as Described!

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As a host, do refund requests from guests often give you a headache? Especially those with unbelievable explanations, which make you wonder:

Is this testing my patience or my intelligence?

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has personally experienced one of these outrageous cases:

One day, a guest called Airbnb’s customer support line and requested a full refund.

The reason? The house was haunted: there was a ghost inside.

After taking the matter seriously, support contacted the host. The host openly admitted that the ghost did exist, was a friendly ghost named Stanley and had already been mentioned in the listing description.

Here was the problem: the guests explained that they had booked precisely because they knew about Stanley. After arrival, however, they found that Stanley was not as friendly as described and instead harassed them all night.

This dispute between humans and a ghost could not be resolved using conventional standards. It also prompted Chesky to reflect that the sharing economy’s new economics textbook had no rules for this situation.

Guests’ Imaginations Run Wild: Bizarre Refund Reasons Leave Hosts Exasperated

Besides Stanley the ghost, unusual Airbnb refund explanations seem endless:

1. “The Air Conditioning Is Too Cold—or Not Cold at All”

Some guests complained that the air conditioning was inadequate and the room was not cool enough. On checking, the temperature outside was only 18°C, and the host had also provided a fan.

The guests still insisted: “The air is not cool enough.”

2. “The Cat Ignores Me”

A guest said the host’s pet cat refused to pose for photographs with them and behaved coldly, leaving them deeply disappointed.

3. “The House’s Energy Feels Wrong”

An especially sensitive guest said the house’s energy was too oppressive, making the stay uncomfortable, and requested a refund.

4. “The Ocean-View Home Does Not Have a Panoramic View”

Guests complained that their ocean-view home showed only part of the ocean. The host supplied complete listing photographs showing that the advertising was not false, but the guests still insisted on a full refund.

All these examples come from major social platforms and Airbnb forums. Hosts, do you have other unusual experiences? Share them in the comments or a private message.

How Can You Prevent Unusual Refund Requests? Suggestions to Consider

To reduce these imaginative refund disputes, hosts can begin with the following:

1. Clear, Comprehensive Listing Descriptions

Explain details that guests may care about, such as noise, pets and unusual characteristics of the home. For example, if Stanley’s host had added “We take no responsibility for harassment,” it might have avoided an awkward situation.

2. Detailed Instructions Before Arrival

Some complaints result from guests not understanding amenities, such as how to use the air conditioning or water heater. A detailed arrival guide improves the experience and reduces the likelihood of disputes.

3. A Reasonable Refund Policy

Set a moderate refund policy and make its terms clear before booking. If a dispute occurs, these policies can provide an important basis for the host’s position.

4. Choose Suitable Guests

Hosts can politely decline guests with repeated refund requests or negative reviews, avoiding unnecessary trouble.

5. Monitor Common Areas

Use security monitoring devices, limited to common areas, to record actual conditions and provide evidence for possible disputes. Guests must be informed in advance and their consent obtained.

If you:

Hope to increase rental income through short-term rentals;

Cannot spare a great deal of time to handle the small details;

Occasionally need to use the home yourself, making it unsuitable to empty out the furniture for a long-term rental;

Then:

Snowball Rentals’ management team is your best choice.

From pre-launch vacation-rental styling, big-data analysis and online marketing to tenant screening, dynamic pricing, customer service and sales, cleaning and repairs, Snowball Rentals provides everything as one complete service for your home!

This Week’s Booking Results

Through long-standing relationships with insurers, assignment companies and technology companies, Snowball Rentals rents homes for medium- and long-term durations at short-term rates, then gives owners a rebate of 5% in management fees to maximize their income.

As the weather gets cooler, Seattle’s short-term rental low season is approaching again.

Short-term rentals in peak season and mid-term rentals in low season: this is the new strategy we have repeatedly emphasized and tried this year!

Some recent large bookings have been like a ray of sunshine. Homeowners, let us support one another and face the approaching low season with confidence.

For the following detached home in Oceanside, California, Zillow shows an estimated long-term monthly rent of about US$4,781.

With the owner’s trust and support, we carefully furnished the home and immediately began short-term rental operations. Fortunately, because the home’s condition and location are both good, short- and mid-term bookings have continued to come in.

As shown in the booking screenshot below, a guest recently rented this home from January 9 to March 31, a total of 81 nights, at an average monthly rent of about US$6,100.

This is Snowball Rentals’ first large booking in California—we are delighted!

In summary, after Snowball Rentals operated this property, monthly rental income rose from US$4,781 to US$6,100, an increase of about 28%.

Securing such a large booking in low season is no easy feat!

As mentioned above, this 81-night booking from January 9 to March 31 covers more than 2 months of the short-term rental low season, which runs from September through March of the following year. We believe performance can be even better when peak season arrives!

For homeowners, combining short- and mid-term rentals in this way can earn more in peak season and help them get through low season smoothly. Even if the low-season rental figures look less dramatic, they still outperform long-term rentals and give homeowners a strong sense of financial security.

More importantly, the owner does not have to worry about maintenance or cleaning. When something needs to be discussed with guests, we also help with communication and oversight.

Here, we again thank the owner for placing trust in the Snowball Rentals team!

After nearly two years of Airbnb’s downturn, we at Snowball Rentals hope to help owners make steady progress in low season, navigate the challenges safely and lay a better foundation for next year’s peak season.

Once again, heartfelt thanks to our homeowners for their trust and support. Whether the market is strong or weak, Snowball Rentals will stand with you and look for ways to increase your income!

Some homeowners will surely ask the hard question: was a large booking like this just a stroke of luck? What if the home does not rent? A long-term rental is more stable—even earning less is better than earning nothing!

Our answer is: the outcome depends on what we do.

Vacation-Rental Styling

Competition on Airbnb is becoming increasingly intense. The days of piecing together secondhand furniture, taking phone photos and earning easy money on Airbnb are over. Airbnb hosts have moved toward professional operations.

Careful design and furnishing before launch, followed by professional short-term rental operations, will be the only choice for a rental that continues to generate high income.

Here is another of Snowball Rentals’ core services: vacation-rental styling!

Using the home above as an example, our vacation-rental stylist personally traveled to California to give it a makeover:

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When choosing a short-term rental on Airbnb, would this home’s appearance attract you?

If you would also like to make your home more attractive and earn more rent, please contact us at any time!

This Week’s Short Videos

We regularly update short videos every week.

The content you need is all here.

👇🏻 Homeowners are welcome to follow us 👇🏻

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Snowball Rentals

Snowball Rentals

We also share practical vacation-rental styling plans and creative ideas to help you achieve more with less spending!

Keep rental income growing!

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Xiao An’s Vacation-Rental Styling

Referral Rewards

If you are already a Snowball Rentals homeowner, you receive a US$500 referral fee for each referral.

If you are not yet a Snowball Rentals homeowner, you receive a US$250 shopping voucher for each referral.

Snowball Rentals Management

1. Full service — We provide pre-launch rental design, furniture procurement, furnishing, professional photography, online marketing, copywriting, tenant service and sales, cleaning, supply purchasing and property repairs. You only need to be a hands-off owner; we handle the rest.

2. Multi-platform promotion — We promote the home on Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway and other mainstream platforms for maximum exposure.

3. Dynamic pricing — Using big data, we adjust prices every day according to seasonal demand, holidays, last-minute vacancy offers, weekends and local activities, maximizing the owner’s income.

4. Income-improvement SOP — We follow 44 secrets for maximizing short-term rental income, optimizing each property’s online marketing, on-site operations and other aspects to work toward maximum income.

5. Flexible owner stays — Owners can flexibly choose when to stay themselves. This is especially suitable for owners with multiple residences around the world.

6. Terminate at any time — Management does not require an annual commitment. The owner can end the agreement with one month’s advance notice.

7. Corporate housing — In addition to nightly rentals, we work with insurers and assignment companies to provide executives with hotel-style managed accommodation for stays longer than 30 days.

8. Transparent fees — For rentals longer than 30 days, we charge 15% of accommodation revenue. For nightly rentals under 30 days, we charge 20% of accommodation revenue.

Author’s tip: Personal views, for reference only.