Airbnb & Vrbo Guest Complaints 2026: Introduction

In the short-term rental market, Airbnb & Vrbo Guest Complaints are inevitable, but some are far more damaging to your business and reputation than others. The issues listed below are directly tied to your listing’s ranking, host penalties, and ability to charge premium rates.

The biggest reported issue remains Cleanliness. However, the complaint that is the easiest to prevent—and the fastest way to lose thousands in refunds and de-ranking—is Listing Accuracy.

The 80/20 rule for Airbnb states that approximately 80% of a host’s income, bookings, or positive reviews come from only 20% of their efforts, listings, or guests. It suggests focusing on the most impactful tasks, such as optimizing high-performing listings, prioritizing excellent guest experiences, and refining core strategies like dynamic pricing and cleaning. By concentrating on this critical 20%, hosts can achieve the majority of their desired outcomes without getting bogged down by less effective tasks. 

Airbnb & Vrbo Guest Complaints: Cleanliness

Cleanliness significantly affects Airbnb and Vrbo bookings and rates because guests prioritize it for satisfaction, and high ratings lead to more bookings and higher revenue. A spotless property can justify higher rates, lead to repeat bookings, and generate positive reviews, while poor cleanliness can deter guests and result in negative feedback. High or opaque cleaning fees are a major deterrent for short stays, potentially causing guests to look elsewhere. 

How cleanliness impacts bookings:

• Higher ratings lead to more bookings: Properties with high cleanliness scores, especially above 4.8 stars, can receive up to 20% more bookings.
• Negative reviews deter future guests: Poor cleanliness reviews can directly reduce reservations and revenue.
• Builds trust and encourages repeat business: A consistently clean and well-maintained property builds trust with guests, making them more likely to return or recommend the rental to others.
• Influences guest satisfaction: Cleanliness is consistently ranked as a top factor in guest satisfaction on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. 

How cleanliness impacts rates

• Justifies premium pricing: Guests are often willing to pay a premium for a clean and well-kept space.
• Affects cleaning fee perception: Guests are sensitive to cleaning fees, especially on short stays. A high cleaning fee can make a short stay appear overpriced, even if the nightly rate is competitive.
• Improves overall pricing strategy: Hosts can balance their pricing by adjusting the cleaning fee to be more appealing for shorter bookings. For example, slightly increasing the nightly rate and lowering the cleaning fee can make the total price seem more balanced.
• Impacts income: Consistent cleanliness helps hosts maintain and even increase their income, as it protects against the negative financial impact of poor reviews. 

Key takeaway for hosts

• Prioritize maintaining a high standard of cleanliness to boost your property’s reputation and booking potential.
• Ensure your cleaning fees are reasonable and clearly communicated, especially for shorter stays, to avoid deterring potential guests.
• Consider how a high cleaning fee on short stays can disproportionately affect the total cost and potentially turn guests away before they even book. 

Airbnb & Vrbo Guest Complaints: Listing Accuracy

Listing accuracy on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo directly impacts booking rates and can affect pricing by building guest trust, boosting search rankings, and increasing revenue. Accurate listings with high-quality photos and detailed descriptions lead to more 5-star reviews and better search visibility, which drives more bookings and allows hosts to maintain competitive rates or even increase them. Inaccurate listings lead to guest disappointment and negative reviews, which can lower search rankings and reduce future bookings. 

The “Expectation Gap” between a listing and reality negatively impacts bookings and rates on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo by leading to poor reviews, which can then cause a drop in search rankings and fewer bookings. To combat this, hosts can reduce the gap by using accurate photos, disclosing potential issues, and being transparent about limitations, thereby improving their chances of securing new bookings and potentially increasing their ability to charge competitive rates. 

How listing accuracy affects rates and bookings:

• Improves search engine rankings: Both platforms use algorithms that prioritize listings with high accuracy scores. Factors like a complete property score (including high-quality photos, comprehensive descriptions, and accurate amenities) lead to better visibility in search results.
• Boosts guest trust and conversions: When a listing is accurate, guests know what to expect, reducing the risk of a negative experience. This builds trust, which encourages bookings and a higher conversion rate.
• Increases positive reviews: Accuracy is directly linked to 5-star reviews. High ratings improve a listing’s popularity and search ranking, creating a positive feedback loop.
• Minimizes negative reviews: An inaccurate listing is a primary cause of negative feedback, which can harm your reputation and lead to lower rankings and fewer bookings.
• Impacts pricing potential: Accurate, high-quality listings are more competitive. Hosts can maintain or even increase their rates, as guests are willing to pay for a property that meets or exceeds their expectations. Conversely, low accuracy can force you to lower prices to attract bookings. 

How to improve listing accuracy

• Use high-quality photos: Take professional, high-resolution photos that accurately represent the space.
• Write detailed descriptions: Provide a compelling and comprehensive description that highlights key features and amenities.
• Create an accurate amenities list: Ensure the amenities listed are present and functional. Guests often use filters for amenities, so being accurate is crucial for being found.
• Be transparent about house rules: Clearly state all house rules to prevent misunderstandings.
• Update information promptly: Keep your listing up-to-date, especially regarding availability, amenities, and any changes to the property. 

Airbnb & Vrbo Guest Complaints: Hidden Fees and Chores

Hidden fees, service fees, and mandatory chore lists can negatively impact booking rates on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo by making the total cost appear higher, especially for short stays. High cleaning fees disproportionately increase the cost per night for shorter trips, deterring guests who may then choose to book elsewhere. While some platforms are moving toward more transparency, transparency itself is key, as guests may book more readily if they perceive the price is fair, even if it’s higher overall. 

How hidden fees affect rates and bookings:

• Impact on short stays: Cleaning fees are often a fixed cost per stay. This means on a one or two-night stay, the cleaning fee can represent a significant percentage of the total cost, making the total price per night seem much higher than a longer stay.
• Deters booking: When the per-night cost of a short stay, inflated by fees, is perceived as too high, guests will often abandon the booking and look for other options.
• Impact on long stays: For longer stays, the fixed cleaning fee is averaged over more nights, making it seem less significant and the total price more balanced.
• Host strategy: Hosts can address this by building the expected cleaning cost into the nightly rate to provide a more upfront total cost. 

How chore lists affect rates and bookings

• Cause guest dissatisfaction: Many guests find it frustrating to be asked to perform chores when they have already paid a separate cleaning fee.
• Can lead to negative reviews: Chore lists that go beyond reasonable tasks—such as mopping or cleaning the oven—can lead to negative reviews even if the guest was otherwise happy with the stay.
• Affects perception of value: Guests may feel that the cleaning fee was not worth the chores they were asked to do, leading them to question the value of their booking. 

Improving rates and bookings through transparency and fair practices

• Transparent pricing: Building costs into the nightly rate can help to avoid the “hidden fee” perception.
• Reasonable chore lists: Focusing on reasonable, expected chores (like taking out trash and stripping beds) is often better than asking guests to perform extensive cleaning tasks.
• Balancing fees: When setting fees, keep them balanced with the nightly rate and understand how they will affect the perception of different booking lengths.
• Highlight value: Communicating the value of the property and the included amenities can help justify the price, even if it’s higher. 

Airbnb & Vrbo Guest Complaints: Poor Host Communication

Poor host communication negatively impacts rates and bookings by causing potential guests to look elsewhere, leading to lower booking conversions and poor reviews. It can result in missed bookings, decreased guest satisfaction, and can even lead to penalties or cancellations by platforms like Vrbo if critical information like check-in instructions is not provided in a timely manner. Good communication, conversely, builds trust, improves visibility, and can result in a healthier, more profitable rental business. 

Negative effects on bookings

• Missed booking opportunities: Guests who receive no response or a slow response to inquiries will likely book with another host who is more responsive, directly impacting your conversion rate.
• Poor reviews and ratings: Slow or absent communication leads to frustration and can result in negative reviews, which can deter future bookings and may lead to penalties from platforms.
• Cancellation penalties: Both Airbnb and Vrbo have policies that require hosts to communicate with guests, especially regarding check-in instructions. Failure to do so can lead to cancellation penalties and lower search rankings. 

Negative effects on rates

• Reduced demand: Poor communication can make a listing appear untrustworthy or unreliable, which can lower demand for your property, even during peak seasons.
• Lower pricing power: A consistent pattern of poor communication can lead to a negative reputation, making it harder to justify premium pricing for your rental. 

How to avoid these negative effects

• Respond quickly: Aim to respond to guest messages as quickly as possible. Platforms like Airbnb recognize timely communication as a key hosting standard and reward it.
• Provide clear and timely information: Make sure guests receive all necessary information, especially check-in instructions, in a timely and easy-to-understand format.
• Use automation and pre-written messages: Tools can help automate responses to common questions and send important information at specific times, ensuring guests are kept in the loop even when you are busy.
• Set up a system for when you are unavailable: Provide an emergency contact number or have a plan in place for how guests can get help outside of your normal working hours. 

Airbnb & Vrbo Guest Complaints: Amenities

Poor amenities and related complaints can negatively impact rates and bookings on Airbnb and Vrbo by damaging your listing’s reputation, leading to lower search rankings and fewer reservations. Guests are more likely to leave negative reviews if the property doesn’t match the description, especially regarding cleanliness and basic comforts, which can result in penalties from the platform, such as reduced visibility. Maintaining high standards and accurately listing all amenities is crucial to avoid negative consequences and protect your long-term performance. 

How bad amenities and complaints affect rates and bookings

• Damaged reputation and lower search rankings: Negative reviews, often stemming from poor amenities, hurt your overall rating. Platforms like Airbnb can penalize inaccurate listings, leading to lower visibility in search results and reduced booking rates.
• Decreased booking rates: Guests use amenities and reviews to gauge value and a property’s worthiness. If they find issues like a lack of basic supplies or cleanliness problems, they are unlikely to book again or recommend the property.
• Direct penalties from the platform: Repeated complaints about misrepresentation can lead to penalties from Airbnb, such as forced refunds, removal of reviews, or even account suspension.
• Impact on rates: While you can adjust your rates after making improvements, having to lower them due to poor reviews or outdated amenities is a direct financial consequence. 

How to mitigate negative impacts

• Be accurate and detailed: Clearly state all amenities and any limitations in your listing description. This sets expectations and protects you if a guest complains later.
• Invest in quality amenities: High-quality items, especially for essentials like kitchen supplies and comfortable linens, can help you stand out and reduce complaints.
• Focus on cleanliness: Even small signs of uncleanliness can lead to negative reviews. Implement strict cleaning checklists for your staff and consider automation tools to maintain high standards consistently.
• Address issues quickly: When a guest raises a concern, contact them to resolve the problem. If the issue is a major amenity outage, a partial refund or other compensation can help prevent a negative review.
• Use feedback to improve: View complaints as a system signal to improve your property and guest experience. Use the feedback to adjust everything from your pre-arrival messaging to your in-house check-ins. 

Airbnb & Vrbo Guest Complaints: Maintenance Issues

Maintenance issues and complaints negatively affect booking rates and pricing by damaging a host’s reputation, leading to lower search rankings, fewer bookings, and potentially forcing refunds. These issues can also lead to penalties from platforms like Airbnb, such as reduced visibility or even account suspension, and can result in a host’s reputation being tarnished and occupancy rates dropping. 

Impact on bookings and rates

• Lower search rankings: Both Airbnb and Vrbo use ratings and reviews in their search algorithms. Negative reviews and complaints will push listings down in search results, making them harder for guests to find.
• Fewer bookings: A poor reputation and lower search ranking directly lead to a decline in bookings.
• Reduced booking rates: With a history of negative reviews, hosts may have to lower their nightly rates to attract guests, impacting their revenue.
• Lower overall occupancy: Persistent issues and complaints can severely impact a property’s long-term viability, potentially ending its reputation as a reliable rental and causing long-term drops in occupancy rates. 

Platform penalties and consequences

• Forced refunds: If a complaint is about a misrepresentation in the listing, the platform will likely side with the guest, potentially forcing the host to issue a refund, according to Hostaway.
• Review removal: Platforms may remove positive reviews if a complaint is lodged and the platform finds the host at fault, further damaging the host’s profile.
• Account suspension: Repeated and unresolved maintenance issues or consistent complaints about inaccurate listings can lead to penalties, including reduced visibility, fewer bookings, or even account suspension on platforms like Airbnb. 

Why accurate listings matter

• Setting expectations: Accurately describing a property in the listing, including any limitations (e.g., “no air conditioning”), can protect a host from penalties if a guest complains about something that was clearly stated upfront, notes Hostaway.
• Protecting your profile: A reputation for accuracy protects a host from the costs associated with one bad review, as it helps maintain a good standing with the platform and in the eyes of future guests. 

Airbnb & Vrbo Guest Complaints: The “Expectation Gap”

The “Expectation Gap” between a listing and reality negatively impacts bookings and rates on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo by leading to poor reviews, which can then cause a drop in search rankings and fewer bookings. To combat this, hosts can reduce the gap by using accurate photos, disclosing potential issues, and being transparent about limitations, thereby improving their chances of securing new bookings and potentially increasing their ability to charge competitive rates. 

How the expectation gap affects bookings:

• Leads to poor reviews: A significant gap between a guest’s expectations and the actual property experience is the leading cause of negative reviews, particularly “4-star reviews” which suggest disappointment.
• Lower search ranking: Lower reviews can negatively impact a property’s search ranking, leading to fewer views and, ultimately, fewer bookings.
• Reduced booking potential: When guests see consistently poor reviews, they are less likely to book a property, even if the price is low. 

How the expectation gap affects rates:

• Inability to charge higher rates: While a poor expectation gap can drive down a property’s search ranking and decrease bookings, it also removes the opportunity to charge higher rates. Guests who have been misled by unrealistic expectations are likely to be dissatisfied even if they have paid a high price.
• Lack of competitiveness: The inability to adjust rates dynamically can make it difficult for hosts to compete with those who use dynamic pricing tools to adapt to market changes. 

How to reduce the expectation gap

• Be honest about the property: Disclose potential issues in advance, such as stairs, tight driveways, or HOA rules.
• Use high-quality, up-to-date photos: Use recent photos and avoid the “time-warp effect” by refreshing photos every 12-18 months or after making changes.
• Add a floor plan or sketch: This helps guests visualize the layout and bed sizes, which can prevent disappointment over room flow.
• Measure and disclose tight spaces: Be specific about narrow doorways, low ceilings, or limited parking.
• Be specific about distances and times: Instead of vague claims, provide specific travel times to nearby attractions or locations.
• Use “expectation flags” in captions: Use captions to highlight potential “gotchas” like “Two flights of stairs to entry” or “Driveway fits 2 midsize SUVs; trailers not allowed”.
• Provide a simple check-in text: A 2-hour first-night check-in text can ensure guests are settling in well and address any immediate issues. 

Final Conclusion: The Virtuous Cycle of Accuracy, Ratings, and Revenue

The reality is simple: Your success in 2026 is defined by how effectively you eliminate the Expectation Gap across all six complaint areas.

By strategically addressing the complaints you can control—especially Listing Accuracy—you trigger a Virtuous Cycle of Performance that compounds your ROI:

• Eliminate Accuracy Complaints (Your Service): By providing precise visual assets (professional photos, 3D tours, verified floor plans), you set a 100% accurate expectation for the guest.
• Boost Reviews & Ratings (The Result): When the property matches or exceeds the visual promise, guests leave higher ratings and 5-star reviews, validating their experience.
• Maximize Revenue & Ranking (The Reward): High ratings improve your property’s organic ranking on Airbnb/Vrbo. This increased visibility drives more bookings, justifies higher Average Daily Rates (ADR), and accelerates your overall Revenue performance.

For Premium Airbnb & Vrbo Photography, investing in visual accuracy is no longer optional—it is the direct pathway to premium performance, strong owner retention, and a reputation that wins listings in a competitive market.