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+--- Thread: Guest requesting partial refund for “no hot water” (/showthread.php?tid=250)
Guest requesting partial refund for “no hot water” - Rappy34 - 12-31-2025
Our current guests have been at our place for 3 days and are about halfway through their stay. They messaged yesterday to request a partial refund, complaining of no hot water. Normally we live at the property in a separate suite but are traveling for the holidays so paid emergency call-out fees for a handyman to run over and check the hot water heaters. Both tanks are fine and sinks and showers in both units had hot water.
After clarifying with the guest, she said yes, they have had hot water but have been running out. It turns out they have been allowing their grandkids to shower there after winter activities. Our place is a 2-person max occupancy and we don’t mind them having visitors, but our amenities are not meant to support more than two people.
The guests said they think a 25% refund is fair. We said no, they’re threatening to contact Airbnb and request the maximum they might be entitled to. Does anyone have a sense of if airbnb will side with the guests here? Would you offer a small refund to try to keep the peace? 25% seems like a lot. Am I being unreasonable?
We have two 80G tanks installed in 2022 and normally, it’s more than fine for 2 guests and ourselves (2 occupants), plus on the rare occasion when we’ve had family staying with us, up to 4 occupants, so 6 people total. When the tanks run dry, it takes 30-40 minutes for them to refill, especially in the wintertime when the water coming into the property is very cold.
RE: Guest requesting partial refund for “no hot water” - austrinus - 12-31-2025
Not only does this situation not seem worthy of any sort of refund, but the fact that you had to call out a handyman when the guest seemed to know that "there is hot water" seems like YOU should be the one entitled to compensation. How are you planning on reviewing them / dealing with potential bad reviews?
RE: Guest requesting partial refund for “no hot water” - cadetcaptain - 12-31-2025
Contact Airbnb and tell them that they are violating your policies of 2 guests max. They likely should be paying you extra and not the other way around. This is rediculous. Discuss with Airbnb the possibility that you might need to ask the guests to leave if they are violating your policies and they are in turn trying to extort you. Keep all comms on the app!!
RE: Guest requesting partial refund for “no hot water” - A380EK - 01-01-2026
This seems insane. We’ve got a single 50 gallon 15 year old electric water heater that can support a household of 5 with 15 minute showers.
Are these people taking hour long showers? This isn’t even close to normal.
RE: Guest requesting partial refund for “no hot water” - TERMINATOR - 01-01-2026
This thread reminds me of when I was a little kid (growing up in Massachusetts) and I would spend then first 10 minutes in the bathroom with the hot water on enjoying the steam and then shower until the hot water was gone. I must have overworked the water heater - one day it was sitting in a pool of water.
RE: Guest requesting partial refund for “no hot water” - Dan115 - 01-01-2026
Get ahead of it and have them removed now for unpermitted guests. Theyre scammers and airbnb is increasingly siding with guests over hosts now!!