I Live Out of Airbnbs — Here’s What I Do When a Stay Goes Bad

As a digital nomad, I live in Airbnb properties roughly 11 months out of the year. Although I prefer hotels for short-term stays, I often stay in a city for two or three months at a time. So, I like to have conveniences like a kitchen, extra space, and a washing machine. I also travel full-time with my cat, so I'd rather not pay a $150 pet fee at a hotel every time I want to move to a new destination.

I'd consider myself an expert at finding affordable, high-quality Airbnbs in cities around the world. But even with that experience, I’ve still had Airbnb stays go seriously wrong.

A few years ago, my Airbnb in London didn't have any running water. When I complained, the Airbnb Support team asked me whether running water was listed as an amenity. In Colombia, I rented a three-bedroom apartment, and the third bedroom didn't exist. Most recently, I spent 27 nights living in a cockroach-infested Airbnb in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

These experiences made me realize how difficult it is to navigate Airbnb Support and how the system seems designed to break you down before you get the result you're looking for. So, here's everything you need to do if an Airbnb booking goes sideways, through the lens of my most recent battle with Airbnb.

My Recent Experience With Airbnb Troubles

When it first launched in 2008, Airbnb offered a revolutionary way to explore a new destination. You could live like a local with locals, and it was incredibly affordable to do so. When I was in college, I had fantastic Airbnb experiences with hosts who went above and beyond. I even had a host ship a mug that I left in Norway to my apartment in North Carolina.

While these hosts still exist, these days — in my experience, at least — they are few and far between. Nowadays, corporations run hundreds of apartments in a city. I avoid renting from a corporation at all costs, but even individual hosts think they can get away with just about anything thanks to Airbnb's monopoly on the market.

I spend a few months in Buenos Aires, Argentina, every year. For my most recent stint, I booked my Airbnb from March 21 to May 27, 2026 — a total of 67 nights. I didn't arrive until the morning of March 22, but I like to book the night before to guarantee I can check in as early as I want when I have an overnight flight. It's hard enough for my cat to fly 10+ hours, so I don't want to wait another six hours after landing to check in.

As soon as I arrived, I noticed cockroaches. I've rented more than a dozen apartments all around Buenos Aires, and I've never had this issue before. I notified the host of the issue the day I checked in, but ultimately, I had to move to a new Airbnb because the problem wasn't resolved after 27 nights. The process was far from seamless, even with my extensive experience renting on the platform.

Here are some tips for engaging with Airbnb Support with minimal stress.

Screenshot of Airbnb search results in Buenos Aires

Related: How to Book an Airbnb Like a Pro

What to Know Before Renting an Airbnb

Ideally, you'll never need to know how to navigate the Airbnb claims process. However, if you plan on renting an Airbnb, there's always a chance that something will go wrong during your stay. It's helpful to understand what to expect before something happens so you can be prepared.

• Contact your host and Airbnb immediately. If you think that anything might be going wrong, you have to notify your host and Airbnb immediately. Airbnb has a strict policy that you must report an issue within 72 hours of discovery. If you wait longer than this, you won't get any assistance.
• Document everything. You will need piles of proof if you want to request a refund or other form of assistance. If you have an infestation, take a photo of every single bug you can find. If the Airbnb looks completely different from the photos, take screenshots of your listing so your host doesn't remove listed amenities or swap out the photos after you complain.
• Understand policies. Airbnb considers many things “outside of a host's control.” If you live next to an active construction site, Airbnb will not help — even if you confirmed in advance that the apartment would be quiet because you work remotely (yes, this has also happened to me).
• Airbnb loves to side with hosts. Even with all the proof in the world, Airbnb routinely sides with hosts. I've even had an Airbnb host bribe me several hundred dollars to take down a negative review (the apartment was filthy, the Wi-Fi didn't work, there was daily construction at 7:00 a.m., etc.), and I notified Airbnb about the bribe. The listing remains active, and the host is still a considered a Superhost on the platform, despite this being a direct violation of Airbnb's policies.

Related: When to Book an Airbnb vs. Hotel

How to Contact Airbnb Support

You can contact Airbnb Support through the app or by calling 1-844-234-2500. If you message on the app, they will almost always call the number on file or request a phone call instead of responding in the chat. I use Google Voice to make phone calls to U.S. companies when I'm abroad without incurring any fees.

Before you contact support, you'll need to gather your documentation and determine exactly what you're asking for. When you call, make sure you stay calm and speak clearly.

Step 1: Establish a timeline

If you reported an issue within 72 hours of discovery but it still hasn't been resolved, you'll need a timeline of events. I find it helpful to write everything down.

In my situation, here's the timeline:

• March 22: Arrived, notified the host about cockroaches.
• March 23: Host brought Raid and cockroach bait.
• March 24: Notified Airbnb about the cockroach problem.
• March 26: Finally got pest control to spray the apartment. He noted that the size of the infestation suggested it had been going on for a long time. My host offered to refund four nights of my stay as an apology.
• March 30: Deep clean of the apartment provided by the host to remove debris that attracts cockroaches.
• April 1: The problem still wasn't resolved, so pest control came a second time. The host offered to refund any unused nights if I wanted to move.
• April 10: I notified the host that the situation hadn't been resolved and requested a third fumigation — no response from the host.
• April 13: The host finally responds (three days later), and says she will “look into” an additional fumigation.
• April 14: The host unexpectedly shows up at the apartment to seal cracks that let cockroaches move around. She noted several times that she doesn't believe there was ever a cockroach infestation, despite mounds of photo and video evidence and two exterminator reports.
• April 17: No further update from my host, so I contacted Airbnb support again. Moved into a new apartment.

So, I stayed 27 out of 67 nights. All communication was done on the Airbnb platform, and I sent detailed updates with notes from the exterminators.

Step 2: Figure out what you're asking for

Once you know your timeline, you need to determine what you're asking for. I knew I wanted to move into a new apartment, so I found one, reached out to the host with a few questions, and asked about the earliest time I could check in. Once I confirmed that the apartment was available for check-in on the same day, I determined what I'd be asking from Airbnb.

I wanted a full refund for my 40 unused nights, a partial refund for my 27 used nights, and a credit to cover the cost difference between the old and new apartments. I knew a partial refund of my used nights was unlikely, but I still wanted to ask. I lost a lot of time off work dealing with the issue, and I wanted to be compensated for the stress it caused. Plus, when you book an Airbnb several months in advance, you can find a better deal than if you booked an Airbnb for check-in on the same day. I don't think it's fair to be penalized for that.

I did the math and determined that if I got a full refund for my unused nights, I'd need a $263 credit to cover the difference to move to a new apartment. Once I knew exactly what I was asking for, I called Airbnb Support.

Step 3: Make the request

You have to be savvy on the phone with Airbnb Support. These agents are incredibly skilled at deflecting problems and wearing you down until you give up. When you call, they will explain that they have to contact your host and will call you back. This can take hours. I called at 3:47 p.m. and didn't hear anything until 7:23 p.m. And here's the kicker: Support asked me not to respond to the message and to wait until the next day to proceed, even though I had already said I needed to move that same day.

Screenshot of Airbnb

I obviously didn't wait, so my case got reassigned to a different agent. Throughout that day, I was in contact with three or four different agents.

Here are some tips when you're on the phone:

• Do not get emotional. Talk slowly, calmly, and concisely. It’s understandable to be frustrated, but you’ll usually get further by staying calm, specific, and focused on the resolution you’re requesting. If you are living in a roach-infested apartment, it's an unsafe and unsanitary living situation. Be particular with your word choice.
• Make your request very clear. Make things simple — outline exactly what you are asking for and why. Don't provide a bunch of additional information. I was able to sum up exactly what I was looking for in a sentence.
• Escalate to a superior. It's never fun to ask for a manager, but if you want anything to get done, you have to speak with a superior.
• Push back when needed. In most situations, Airbnb will say no up front and then negotiate with you until you get what you're asking for. First, I was told that they couldn't issue me a relocation credit. Then I was told that Airbnb's policy only allowed a credit of up to $150. Finally, they issued the full $263 because I didn't accept the earlier offers.
• Get everything in writing. It's unlikely that you will ever speak to the same Airbnb Support agent twice. So, one person can promise you the moon, and the next person will take it all back and deny that Airbnb ever had a different stance. They can still do this if it's in writing, but you'll have a better chance of resolution if you do.

Airbnb finally agreed to move me to a new apartment, refund my unused nights in full (roughly $1,200), and issue me a $263 credit to cover the price difference between the old and new apartments. Problem solved, right? Unfortunately, no.

Related: How to Use Points and Miles for Vacation Home Rentals

Where Things Can Still Go Wrong

I made one critical mistake. I got everything I asked for on the phone with Airbnb, but I let them hang up before everything was processed. They canceled my reservation, but the promised refund amount wasn't documented in writing. In the chaos of wanting to move and being on a tight timeline, it all happened too quickly.

After we hung up, Airbnb sent me the coupon I asked for to book the new apartment. I went ahead and booked it and coordinated check-in with my new host.

I kept asking for the refund amount to be put in writing, but they kept saying they were still doing calculations. I tried to stay calm and focus on the move, but the reluctance to put the refund in writing was a giant red flag, and I was right. A few hours after I moved in, Airbnb recalculated my refund. They said that since I only stayed 27 nights at my previous accommodation, I no longer qualified for a monthly discount, and my nightly rate for those nights would almost double.

Original reservation:

• $32.45 per night * 67 nights: $2,174.15
• Cleaning fee: $25.00
• Airbnb service fee: $233.50
• Total cost: $2,432.65

Of this, I had already paid $2,214.80, and the final payment of $217.85 was scheduled for May.

Modified reservation:

• $59.00 per night * 27 nights: $1,593.00
• Cleaning fee: $25.00
• Airbnb service fee: $171.79
• Total cost: $1,789.79

So, Airbnb issued a $425.01 refund, which is more than $700 less than they told me on the phone (that I agreed to before moving). Because I had to move out of a terrible living situation, I was on the hook for $59 per night for nights I'd already stayed, rather than the $32.45 that I originally agreed to and prepaid for. In other words, staying 27 nights at a cockroach-infested Airbnb would cost 73.5% as much as staying 67 nights in the same apartment.

Airbnb calculates a month as 28 nights. So if I had stayed one extra night with the roaches, I wouldn't have been in this mess. They also don't consider this situation as canceling the remainder of the reservation. Instead, they consider this a modification of the original reservation, which justifies retroactively changing the nightly rate for nights I'd already stayed. To make this situation even more frustrating, Airbnb also doesn't consider seeing 20-plus roaches of all sizes every single day to be an infestation or a policy violation.

Naturally, none of this was explained to me before I moved and canceled my reservation. So, I spent all of April 18 and 19 on the phone with Airbnb Support, and eventually talked to two different Senior Case Managers (as high as it gets at Airbnb Support), who both upheld the ruling that I was only eligible for a $425.01 refund — not the refund that was promised to me before moving.

Screenshot of Airbnb

On April 20, I received a notification that I would receive an additional $236 refund. However, this wasn't Airbnb attempting to make amends. The host put in writing that she would refund four nights of my stay upon my check-out, and since Airbnb recalculated my nightly rate to $59, the $236 refund is what was promised and entirely separate from the refund of my unused nights.

What to Do if Battling Airbnb Doesn’t Work

I realized it would be pointless to continue fighting Airbnb. The last contact reiterated my refund amount and noted several times that it would be Airbnb's final position on this case. So, I contacted Capital One to file a dispute because I used my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to pay for the reservation.

Many travel cards offer insurance benefits, and credit card issuers generally provide a dispute process when goods or services aren’t delivered as expected. The avenue you choose will depend on the reason for canceling your stay:

• Disputes and chargebacks: If your listing is notably different than what is advertised, or if the host fails to provide the service, you can file a dispute to get your money back. This is the avenue I'm currently exploring with Capital One.
• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance: If you have to cancel your trip or cut it short due to an unforeseen event or sickness, you can file a claim under your trip interruption and cancellation insurance. This reimburses you up to the maximum for all nonrefundable expenses, including Airbnb stays.

Since the service I paid for was not provided as expected, I filed a dispute. I disputed $716.85 — the difference between the refund I should be entitled to ($1,141.86) and the refund I received ($425.01). That case is still ongoing. The slightly confusing part of the dispute process is that a multi-month Airbnb booking process involves multiple transactions. The transaction I'm disputing is for $1,084.19, but I made another payment for the same apartment back in January.

Screenshot of Capital One

Just like with Airbnb, there are a few things to keep in mind when filing a dispute with your credit card. Gather all supporting documentation in one place and make the request clear. Don't dispute the entire charge, but only the amount that should be owed to you.

Keep in mind that leveraging your credit card protections should always be a last resort. One of the first questions any credit card will ask is whether you've tried to handle the dispute directly with Airbnb. If you say no, they will require you to do so.

Related: Best Credit Cards With Free Travel Insurance

Bottom Line

Even if an Airbnb has fantastic reviews, you can sometimes end up in a bad situation. In my case, I'm not sure why no one reported a cockroach problem before me or mentioned it in the reviews. Someone checked out just a couple of days before I checked in, so in theory, they would've mentioned problems in the review. However, they gave the apartment five stars and said that they loved the stay.

It's also a reminder to leave honest feedback, no matter how nice your host is. You have a duty to other travelers to give an accurate representation of what an Airbnb is like. Although it might be uncomfortable to offer constructive criticism, it helps everyone make informed decisions about where to stay — even if it's just for a few days.

If you end up needing to contact Airbnb Support, try not to get discouraged. It's a grueling and time-consuming effort, but it's worth it in the end. Unfortunately, I don't yet know if I'll get all my money back, but at least I know I gave it my all.

If you do decide to book an Airbnb, make sure to earn Delta SkyMiles or British Airways Avios on your stay.

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