Maintenance and Repairs During a Guest's Stay
Last updated: June 2025
A maintenance issue during an active booking is not an emergency — unless it is. How quickly you distinguish between the two, and how you respond to each, is what determines whether a guest leaves a five-star review or a one-star complaint.
This guide covers the response framework for maintenance problems that occur during a guest's stay: the priority order that governs what you do first, the contractor network you need in place before it happens, what to say to the guest at each stage, and who pays for what when the cause is disputed.
It also covers the specific decisions that most self-managing hosts get wrong under pressure — particularly around compensation offers and the difference between what Airbnb's AirCover covers and what it does not.
The final section covers the point at which handling maintenance yourself stops being a reasonable trade-off against the management fee saving.
When a guest reports a maintenance issue, the correct response sequence is: acknowledge immediately (within 30 minutes), classify the issue by urgency, act on that classification within the timeline appropriate to it, update the guest at each stage, and close the loop after resolution. The priority table below shows how to classify any issue. The contractor network section shows what you need in place before your first booking so you can act rather than search when a problem arrives at 9pm on a Friday.
The priority order that should govern every maintenance call — and why getting it wrong costs you reviews
Not all maintenance issues require the same response speed, and treating a broken dishwasher with the same urgency as a gas leak creates unnecessary stress without improving outcomes. The framework below classifies issues by urgency and tells you the correct response window for each.
The contractor network you need in place before your first guest checks in
A maintenance problem during a stay cannot be resolved by finding a contractor for the first time at 7pm on a Saturday. The search takes as long as the problem sits unresolved, and the guest's experience deteriorates with every hour of both.
The following trades need to be identified, contacted and available before your first booking goes live. You do not need formal contracts — you need a confirmed relationship with a specific person who will take your call and give your job priority.
- General handyperson — for P3 and P4 issues: loose fixtures, minor leaks, appliance resets, locksmith work. Must be reachable evenings and weekends. Your most frequently used contact.
- Gas Safe registered engineer — mandatory for any gas appliance fault, boiler servicing or P1 heating failure. Keep their mobile number, not just an office line.
- Electrician — for any electrical fault or total power failure not resolved by resetting the fuse board.
- Plumber — for burst pipes, blocked drains, boiler water circuit issues, hot water failure when the boiler itself is functioning.
- Locksmith — for lockouts and lock failures. Keep a 24-hour locksmith number specifically — not just a local locksmith who works office hours.
- Appliance repair service — for washing machine, dishwasher and oven faults where the appliance is under warranty or worth repairing.
- Emergency property line — your own mobile number, available to the guest at all times during the stay. Not an email address. A number they can call.
Write all of these numbers in a single document before your first booking. Test that each contact is still active at the start of each calendar year. A Gas Safe engineer's number from two years ago may no longer be valid.
What to say to a guest when a maintenance issue arises — the communication that protects your review score
The content of your response to a maintenance report matters less than its speed and its specificity. A guest who receives a response within 20 minutes that says "I'm on it — I'll have an update for you by 8pm" is almost always satisfied with that response, even if 8pm comes and the problem is not yet fixed. A guest who receives a response four hours later saying the problem has been resolved still leaves with the memory of four hours of silence.
What to say at each stage
On first contact: "Thank you for letting me know — I'm really sorry this has happened. I'm arranging someone to look at it now and I'll come back to you with a timeline within the hour." Do not open with an explanation of why it might have happened. Acknowledgement and action come first.
When you have a timeline: "I've spoken to [trade] — they can be there at [time]. Is that convenient? You don't need to be present if you'd prefer not to be." Always ask whether the guest wants to be present when a contractor visits. Some do not, and the option shows respect for their space.
When the contractor has visited: "The [issue] has been fixed — [one sentence on what was done]. I'm sorry again for the inconvenience this caused during your stay. Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with." Close the loop explicitly. A guest who doesn't receive confirmation that the problem has been resolved will assume it hasn't been.
If the problem cannot be fixed during the stay: "I've been unable to arrange a same-day repair for this — I'm genuinely sorry. Here's what I'm doing to minimise the impact for you: [specific mitigation]. I want to make sure the rest of your stay is as good as possible." Never leave a guest without a next step, even when the next step is honest acknowledgement that full resolution isn't possible.
Normal wear and tear vs guest damage — who pays for what, and how to prove it
The distinction between normal wear and tear and guest damage matters for two reasons: it determines whether you can claim the cost from the guest through Airbnb's Resolution Centre, and it determines whether a claim under your short-let insurance policy is valid.
| Issue | Classification | Who bears cost | What you need to claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appliance fails through age or fault | Normal wear and tear | Landlord — maintenance cost | No claim available against guest |
| Appliance broken by guest misuse | Guest damage | Guest — claim via Resolution Centre | Photos of damage, invoice for repair/replacement, evidence of prior good condition |
| Furniture worn or scratched through normal use | Normal wear and tear | Landlord — replacement cost | No claim available |
| Furniture broken or stained by guest | Guest damage | Guest — claim via Resolution Centre or AirCover | Photos taken before and after stay, replacement cost evidence |
| Boiler servicing due | Landlord maintenance obligation | Landlord — scheduled maintenance | Keep annual Gas Safe certificate on file |
| Deliberate damage or vandalism | Guest damage | Guest — Resolution Centre + AirCover + insurance | Photos, police report if applicable, itemised costs |
The single most important habit for any short-let landlord is instructing their cleaner to photograph every room at the start of every turnaround — before cleaning begins. These photographs are timestamped, show the condition of the property when the previous guest left, and form the evidential foundation of any damage claim. Without them, claims are significantly harder to pursue regardless of what occurred during the stay.
Airbnb AirCover and standalone short-let insurance — what each actually covers for hosts
AirCover for Hosts is Airbnb's host guarantee programme. It provides up to £2.5 million in damage protection against guest damage to the property and contents, and up to £1 million in liability cover. It applies automatically to all Airbnb bookings in the UK and requires no premium payment from the host.
What AirCover does not cover is equally important to understand before relying on it as your primary protection.
- AirCover does not cover damage that occurred outside the booking period — claims must be made within 14 days of the guest's checkout
- AirCover does not cover normal wear and tear, mechanical breakdown of appliances, or pre-existing damage
- AirCover does not replace standalone buildings insurance — your mortgage lender almost certainly requires buildings insurance regardless of AirCover
- AirCover does not cover bookings made outside Airbnb — direct bookings or Booking.com reservations require their own cover
- AirCover claims require photographic evidence and often involve a negotiation with Airbnb's team before settlement
A standalone short-let insurance policy — from providers including Pikl, Guardhog or Supercover — fills the gaps AirCover leaves. These policies typically cover: buildings and contents, public liability, loss of income during uninhabitable periods, malicious damage, and alternative accommodation costs. The annual premium for a standard residential property typically runs between £200 and £500 depending on property value, location and cover level.
When to offer a partial refund — and when doing so works against you
The instinct to offer a partial refund when a maintenance issue affects a guest's stay is understandable. The practical risk is that offering a refund before the problem has been resolved signals that you cannot fix it — and sets a financial precedent for any subsequent complaint, however minor.
The correct sequence is: resolve the issue first, communicate clearly throughout, and then assess whether a partial refund is appropriate based on the severity of the impact and the duration of the inconvenience. A boiler failure resolved within four hours in mild weather warrants a genuine apology and a follow-up — not necessarily a refund. A boiler failure in January that affects an overnight stay and cannot be fixed until the following afternoon warrants a partial refund for the nights materially affected.
If you offer a refund and the guest accepts, issue it through Airbnb's Resolution Centre rather than by bank transfer. Platform-processed refunds are recorded and protect you from subsequent additional claims on the same incident.
Keeping maintenance records — what you need for tax, insurance and platform claims
Every maintenance cost incurred on a short-let property is a potential allowable expense against your rental income for tax purposes. Every repair, contractor invoice, appliance replacement and emergency call-out should be recorded — not as a general note but as a dated invoice or receipt with a description of the work and the reason it was required.
For platform damage claims, you will typically need: photographs of the damage taken within 24 hours of the guest's checkout, a contractor invoice or manufacturer's repair estimate, evidence of the item's original value or purchase cost, and a clear description of when the damage occurred and how it relates to the specific guest booking.
For insurance claims, the requirements are similar but typically more detailed. Your insurer may require a written account of the incident, police report numbers for deliberate damage or theft, and evidence that the property was being let under a valid short-let arrangement at the time of the claim.
When maintenance volume becomes the signal that you need professional management
A single-property short let generates between two and six maintenance issues per year that require active coordination — more during the first twelve months when equipment faults surface for the first time under regular occupancy. This is manageable for most self-managing landlords when the issues are predictable and the contractor network is in place.
Two factors change the calculation. The first is volume: a second property doubles the maintenance load and concentrates it at the same inconvenient hours. The second is availability: a full-time job or regular travel makes consistent same-day response to P2 issues structurally difficult, and P2 issues that are not resolved same-day produce the negative reviews that are hardest to recover from.
Stayful coordinates all maintenance for properties under management — contractor contact, contractor access, guest communication throughout, and post-repair follow-up. This is included in the 15% + VAT management fee alongside all other operational management. The income estimate below shows what your property nets after that fee.
Questions landlords ask about maintenance during a guest's stay
Acknowledge the message within 30 minutes and contact your Gas Safe registered engineer immediately — this is a P2 issue and requires same-day resolution if the weather is cold or if the property has no alternative heating. While waiting for the engineer, message the guest with a specific timeline: not "I'm looking into it" but "I've spoken to our engineer — they can be there by 4pm." If the boiler cannot be fixed the same day and temperatures are low, arrange temporary electric heaters as a mitigation. A boiler failure during a winter stay that is unresolved overnight warrants a partial refund for the affected night or nights.
Yes — but always with the guest's explicit agreement and with a specific arrival time confirmed in advance. A contractor arriving without warning while guests are at the property is a serious breach of their reasonable expectation of privacy, regardless of whether the issue is urgent. Message the guest, confirm the proposed visit time, ask whether they want to be present or prefer to leave a key with a neighbour, and confirm the arrangement before the contractor is dispatched. For genuine emergencies — gas leaks, flooding — the urgency is communicated first and the access is arranged as quickly as the guest can respond, but the communication step is never skipped.
It depends on the cause. Maintenance issues caused by normal use, equipment age or pre-existing faults are the landlord's responsibility and cost. Damage caused by guest misuse — a broken appliance, damaged furniture, a stain that goes beyond what a professional clean can address — is the guest's responsibility and can be claimed through Airbnb's Resolution Centre or AirCover. The burden of proof sits with you as the host: you need photographic evidence taken after the guest's checkout showing the damage, and ideally a pre-stay photograph showing the item was undamaged before arrival. Your cleaner photographing every room at the start of every turnaround is the most reliable way to maintain this evidence.
Only when the issue materially affected the guest's ability to use the property as described, and only after you have done everything possible to resolve it. A refund offered before attempting resolution signals that you cannot fix the problem — and sets a precedent. If a refund is appropriate, calculate it proportionally: a one-night refund for a one-night heating failure is reasonable; a full-stay refund for a dishwasher fault is not. Process any agreed refund through Airbnb's Resolution Centre rather than bank transfer — this creates a platform record and protects you from further claims on the same incident.
AirCover for Hosts provides up to £2.5 million in damage protection for guest-caused damage to the property and its contents, and up to £1 million in liability cover. It applies automatically to all Airbnb bookings with no premium required. To make a claim, you must submit it within 14 days of the guest's checkout with photographic evidence and itemised costs. AirCover does not cover normal wear and tear, mechanical breakdown, damage from bookings made outside Airbnb (including Booking.com and direct bookings), or damage that you cannot evidence with post-checkout photographs. A standalone short-let insurance policy covers the gaps AirCover leaves.
Keep every contractor invoice and receipt with the date, the property address, a description of the work and the cost. Photograph the issue before and after the repair — this serves both as evidence for any insurance or platform claim and as documentation of the repair reason for your tax records. Maintenance and repair costs are allowable expenses against your rental income, provided they are for replacing like-for-like rather than upgrading the property. Improvements — fitting a new kitchen rather than repairing the existing one — are capital expenditure and treated differently. Keep a simple spreadsheet with date, trade, description and cost. Your accountant will thank you at self-assessment time.
If coordinating contractors at 9pm on a Friday is not what you signed up for
Stayful handles all maintenance coordination — contractor contact, access arrangements, guest communication and follow-up — across every property under management. Included in the 15% + VAT fee alongside everything else.