How To Fix Your Low Airbnb Ratings & Reviews

Are you struggling to get Superhost status? Do you continue to get 4-star ratings for reviews on your on your Airbnb? Follow the guide below to help you achieve 5-stars.

You may also think that it’s acceptable to get 3-4 stars for your property, but if this continues Airbnb will delist you for providing a poor quality service.

The main thing is to remember that it is you’re providing a service, put yourself in the guests’ shoes and looks at your property with fresh eyes.

For hosts getting 4-stars and below check the following tips:-

Read your feedback and reviews

It’s likely you think your property is 5-stars and in reality, your place is 3-stars and you’ve been getting 4-stars as some guest might have been kind.

Read all your reviews thoroughly; 90% of the time the guests will give you feedback that you can work with:-

Fix the issues that they mentioned where possible. Obviously, not all can be fixed, like the location.

With ratings like this and £400 per night, would you stay here?

Low Ratings for Location?

If the property location is letting you down, be more honest in your description of what the guests can really expect and don’t just write promotional text that doesn’t live up to the expectations. You’ll find yourself getting 3 & 4 stars and no one will book with you.

Cleanliness an Issue?

If you’re getting low star ratings on the cleanliness then this can normally be fixed quite easily.

Get yourself a deep clean done, a good rule-of-thumb for a deep clean is to multiply the average clean time by 2 – 2.5

Example:- A normal clean for a 2-bed apartment might take 2-hours to complete, then a deep clean should take around 4-5 hours.

If you’re doing the cleaning yourself, hire some professional help out. Just search for professional cleaners in your area and get them in to clean your property, check out our directory for local cleaning professionals.

Pro Tip: We personally recommend any deep cleans that take longer than 5-hours to get a minimum of two cleaners to take on the challenge.

When your apartment is being cleaned be sure to have the cleaner follow a checklist. We have provided a template of one that we use. Be sure to tailor this to your own property.

Ask for help

If you’re uncertain why your getting 4-stars and below as your overall rating and this continues to happen, get your self some help.

Ask a friend who has an eye for cleanliness, to come over and stay for a least one night (for free) and give you critical feedback on what you could improve. It’s crucial they give you honest feedback otherwise the exercise will be a waste of time.

If you don’t have a friend you can ask then; reach out to previous guests.

Locate a recent guest who was rather chatty/friendly in the Airbnb messaging system and reach out to them for their honest opinions. You might not like what they have to say, but respond politely and thank them for taking the time out to help you.

Here is a template that you can use.

Hi

You recently stayed at our place and we would like to provide the best experience for our guests as possible. It would be amazing if you could help us in this quest by providing feedback to us on where we could improve the standards of our property and what we could do to make the stays of future guests even better.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to do this.

All the best.

Once you get your feedback, action it! Look at your place with a critical eye and try to see it from a guests point of view.

Is communication letting you down?

If you’re getting low ratings on communication then follow these touch points on contacting guests.

Message guests as soon as they book even if they are using Instant Book. A confirmation is always nice.
A minimum of a week before send the guests checkin details. Sending the details the day before might be too late as they may be travelling and may not have an Internet connection.
Message the guests with your current telephone number and an alternative number of someone that can help in an emergency.
Message guests to see if they checked in okay and if all is okay in the apartment.
Contact them on their last day in the morning to check if all was okay with their stay.

Final points

Think like a guest, put yourself in their shoes and look at your property with fresh eyes.

Get more professional tips from our Airbnb Beginners Guide for free.

Superhost status is not the be all and end all but it will certainly help you get more bookings and ensure you get the premium clientele staying at your place.

Not everything needs to be fixed immediately but certainly fix them as soon as possible otherwise you risk being struck off from the Airbnb site and killing the Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs.