How to Prepare Your Airbnb and Guests for A Power Outage
Our tropical Barbados vacation during storm seasons really lived up to the season, with thunderstorm views like this 3 time in the first 5 days!
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How to Deal with A Power Outage at Your Airbnb
What to do when the power goes out during a stay at your vacation rental. What to do if you are a guest or a host.
It’s STORM Season in tropical destinations by August, and when fall and winter comes to North America, most of us experience a couple power outages, sometimes ones that extend for hours, or days.
We recently posted about having an emergency kit and fall maintenance prepared, including having exterior lighting and a well-lit house number so guests can FIND you in the dark.
How do host’s handle a power outage during a guest’s stay?
Will Airbnb refund a guest for a power outage? Not necessarily, but it depends on how you deal with the situation and how long the power is out for.
Going beyond the Maintenance, you need to prepare your vacation rental AND your guests for the what-if when the storms come.
Both rain and snow and power supply shortages can be a real thing at vacation rentals throughout North America, the Caribbean and many other destinations.
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You can’t control the weather, but some guests expect you to immediately react to their needs as if they didn’t know a storm was coming.
You need to be prepared with a few emergency supplies and you need to consider your cancellation policy flexibility during the tropical storm or winter storm season as well.
If a guest is proactively cancelling before their stay, I would stick to your cancellation policy and refer them to their own trip cancellation or interruption insurance if they chose to buy any.
Tip #1
When guests are booking during storm season, it would help to include a note about weather related cancellations in your welcome message to them
You can choose to offer a partial refund or offer to refund in full if the nights are rebooked, but many people just try to get out of their trips with anticipated bad weather even if the storm has not arrived, or when it’s really just your average rainy day and makes their vacation less enjoyable but not impossible.
If you are a guest and travelling in storm season, you need to expect some bad weather and should plan ahead with your own trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance.
Review the new 2024 Airbnb Major Disruptive Events Policy that took effect on June 6, 2024
Airbnb's policy is to refund 100% if the property rental isn't habitable or 50% for any days that essentials like water, air conditioning or heat isn't available
Use your discretion though, if a once in a lifetime snowstorm closes all the local roads, it’s best to at least meet your guest halfway with a partial refund as they won’t be able to get to your place but direct them to their own travel insurance first if possible.
Put yourself in their shoes as a traveller and how you would want someone to assist you in a similar situation.
Tip #2
Most power companies have mobile alerts for power outages, be sure to subscribe for this if it’s available for your property or area.
Be prepared for even short power outages with a couple back up power sources such as mini power banks or chargers for guests to charge phones or have some light available.
What Happens If Your Airbnb Loses Power?
Airbnb’s power outage policy
Airbnb and VRBO do not have official policies regarding power outages but Airbnb has a weather policy.
Airbnb also has a traveller refund policy for unavailable or un-useable spaces or missing amenities which isn’t just for heat or air conditioning, this policy also applies to these items:
Listing contains a material inaccuracy such as:
Incorrect home type (e.g. entire home, private room or shared room).
Incorrect type or number of rooms (e.g. bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens).
Incorrect location of the accommodation.
Special amenity or feature described in the Listing is not present or does not function (e.g. pool, hot tub, bathroom - toilet, shower or bathtub, kitchen - sink, stove, refrigerator or other major appliance, electrical, heating or air conditioning systems).
When it comes to guest issues and concerns, this could fall under their security and safety urgent support phone line (available in the Airbnb App), and it would be up to the customer service rep to help them navigate the issue.
On the help and resources area, this is a grey area that could be construed as “property not available or not in working order” or something along those lines.
VRBO’s power outage policy
They don’t have one. In fact, they don’t even mention health & safety concerns or other support options if guests have an issue during their stay. Their website help resources basically direct everything to the host, and it’s up to the host to help the guest.
If you are a guest and experience a power outage issue that lasts more than 30 minutes, first contact the host, and VRBO customer service right away.
It’s up to you as a host to set a reasonable policy for your guests IF this is a regular issue and not a rare one-off situation. Deal with one-offs in a fair but business focused way. Consider the length of the power out, what issues affect the guest and what you had in place to mitigate any needs for power, such as providing battery lanterns and cell phone chargers, or a generator.
You must also consider that some guests cannot stay without power overnight, including those who use a CPAP machine or other medical devices or medications that need power or refrigeration.
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While Airbnb and VRBO do not have specific written policies for power outages, in their Customer Service perspective, a power out means that the amenities advertised in your listing are not useable or functional, and in some cases they will side with the guest, even if the guest has not yet tried to contact you about the power outage.
Especially when the guest mentions there is no Air Conditioning or no Heat or no running water if you have a well.
Generally Airbnb will try to reach you on behalf of the guest, but as we have seen in recent months, the Customer Service is inconsistent at best and not generally working to help the Hosts.
We have not heard of any feedback on VRBO’s resolution attempts one way or the other.
This is just one more reason to be prepared ahead of time with a plan and an easy way to communicate with your guests in the event of a power loss during their Airbnb VRBO stay.
How to Prepare your Airbnb and Guests for a Power Outage.
Have a communication plan for your guests PRINTED and in the guest welcome book. Include the following:
Where they can drive to get cell service if the Wifi is offline and their phone isn’t working and let you know about the power outage
How to reach you/your property manager urgently in case of a power outage and set expectations of how long it may take to respond if they can’t reach you right away.
Safety information and emergency contacts for things like Downed Power Lines
What supplies are included for power outages and where the guests can find them
How to Operate the Generator and What can they safely run with it? Ensure the guests know NOT TO RUN ANY GAS GENERATOR INDOORS OR BY AN OPEN WINDOW/VENT for risk of CO2 poisoning, same with any propane camping appliances. My tenants did this once when we were out of town and the power went out for 24 hours, they were cooking indoors with a propane camping stove. yikes.
Guests should never plug a space heater in to a generator directly, especially a gas powered generator. Be sure to have a safe plan for heat if your property is in a cold climate or ski resort and tell guests in detail how to safely operate anything
Any important info about things that need to be turned on or turned off in case of a power outage (such as a generator)
How can they get their vehicle out of the garage or parkade, do you have a battery back up or manual lift to open the garage or parkade door for your building?
Do you have batteries for all your supplies? Lots of batteries!
If you can see there is a big storm coming or an event that could likely cause a power outage, get ahead of it and let your guests know the info above in advance, in a positive customer service way:
“hey, it looks like it might be a great storm watching kind of day from the comfort of our cabin. There is a chance the power could go out so here is what you can do if so….”
Are Power Outages are a regular issue in your remote Airbnb Location? Set Up Your Guest Policy and Communication Plan.
Communication is key!
If you reasonably expect power outages during a guest stay (IE hurricane or snowstorm on the way), you MUST communicate this up front.
Set the expectation and ensure they acknowledge what to do, how to manage the least inconvenience to themselves, and a realistic expectation of how long it could be out for if this does happen regularly. Think about that ACCURACY and VALUE score your guests are giving you.
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Power outages can be a SAFETY issue for people. Those who require breathing devices for sleeping for example, they are relying on these machines to run, and what is your heat or AC doing during this time? If the temperatures are below freezing or unbearably hot, this too is a health and safety concern for your guests.
Food storage - if the power is out regularly for hours and your property is in the desert, how are your guests going to keep their food fresh?
If you are not in a position to provide a generator to plug in the refrigerator or have some solution for this, you need to start looking into it or be prepared for frequent refund requests due to costs of spoiled food and other issues.
Can a guest safely leave your property if the power goes out in the dark? Do you have solar or battery back up lights outside? Or lanterns they can carry?
Be accommodating and flexible! It’s not your fault, but you need to accept when refunds are the right thing to do for your guests.
This guest is being uprooted in the middle of their vacation and now has to pay last minute for whatever other accomodation they can find.
It’s not personal, but you should not be refusing refunds if the power is out for more than a couple hours, you have no running water, and the guests need to be comfortable, have heat or AC, be able to cook, etc.
Arguing with them and refusing a refund because “the power outage is out of your control” is just going to ruin their day, lead to a bad review, and likely Airbnb or VRBO will side with them anyways and issue a full refund of their ENTIRE stay, so you are better off refunding unused nights so they are able to pay for alternative accomodation.
How would you want to be treated as a guest if this was YOUR vacation?
Does your water still run when the power is out?
If you are on a well or septic system and you don’t have a generator, then the timeline where a guest can be without use of running water is a shorter window, and you should anticipate requests to cancel, refund or discount stays and have a policy in place for this.
Even though it is out of your control, you need to be reasonable and flexible.
Do you have an emergency supply of bottled water on hand that guests can access?
Is it reasonable for you to put out the expense of a high quality generator and the electrician costs to hardwire a plug to be able to run a back up for your water system? And will your guests understand how to plug in and use the generator in this case?
Or is it going to be more worth your while to just issue a refund for the rare occasions when this might happen?
What Supplies Should Be Available to Your Airbnb Guests for a Power Outage?
If you are in an area where power outages happen a few times a year, if not more, you need to have a few supplies readily accessible to your guests. While not all power outages happen in the dark of night, there are still things you can do to help ease the guest’s inconvenience.
Solar Exterior Lighting - if these can work for you, it would be ideal to line the pathway or have some positioned so that in the total darkness, guests can safely navigate to their vehicles.
LED Battery Operated Lights
We use these little pop up lanterns. There is one at the front entrance, and 3 more in the guest suite so they can be set up in the bathroom, on the table or wherever needed. They are a much safer option than candles
Even just a small generator if you can’t run a big one, you should have a generator handy with enough power to run the fridge or plug in a couple essential devices for guests. We’ve had the best experience with our Honda generator that is directly plugged in to a power supply to run our Well Water system so we still have water for guests, but they are large, heavy and noisy. Think about what you can/must power in the event of an outage, and what kind of generator is the best fit for your needs. You’ll need to consider what kind of fuel it takes, and who is going to be able to fuel it up for you if you are not able to maintain it yourself.
If its a gas or propane powered generator, you will also need to advise guests NOT to use it indoors - this could lead to deadly C02 build up. Before you say, “no one would do that”, our guests did try to cook using a propane camping stove INSIDE our kitchen when the power went out. Make sure your rental has a C02 alarm just in case.
Exterior Extension cord
Get one long enough to run from the outside generator all the way inside to reach the fridge or water cooler or whatever else your guests need to plug in, usually phone chargers.
Don’t leave guests to drain their precious phone battery using their own flashlight in a power outage. Ensure there’s at least ONE good working flashlight. We use a USB rechargable one that lasts several days of continuous use on a single charge.
If you are in a winter climate or even a cold west coast climate, where temperatures will be very uncomfortable, even dangerous without heat overnight, what is your plan B for guests? If your space has a fireplace, ensure there is an emergency supply of firewood somewhere even if you don’t normally provide firewood for regular stays. If you don’t have any fireplace options, you should include a quality space heater, at least one for the living space and one for the bedroom, that can be run from an extension cord to the generator. Depending on your generator power, you may only be able to plug in one.
While this might seem a little silly, a guest’s number one concern will be draining their phone battery if the power goes out. If you are in a beach town or sunny climate and your power goes out often during the day, this little solar pack can go out to the beach for the day and charge your guest’s devices while they are on the go.
If your water relies on power to run the filtration system or pump, or the cooler where the potable water is, be sure to have a good supply of at least one case of water on hand with the other supplies. Having some good snacks (that don’t require heat") is a good bonus and a “sorry our power is out” gesture that you can have readily available.
All of these items are generally an In Case Of Emergency use, so they can be stored away somewhere that is not obvious, or even locked, as long as you are able to easily communicate to your guests how to access these items when they need them.
My guest is asking for a refund or discount or wants to leave due to a power outage at our vacation rental rental. What should I do?
How long has the power been out? And what time is it - ie: dinner time, evening hours when they need to be in your rental and using power?
Some people will panic after 5 minutes because they can’t watch netflix and wifi doesn’t work when the power goes out. But most people are reasonable and will understand this is out of your control. You don’t control the weather, or the power company maintenance days after all.
If your power is out for more than a couple hours, your guests need to cook meals or have hot showers or have no heat in the dead of winter, those are bigger issues than just a couple hours of inconvenience.
However, Airbnb’s travel cancellation policy may apply in this case. Airbnb and VRBO do not have official policies regarding power outages but Airbnb has a “weather” policy.
Airbnb has a traveller refund policy for unavailable or un-useable spaces or missing amenities which isn’t just for heat or air conditioning, this policy also applies to these items:
If it is only a one night stay however, you should immediately offer the guests the option to find other accommodation, if it’s not a blackout area where everyone is affected.
Check with your power company to see any status updates and ETA for the power to come back on. If it is a major storm, if your property is in a remote area and typically one of the LAST places to get restored, I recommend to give your guests the option to leave and find new accommodations with a refund.
While the power outage may be out of your control, it’s also the cost of doing business and your guest can’t stay if they are freezing cold, can’t cook, can’t shower and literally can’t use your space for an extended amount of time with no power and the power out is specific to your small area and not a wide-spread issue.
In many cases where Well and Septic are part of your home, running water will not work in a power outage unless you have a generator, which makes the timeline more urgent.
If there are not other options available or the guest does want to stay and wait it out, offer them a discount or a refund for the night affected IF it seems reasonable but don’t immediately jump on this, give it time to see how long the power is out for.
Here’s some great feedback from fellow hosts:
Power outage is no one's fault...not usually. Many guests realize that and don't actually ask for a refund especially if the power is out overnight when everyone would be asleep. I wouldn’t consider a full refund for something that was completely out of my control. Depends on the level of "discomfort" you believe it has caused (eg fridge food ) and only really do a partial refund for the days effected. For 1-2 hours I wouldn’t even consider it. It’s a minor, uncontrolled inconvenience, unless of course the guest is in the middle of cooking Christmas Dinner for all of their guests and the oven can’t be used for hours, that’s a bigger issue.
The reality of our island is that it is off-grid to start with. Everything runs on solar anyway.
So we are not dependent on anything that happens on the mainland, whose power varies greatly here in Belize. Also, the power company announces 4-12 hr power interruptions all the time on a moments notice; being in the mainland during summer in the tropics, imagine if fans, A/C, etc stops unexpectedly for unknown hours.
All the guest has to do now is push a button IF the power goes off (fried inverter or batteries drained) and presto, everything is back on.
The generator we use ($2000US) is a Honda 3000is inverter type (noise factor 48db (normal conversation 55db+), which is the quietest generator on Earth; meaning IF the generator has to be on, they would hardly hear it.
If the power goes out regularly, a generator is a MUST.
I hope this info helps you prepare for the inevitable Power Loss situations, so you can try to make the best of an unfortunate situation for your guests that is out of your control.
You may not be able to control it, but you can be prepared. Please PIN this article to share with other hosts who might appreciate the info.