diff --git a/plugins/modules/nagios.py b/plugins/modules/nagios.py
index 830a805f87..17b079c48c 100644
--- a/plugins/modules/nagios.py
+++ b/plugins/modules/nagios.py
@@ -90,7 +90,8 @@ options:
         services running on it.) To schedule downtime for all O(services) on particular host use keyword V(all), for example
         O(services=all).
     aliases: ["service"]
-    type: str
+    type: list
+    elements: str
   servicegroup:
     description:
       - The Servicegroup we want to set downtimes/alerts for.
@@ -324,7 +325,7 @@ def main():
             start=dict(type='str'),
             minutes=dict(type='int', default=30),
             cmdfile=dict(type='str', default=which_cmdfile()),
-            services=dict(type='str', aliases=['service']),
+            services=dict(type='list', elements='str', aliases=['service']),
             command=dict(type='str'),
         ),
         required_if=[
@@ -382,10 +383,12 @@ class Nagios(object):
         self.cmdfile = kwargs['cmdfile']
         self.command = kwargs['command']
 
-        if (kwargs['services'] is None) or (kwargs['services'] == 'host') or (kwargs['services'] == 'all'):
+        if kwargs['services'] is None :
             self.services = kwargs['services']
+        elif len(kwargs['services']) == 1 and kwargs['services'][0] in ['host', 'all']:
+            self.services = kwargs['services'][0]
         else:
-            self.services = kwargs['services'].split(',')
+            self.services = kwargs['services']
 
         self.command_results = []
 
@@ -1243,14 +1246,9 @@ class Nagios(object):
         elif self.action == 'unsilence_nagios':
             self.unsilence_nagios()
 
-        elif self.action == 'command':
+        else:    # self.action == 'command'
             self.nagios_cmd(self.command)
 
-        # wtf?
-        else:
-            self.module.fail_json(msg="unknown action specified: '%s'" %
-                                      self.action)
-
         self.module.exit_json(nagios_commands=self.command_results,
                               changed=True)