Shocking Internal "Airbnb Policy" that Won't Allow You to Remove Reviews

Shocking Internal "Airbnb Policy" that Won't Allow You to Remove Reviews

As seasoned Airbnb hosts with over seven years of experience, 70+ listings, and more than 6,800 five-star reviews, we’ve seen a lot. But what we recently experienced with Airbnb support has left us shocked and deeply concerned about the future of hosting on the platform. This blog post outlines a critical issue we encountered and explains why it could have serious implications for every host.

What Happened: A Retaliatory Guest Review Gone Wrong

Recently, we hosted a guest at one of our Triplex properties. The listing was clearly advertised as a Triplex, with three separate, private units, each with its own entrance and no shared spaces. The guest had booked the property and noted they would bring a dog—describing it as “aggressive.” During their stay, the guest requested a full refund, claiming they hadn’t realized the property was a Triplex and didn’t want their aggressive dog near other units.

When we declined their refund request, citing our clear cancellation policy and accurate listing description, the guest resorted to thinly veiled extortion. They messaged us saying, “I don’t want to leave a bad review, so let’s work something out.”

This is a classic example of a retaliatory review threat—a clear violation of Airbnb’s review policy. Despite this, we stood our ground and refused to refund the guest. After their stay, they left a scathing review, blaming us for their own aggressive dog, complaining about unrelated issues like construction several blocks away, and including comments completely irrelevant to their experience.

To make matters worse, their dog had caused damage to the property, which led us to file a claim through Airbnb’s AirCover program.

Airbnb’s Response: A Shocking Policy Change

Here’s where things got truly frustrating. Airbnb paid the claim for the damages under their AirCover program, as the guest refused to take responsibility. However, when we contacted Airbnb to request the removal of the retaliatory review—citing multiple violations of their review policy—their response floored us.

Despite clear evidence of extortion, irrelevant comments, and policy violations, Airbnb’s support team refused to remove the review. Their reasoning? An internal policy that states reviews cannot be removed if Airbnb has paid out an AirCover claim.

This is a massive policy shift from Airbnb’s previous stance. In the past, reviews violating house rules, involving property damage, or extortion would be removed. Now, hosts are being punished for filing legitimate claims.

Why This Policy Is Dangerous for Hosts

This new policy puts hosts in an incredibly precarious position. Here are three reasons why:

Hosts Must Choose Between Reimbursement and Reputation:

Hosts are now forced to decide whether to file a claim for damages or protect their reputation. Reviews are the lifeblood of any hosting business. A few bad reviews can destroy your credibility and affect your bookings. Airbnb’s policy essentially penalizes hosts for enforcing house rules and seeking compensation for legitimate damages.

Responsible Hosting Is Punished:

By refusing to remove retaliatory reviews, Airbnb discourages responsible hosting. In our case, we followed the rules, enforced our house policies, and still ended up with a biased, damaging review. This sets a dangerous precedent: even when guests violate rules, hosts bear the consequences.

Hosts Are Left Vulnerable to Bias and Irrelevant Reviews:

The review we received included complaints unrelated to the property or listing, such as construction blocks away. Airbnb’s refusal to remove these reviews leaves hosts vulnerable to irrelevant and biased reviews that directly harm their business.

Why This Is a Complete 180 from Airbnb’s Previous Policy

In the past, Airbnb’s review policy was clear: if a guest caused property damage or violated house rules, their review could be removed. This was a fair system that protected hosts from retaliatory and irrelevant reviews.

Now, Airbnb has done a complete 180. If a guest damages your property, refuses to pay, and Airbnb covers the cost, their review—no matter how biased or retaliatory—stays. This punitive stance undermines the trust between hosts and the platform.

What Can Hosts Do About It?

If you’re a host on Airbnb, here’s what you can do to protect yourself under this new policy:

Delay Filing AirCover Claims:

If you need to file a claim, wait until close to the end of the 14-day window after the guest checks out. This minimizes the chance of a retaliatory review impacting your listing before you can address it.

Go Direct:

Consider building a direct booking strategy to reduce reliance on platforms like Airbnb. By going direct, you set your own policies, avoid unfair review systems, and maintain more control over your business. We’ll be creating more resources to help you transition to direct bookings.

Why Hosts Must Speak Out

This issue highlights a broader trend: Airbnb’s increasing focus on attracting new hosts at the expense of retaining experienced ones. As hosting becomes more punitive and less sustainable, many seasoned hosts are reconsidering their future on the platform.

We urge fellow hosts to take action:

Share this blog post with other hosts and in hosting groups.

Tag Airbnb leadership on social media (e.g., Brian Chesky, @bchesky on X).

Raise awareness about this policy and its consequences for the hosting community.

The more hosts speak out, the greater the chance of influencing Airbnb to revise this damaging policy.

Final Thoughts

This experience has left us both frustrated and disheartened, but it has also strengthened our resolve to advocate for the hosting community. Airbnb’s new review policy forces hosts to make impossible choices, undermines responsible hosting, and leaves us vulnerable to damaging reviews.

If you’ve faced similar issues, let us know in the comments below. Sharing our stories is the first step toward creating change. Together, we can push Airbnb to create policies that protect hosts, not punish them.

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