Written by the Removal Lab team.
Did a guest you reported for a party just leave a one star review that reads like revenge? Airbnb review removal is possible only when a review breaks Airbnb’s Reviews Policy, which Removal Lab checks for you for free before anything is filed.
A specialist reads the review against Airbnb’s rules and replies within one business day. On qualifying cases there is no upfront payment. You pay only when the review is removed. Removal Lab does not work for Airbnb and cannot delete anything itself. Airbnb makes every decision.
Every rule, step and time limit on this page comes from Airbnb’s own help pages. The links are at the end.
Airbnb review removal: the key facts
| Question | What Airbnb says |
|---|---|
| Who can ask | The listing owner, a full access co host, a team owner, certain hosting team members, members of team guest management and the guest who booked |
| Deadline | Reviews you received can be disputed at any time |
| How many tries | Up to two removal requests for the same review |
| Decision time | Usually within 48 hours, with the result sent by email |
| What qualifies | A breach of the Reviews Policy, which also covers the Content Policy |
| If it is removed | The ratings go with it, the reviewer is emailed the reason and cannot write a new review for that reservation |
| Reviewer’s own window | A reviewer can remove a review they wrote within 30 days of it going live |
How Airbnb review removal works
Airbnb does not check reviews before they go live. Its review moderation page says so plainly. It also says Airbnb runs a system that flags reviews that may not reflect a genuine stay. It adds that flagged reviews will be removed. Anything that system misses needs a request from you.
The timing explains why so many hosts see a bad review out of nowhere. Both sides are prompted on checkout day and have 14 days after checkout to write. A review goes live once both have submitted or when the 14 days run out. Until then, the review is not public. Airbnb’s page on editing a review says you can change yours until the other side submits or the 14 days end. If a reservation is cancelled before check in day, neither side can leave a review at all.
That means Airbnb review removal always starts after the review is public. You cannot block it in advance.
Ratings matter as much as the words. Guests rate a home in seven categories: overall rating, cleanliness, accuracy, check in, communication, location and value. Airbnb says the overall rating is its own score, not an average of the other six. A listing shows its average once at least three guests have rated it. When Airbnb removes a review under its policy, it says the ratings and other content go too.
Which Airbnb reviews can be removed
The Airbnb review policy is officially the Reviews Policy, titled Authentic and trustworthy reviews. It lists six kinds of review that are not allowed. Every successful Airbnb review removal request fits one of them.
| Policy reason | What Airbnb means | A typical host example |
|---|---|---|
| Irrelevant | The review is not about the place or service reviewed, or not from first hand experience. Airbnb treats a guest who never arrived, or who cancelled for reasons unrelated to the listing, as irrelevant | A guest who never checked in rates your home one star anyway |
| Fake | The review must come from someone who took part in a real reservation, or be submitted on their behalf | A booking made only to post a review |
| Bias, deception, extortion, incentives or pressure | Nobody may threaten a bad review to get compensation or trade reviews for discounts, refunds, reciprocal reviews or promises not to take action | A guest writes: refund half or I post one star. Then posts it |
| Harm to competition | Hosts and guests may not review listings they are directly affiliated with or directly compete with | A rival host nearby books a night and leaves a damaging review |
| Retaliation | A biased review left after the reviewer broke a rule, was told about it and the breach was reported | You report a party and ask for cleaning costs. The guest answers with a one star review |
| Content Policy breach | Explicit, discriminatory, threatening, harassing or illegal content, or private information such as details that identify a listing’s location | A review that insults your religion or gives out your home address |
Retaliatory reviews explained
Retaliation is the one reason Airbnb has written a separate host guide about. Its guide to retaliatory reviews gives examples of the serious rule breaks that can trigger one: damage to the property, staying past the end of the reservation, breaking the host’s house rules or holding an unauthorised party or event.
Airbnb’s own example is a guest who smokes indoors. The host reports it, finds cigarette ends and asks for the cost of a deep clean. The guest refuses to pay and leaves an angry review. Airbnb says the host can dispute it and it will investigate.
The guide sets a high bar for this kind of Airbnb review removal. You need to show three things:
- How the review breaks the Reviews Policy.
- Documents that show a clear policy breach really happened.
- That your report to Airbnb, or to the guest, likely caused the review.
One limit matters here. The policy says a guest who discusses the facts of a Resolution Center or AirCover claim is not automatically retaliating. A calm, factual account of a damage dispute can stay up.
What Airbnb will not remove
Airbnb is just as clear about what it leaves alone. Its Reviews Policy says these are not reasons for Airbnb review removal:
- You disagree with the star rating.
- The guest mentions something outside your control, such as a noisy neighbourhood. Airbnb says this may matter to future guests.
- The guest gives a subjective opinion, such as calling the kitchen small.
Airbnb also says it generally does not step into arguments about whether a review is accurate. It points hosts to a public response instead. Reviews that do not break the policy stay published.
The honest test
Ask whether the review breaks a written Airbnb rule, not whether it feels fair. Airbnb review removal is for policy breaches. A harsh but genuine opinion about a real stay will usually stay up. Anyone who promises otherwise is guessing.
How to request Airbnb review removal yourself
To dispute an Airbnb review as a host, you do not need anyone’s help. Airbnb’s help page Remove or dispute a review sets out these steps on a computer:
- Open Airbnb’s review dispute page and click Get started.
- Select the review.
- Select a reason.
- Explain why the review should be removed.
- Upload any supporting documents.
- Click Submit.
Airbnb adds two practical tips. Search for the review using words from its text rather than the reviewer’s name. Leave out sensitive personal information such as government IDs, health data, details about children or criminal history, because Airbnb says it will not be considered.
Who can file for Airbnb review removal. Only people tied to the listing or booking can see and dispute a review. Airbnb lists the listing owner, a full access co host, a broad permissions pro host or member of a hosting team in managed or pro host accounts, a team owner, members of team guest management and the guest who booked.
If the button will not work. Airbnb says someone else on your team may already have a request pending. After you submit, you may need to wait 48 hours before checking for a decision.
What evidence helps an Airbnb review removal request
Airbnb’s retaliation guide asks for details and documents about the rule break, such as photos or message threads. It also asks hosts to keep all guest messages in the Airbnb Messages tab so Airbnb Support can read them easily. Here is how that looks in practice:
| Situation | Evidence to attach | Leave out |
|---|---|---|
| Retaliation after damage | Photos or videos, repair or cleaning quotes, receipts and the date you reported the damage | Guesses about the guest’s motives |
| Retaliation after a party or extra guests | House rules shown on the listing, Airbnb messages and your report to Airbnb | Neighbours’ names and addresses |
| Threat of a bad review | The Airbnb message where the guest asked for money, a refund or a discount | Screenshots edited or cropped to hide context |
| Guest never arrived | Reservation details, messages and anything showing nobody checked in | The guest’s ID or personal documents |
| Personal information or insults | The exact words that break the Content Policy | Health data or details about children |
Damage cases often run alongside a claim. Airbnb’s host damage protection page says to file a reimbursement request through the Resolution Center within 14 days of the guest’s checkout, with photos or videos, estimates or receipts. The guest then has 24 hours to respond. The same file of evidence often supports your Airbnb review removal request. The dates also line up neatly for a retaliation case.
How long Airbnb review removal takes
Airbnb says it usually decides an Airbnb review removal request within 48 hours and emails you the result. If the review follows the policy, it stays up. If it does not, Airbnb removes it and emails the reviewer the reason.
There is no deadline on your side. Airbnb says reviews you received can be disputed at any time, so an old review can still be the subject of an Airbnb review removal request. You get up to two requests for the same review.
A granted Airbnb review removal is not always final. Airbnb says the reviewer can contact it if they think the removal was a mistake. If they bring new information that changes the decision, you are told.
What to do if Airbnb says no
- Use the second request wisely. Only file again with new evidence or a clearer policy reason. Repeating the same words rarely changes anything.
- Post a calm public response. On a computer, Airbnb says to click Profile, then Reviews, then Reviews about you. Open the review, click Leave public response, write your reply and click Submit. It is posted immediately. Hosts can also reply from Insights.
- Keep the reply factual. Say what you fixed or how house rules work. Never share the guest’s private details, which the Content Policy forbids.
- Never offer anything for a removal. The Reviews Policy bans trading reviews for refunds, discounts or promises not to take action. That would put your own account at risk.
Guest reviews vs host reviews on Airbnb
Reviews run both ways on Airbnb. So does Airbnb review removal: hosts review guests too. The guest who booked can ask Airbnb to remove a host’s review using the same request process.
| Guest review of a home | Host review of a guest | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | Seven categories: overall, cleanliness, accuracy, check in, communication, location and value | 1 to 5 stars for cleanliness, house rules and communication, averaged for each stay |
| Where it shows | On the listing. The average appears after at least three ratings | On the guest’s profile, where anyone can read it |
| Private feedback | Not covered on the pages we read | A host may add a private note that only the guest and Airbnb can read |
| Time to write | 14 days after checkout | 14 days after checkout |
| Who can request removal | Listing owner, full access co host and listed team roles | The guest who booked |
Airbnb’s help page on reviews from hosts adds that hosts see a guest’s detailed ratings only when that guest requests or books a stay with them. If you rate a guest low in any category, Airbnb asks you to explain what went wrong.
Airbnb review removal for hosts in different countries
The Reviews Policy says enforcement may vary by location to reflect local law. The Airbnb review removal process itself is the same worldwide. Removal Lab works with hosts and property managers in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, the UAE and Switzerland. See our pages on review removal in the UK and review removal in Dubai for local notes.
Most hosts list on more than one site. Airbnb review removal does nothing on other platforms, so each needs its own request. See Booking.com review removal, Tripadvisor review removal and review removal for restaurants and hotels. Many hosts also have a Google profile for their property, which our Google review removal page covers.
How Removal Lab helps with Airbnb review removal
We start with a free, confidential check. Send the review through our case review form and a specialist replies within one business day. We look at:
- Which of Airbnb’s six policy reasons the review really fits, if any.
- The timeline between your report and the review, which Airbnb’s guide says must show your report likely caused it.
- Which messages, photos and receipts prove the rule break.
- What to leave out so Airbnb reads the evidence that counts.
- Whether a second request has new grounds after a first refusal.
Then we tell you plainly whether Airbnb review removal is realistic. Where it is, we write the reason in plain words and prepare the evidence pack for the request. On Airbnb only the people Airbnb lists can press Submit, so you file and we prepare everything before that click. Where removal is not realistic, we say so and help you write a calm public response. On qualifying cases there is no upfront payment. You pay only when the review is removed.
We never contact or pressure guests, never offer refunds in return for a removal and never write fake reviews. If you think a review comes from someone who never stayed, see our fake review removal page. For every platform we cover, see review removal platforms.
How Removal Lab works
- Send the link. WhatsApp, email or the two field form. Two minutes, no long questionnaire.
- Free policy check. A specialist reads it against the platform rules and tells you honestly whether it qualifies.
- We build and file the case. The right policy, the right channel, the evidence attached. We handle the appeal too.
- Pay only when it is gone. No upfront payment on qualifying cases. If the platform says no, you owe nothing.
What we will never do
- Promise a removal. The platform decides, not us.
- Post fake reviews or pay anyone to delete a review.
- Pressure, threaten or try to identify a reviewer.
- Charge an upfront fee on a case that does not qualify.
A worked example: the party and the one star review
This is a made up example to show the steps. It is not a client case.
A host in Manchester rents out a two bedroom flat. Her house rules say no parties. A neighbour complains about loud music on the second night. The host messages the guest through Airbnb and reports the party. After checkout she finds a broken chair and asks for the repair cost. The guest declines. Four days later a one star review appears. It calls the flat dirty and the host rude. It never mentions the party.
- Free check. The review fits the retaliation reason. A clear rule break happened, the guest was told and the review came after the report.
- Evidence. The Airbnb message about the party, her report, the house rules on the listing, photos of the chair, the repair receipt and the damage request date.
- Request. She selects the review, picks the reason, explains the timeline in five short sentences and uploads the files.
- Public response. While she waits, she posts a short reply about the cleaning routine. It names no one.
- Decision. Airbnb usually decides within 48 hours. If it refuses, she can file once more with any new evidence.
If Airbnb agreed, the review and its ratings would come down and the guest could not review that stay again. If Airbnb found the review followed the policy, it would stay. That is why honest Airbnb review removal work starts with the policy, not with how unfair the review feels.
Worried about an Airbnb review?
Send the link for a free, confidential Airbnb review removal check. We reply within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove an Airbnb review as a host?
You cannot delete it yourself. Ask Airbnb through its review dispute page, pick the policy reason and upload your evidence. Airbnb removes only reviews that break its Reviews Policy or Content Policy.
How long does Airbnb review removal take?
Airbnb says it usually makes a decision within 48 hours and emails you the result. If the review is removed, Airbnb also emails the reviewer to explain why.
How many times can I dispute an Airbnb review?
Airbnb lets you submit a removal request for the same review up to two times. Save the second request for new evidence or a clearer policy reason.
Is there a deadline to dispute a review on Airbnb?
No. Airbnb says reviews you received can be disputed at any time. The 30 day limit only applies to a reviewer removing a review they wrote.
Can a co host ask Airbnb to remove a review?
Yes, if they are a full access co host. Airbnb also lists the listing owner, team owners, certain hosting team members and members of team guest management.
Can a guest get a host’s review removed?
Yes. The guest who booked the reservation can use the same request process. The same Reviews Policy applies to reviews written by hosts.
Does Removal Lab work for Airbnb?
No. Removal Lab is independent, cannot delete reviews and never promises a removal. We build the request with you, Airbnb decides and there is no upfront payment on qualifying cases.
Sources: Airbnb: Remove or dispute a review, Airbnb Reviews Policy, Airbnb Content Policy, Airbnb review moderation, Airbnb reviews for homes, Airbnb ratings for homes, Airbnb reviews from hosts, Airbnb responding to a review, Airbnb editing a review, Airbnb host damage protection and Airbnb guide to retaliatory reviews. Removal Lab does not work for Airbnb. Every decision is made by the platform.