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Can You Delete Your Guest's Bad Review on Airbnb? Host Guide 2023
Receiving guest reviews - good and bad - is an essential part of your short-term rental journey. Reviews provide valuable feedback for both hosts and guests, helping to build trust within the Airbnb community. However, what happens when you receive a negative review that you believe is unjustified or inaccurate? Can you remove it from Airbnb somehow?
In this blog post, we'll explore the cases when it's possible to delete a guest's review and provide an overview of Airbnb's review policies (updated as of July 2023).
Can I delete my guest’s review on Airbnb?
In most cases, once a review has been submitted, it cannot be edited or removed by either party. However, Airbnb does have certain policies and mechanisms in place to address exceptional circumstances. In these cases, you will have to report the review to Airbnb and wait for the staff to review your request. So it’s never possible to just delete a review by yourself. Let's explore these exceptional cases that lead to the Airbnb review below.
Airbnb Review Policies:
Let’s have a look at Airbnb's review policies. Airbnb encourages honest and transparent feedback from both hosts and guests to maintain the integrity of the platform. Some points clearly state when it’s possible to delete a review:
Violation of Airbnb's Content Policy:
Airbnb has strict content policies in place to prevent fraudulent or inappropriate reviews. If a guest's review violates these policies by containing spam, hate speech, discriminatory language, or personal information (like the address of your property, full name etc), hosts have the right to report it to Airbnb. In such cases, Airbnb may remove the review after conducting an investigation.
Extortion or Blackmail:
If a guest threatens or attempts to blackmail a host into providing additional services or benefits outside of the agreed-upon terms, it is considered a violation of Airbnb's policies. Possible causes would include messages like “extend my stay for free or I leave a bad review” or “Bring me additional towels in the next 10 min or I will post a review”. You should promptly report such instances to Airbnb, providing any evidence available. Airbnb will investigate the matter and, if the allegations are substantiated, may remove the review.
Violation of Airbnb's Review Guidelines:
Airbnb provides guidelines for writing reviews to maintain fairness and objectivity. If a guest's review violates these guidelines—for example, by discussing unrelated matters or making false claims—hosts can flag the review to Airbnb. The platform will then review the flagged content and may remove it if it is found to be in violation.
Inflammatory Language or Personal Attacks:
If a guest's review contains inflammatory language, personal attacks, or includes irrelevant and defamatory comments, hosts can report the review to Airbnb. While the platform generally does not interfere with subjective opinions, it may remove a review if it crosses the line into personal attacks or contains inappropriate content.
Reviews by Non-Guests/No-Shows:
Airbnb's review system is designed to capture the experiences of guests who have actually stayed at a property. If a review is submitted by someone who did not complete a booking or did not stay at the property, hosts can report it to Airbnb for removal.
Please note, there’s a tricky case in which you might still get reviewed: as long as the reservation isn’t cancelled before midnight the night before check in - the review emails for the guest will still be sent, as they’re scheduled automatically.
In case the stay was cancelled - you can request Airbnb Customer Service to remove the review immediately.
If the review does not qualify for the cases above:
It is crucial to respond professionally and thoughtfully to negative reviews instead of attempting to delete them. Engaging in constructive dialogue with guests and addressing their concerns can help mitigate the impact of a bad review and demonstrate your commitment to providing a positive hosting experience.
Remember, a mix of positive and negative reviews can add authenticity to your listing, showcasing your responsiveness and willingness to improve. Ultimately, by focusing on providing exceptional hospitality and resolving any issues that arise, you can cultivate a solid reputation on the Airbnb platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What specific steps does Airbnb take to investigate reported reviews and determine whether they violate the platform's content policies or review guidelines?
Some of the steps which Airbnb takes in order to identify a fake review, as an example:
When all the stays are rented with a very low price in comparison with the regular price
The name on the credit card is the same of the Airbnb account
All the payment made for the fake reviews are made in the same way, suing the same credit card or the same PayPal account
If the IP or the "guest" is the same of host
If the messages that are exchange between "guest" and host have unusual content (simple messages)
The booking is done without any message being sent
The review is done using the same IP of the owner wrote the review
If the reviews of this fake guests is so different to the other guests
About Us
KeyNest offers you a convenient service for storing and exchanging your property keys. You can drop off a key at any of the 5,000+ locations in our network, so there’s one such Point located next to your property already.
Guests, cleaners or contractors can then collect the key securely from a KeyNest Point, which is usually open 24/7. You'll be notified each time the key is picked up or returned, and you can even customize check-in and check-out times.
KeyNest has an ever-expanding global network of locations located just minutes from your property. To find out more, visit our website: https://keynest.com/