Both hosts and guests can leave reviews after a booking, but Airbnb does not verify their accuracy and may remove reviews it considers policy violations, which means disputed reviews may be deleted at Airbnb's discretion.
This analysis describes what Airbnb's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
Reviews are central to the Airbnb marketplace, affecting both hosts' booking rates and guests' decisions. The terms allow Airbnb to remove reviews at its discretion, which can have material commercial consequences for hosts without a clear appeals process.
Interpretive note: The scope of Airbnb's discretion to remove reviews and the adequacy of its appeals process are not fully specified in the document, creating some interpretive uncertainty about procedural protections available to users.
The updated Terms of Service no longer explicitly state that users must be at least 18 years old to book a reservation or host a place on Airbnb. Previously, this age requirement was stated as a binding community policy. The removal of this language creates operational uncertainty about Airbnb's age eligibility requirements and enforcement. While Airbnb's actual booking and hosting practices may not have changed, users can no longer point to an explicit contractual age restriction in the published terms.
View change record →This new provision establishes Airbnb's explicit disclaimer that it does not verify review accuracy and reserves the right to remove reviews, protecting it from liability for user-generated review content.
View full change record →Hosts who receive negative reviews they believe are false have limited recourse because Airbnb does not verify accuracy and may decline to remove disputed reviews unless they violate specific content policies. Guests who rely on reviews when booking should be aware that reviews are unverified user opinions.
How other platforms handle this
players may report each other and submit info about their in-game activity and actions to help us determine if the reported behavior constitutes a violation of rules and policies that apply to player conduct
Zoom uses advanced tools to automatically scan certain types of content such as virtual backgrounds, profile images, incoming emails to Zoom's native email service from someone who is not a Zoom Email user, and files uploaded or exchanged through chat...
your Rating or Review will reflect your honest and truthful opinion and will be based on first-hand experience with the Merchant or business
"After completing a booking, Hosts and Guests can leave a review of the other party. Reviews reflect the opinions of Members and not the views of Airbnb. Airbnb does not verify the accuracy of Member reviews. You agree not to post false, misleading, defamatory, or discriminatory reviews, and Airbnb may remove reviews that violate its content policies.Excerpt from Airbnb's Terms of Service
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Review practices interact with FTC guidelines on endorsements and testimonials, which require that reviews reflect genuine consumer experiences and that manipulated or suppressed reviews are disclosed.
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
Get the research letter
Companies change their terms quietly. We read every version and catch what actually changed. One email a week on the changes that matter and what they mean.
Reviews are central to the Airbnb marketplace, affecting both hosts' booking rates and guests' decisions. The terms allow Airbnb to remove reviews at its discretion, which can have material commercial consequences for hosts without a clear appeals process.
Hosts who receive negative reviews they believe are false have limited recourse because Airbnb does not verify accuracy and may decline to remove disputed reviews unless they violate specific content policies. Guests who rely on reviews when booking should be aware that reviews are unverified user opinions.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 141 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Airbnb.