Airbnb says it is only a marketplace connecting hosts and guests, not a party to your booking contract, meaning the company disclaims responsibility for the quality, safety, or accuracy of listings.
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
If something goes wrong during your stay, such as a listing not matching its description or a safety issue, Airbnb's terms position the company as a neutral intermediary rather than a responsible party, which can limit the remedies available to you directly from Airbnb.
Interpretive note: The practical effect of this disclaimer depends on jurisdiction, as EU/UK consumer law and the DSA may impose obligations on Airbnb that override or supplement this contractual framing.
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 explicitly disclaims Airbnb's liability by recharacterizing it as a mere platform intermediary rather than a service provider, reducing its legal responsibility for Host Services and their quality/safety.
View full change record →Guests who experience problems with a booking may find their primary recourse is against the host rather than Airbnb, because the terms assert Airbnb is not a contractual party. In practice, Airbnb does operate a resolution center and AirCover program, but these are separate from the contractual framework established by this clause.
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"Airbnb is not a party to any contracts between Hosts and Guests. You acknowledge that Airbnb provides a platform for Hosts to offer accommodations and other Host Services to Guests and facilitates payments between Hosts and Guests, but does not itself provide Host Services, and is not a party to any such contracts. Airbnb has no control over and does not guarantee the quality, safety or legality of Host Services listed, the truth or accuracy of listings, the ability of Hosts to provide Host Services or the ability of Guests to pay for them.Excerpt from Airbnb's Terms of Service
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This intermediary liability framing interacts with the EU Digital Services Act, which imposes obligations on online platforms regardless of contractual intermediary status, including transparency, notice-and-action procedures, and user redress mechanisms.
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
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If something goes wrong during your stay, such as a listing not matching its description or a safety issue, Airbnb's terms position the company as a neutral intermediary rather than a responsible party, which can limit the remedies available to you directly from Airbnb.
Guests who experience problems with a booking may find their primary recourse is against the host rather than Airbnb, because the terms assert Airbnb is not a contractual party. In practice, Airbnb does operate a resolution center and AirCover program, but these are separate from the contractual framework established by this clause.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 286 platforms. See the full comparison.
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