In the Airbnb game, positive reviews are essential. Conversely, bad reviews can damage your property’s reputation—and yours.
If you’ve been wondering how to remove negative guest reviews from your Airbnb page, you’re in luck! Below, we provide a step-by-step guide to get certain kinds of bad reviews taken down.
Note: Airbnb’s customer support will not remove a review simply for being negative; the review must violate Airbnb’s review policy.
Key Takeaways
Log into your Airbnb account and visit the Profile page. Next, go to the “Help” section.
Once there, find the “Contact Us” box. Select “Report a New Issue” and then write your request.
After you send your request, you should hear back from Airbnb support in 24-72 hours.
Step-By-Step Guide for Deleting Negative Airbnb Reviews
Step One
Sign in to the Airbnb platform and go to the Profile page.
Step Two
At the bottom of the Profile page, there should be a “Help” section. Go here.
Step Three
Once you’re at the “Help” section, look for the “Contact Us” box. This is where you’ll request the negative review be removed.
Select “Report a New Issue” as your reason for contacting Airbnb. Now it’s time to write your request.
Step Four
Your request should be clear, concise, and professional.
Also, you should specify why the review violates Airbnb’s review policy. This should be done at or near the beginning of your request.
What Kinds of Reviews Violate Airbnb’s Review Policy?
Coercive Reviews
If a guest uses the threat of a bad review to get a discount or special accommodation, report them to Airbnb immediately.
This way, if the guests make good on their threat, Airbnb will remove the review soon after it appears.
Using the threat of a bad review to get a discount or special accommodation is strictly against Airbnb’s terms of service, and guests who do this usually get banned.
Fake Reviews
Unfortunately, fake Airbnb reviews are common. The good news is Airbnb is usually quick to remove such reviews from their platform.
If you receive a negative review on your Airbnb listing from a user who never stayed at your property, you will need to prove to Airbnb customer support that the review is fake.
After you contact Airbnb, the review should be removed in 24-72 hours.
Reviews With Personal Information
Airbnb does a lot to protect the personal information of Airbnb hosts. Therefore, if you receive a bad review replete with personal information—your name, address, phone number, etc.—get in touch with Airbnb. They’ll take it down because it violates Airbnb’s policies.
Dishonest Reviews
These are tough because you’ll have to put up concrete evidence that refutes what’s in the bad review.
Of course, Airbnb cannot delete a review just because it’s bad. Honest reviews, whether good or bad, help the Airbnb community and unjustifiably deleting negative feedback would put users at risk.
However, if a guest lies about your vacation rental, and you can prove it, Airbnb should delete the review.
For example, if a guest says your Airbnb was a mess when they arrived, but you have photos with timestamps that show your property was in good condition before the guests arrived, reach out to Airbnb.
Irrelevant Reviews
If a negative review has nothing to do with the guest experience, it can be taken down for irrelevance.
For example, if a guest’s review is more about things unrelated to your property, politely ask Airbnb to remove it. Inferior local restaurants don’t warrant a negative review on Airbnb.
What to Do if You Can’t Get a Negative Review Removed
Reach out to the Guest
Reaching out to the guest who left an unfavorable review could result in review removal. Especially if the guest’s complaints are justified, genuinely apologize. Explaining why problems occurred may also help.
Of course, the guest isn’t going to replace their bad review with a good one, but they may determine it’s reasonable to take the review down after you apologize,
Accept Responsibility
Accepting responsibility and correcting problems that have been pointed out are the keys to ensuring you don’t get a bunch of bad reviews on Airbnb.
For example, if one negative review says your Airbnb doesn’t have kitchen essentials, address this problem before you accept new bookings.
Future guests will probably see the negative reviews, but if they don’t encounter the same problems, they’ll chalk previous reviews up as unjust negative reviews.
Be Professional and Emotionless
When you receive a negative review, it’s important to remember professionalism. A professional doesn’t blast the reviewer or relentlessly demand review removal.
Good practice is to wait 24 hours before responding to a review. If you do this, it’s far less likely that your response will be driven by emotion.
Also, if you can’t get Airbnb to take down the review, accept their decision and consider other options.
Tips for Preventing Bad Airbnb Reviews
The following tips should help you avoid bad Airbnb reviews:
- Put yourself in the shoes of a potential guest. What would you expect from a vacation rental property?
- Don’t dismiss a bad review because you don’t like it. If the reviewer is right, take steps to fix the problems.
- Focus on the little things. Putting out a welcome basket for your guests can set the right tone.
- Make your house rules clear so guests can’t complain about them later.
- Every day, check your page for new reviews. This way removable reviews can be addressed immediately.
Final Thoughts
If you want Airbnb to remove a negative review from your property’s page, you must submit a formal request via the “Contact Us” box on their site.
To find this page, log in to your account and visit the Profile page. The “Contact Us” box can be found under the “Help” section on this page.
