Ground rules for home hosts

To help create comfortable, reliable stays for guests, we require hosts to follow our rules regarding:

• Listing accuracy
• Honoring reservations and refunds
• Timely communication
• Listing cleanliness

When hosts receive low ratings, we may send messages to encourage them to meet guests’ expectations of quality. Repeated low ratings indicate that a listing or host may not be meeting guest expectations of quality.

Details of the ground rules

Review ratings

Accounts and listings should maintain a high overall review rating and avoid too many low ratings. We’ve found that hosts who get great reviews tend to focus on four things: accurate listing details, honoring reservations and refunds, timely communication, and cleanliness.

Listing accuracy

The listing page at the time of booking and any additional host statements about the listing should accurately describe the home and reflect the features and amenities that will be available at the listing from check-in to checkout, including:

• Booking details: Hosts should only change the details of an accepted booking (dates, price, etc.) with the guest’s prior consent.
• Location: The location information (map pin, address, etc.) on the listing page should be accurate. The listing page should also disclose any information about the surroundings that may impact the level of noise.
• Type, size, and privacy: The listing page should accurately describe the type of accommodation offered (private room, entire home, etc.), the setup of the listing (number of bedrooms, size of beds, etc.), and the level of privacy (presence of an on-site property manager, other guests, etc.).
• Property: The place provided should be the one that was booked, and the photos and description on the listing page should accurately represent the space provided (with some minor differences allowed for hotel-like representative inventory). Any content that misrepresents the listing or misleads guests violates this policy. We will ask hosts to remove content if AI or other digital technology has been used to edit flaws, hide damage, add amenities or attributes that are not part of a listing, or otherwise misrepresent the listing. Hosts should only substitute one listing for another if they have prior agreement from the guest and the guest has accepted a trip change request.
• Amenities and house rules: The listing page should disclose applicable house rules and accurately represent all available amenities (hot tub, kitchen, gym, etc.) and features offered in the listing. If the listing advertises “essential amenities”, all amenities from this list should be available to guests. If there are restrictions associated with amenity access, these should also be fully disclosed on the listing page (for example, a pool that is only available during certain hours of the day or months of the year).

Honoring reservations and refunds

Hosts should honor accepted reservations, provide a reliable check-in experience, and honor their promises to refund or compensate guests in a timely manner.

• Cancellations: Hosts should not cancel confirmed reservations, unless there are certain valid reasons beyond the host’s control. Even in these cases, hosts should do their best to cancel with as much lead time as possible and contact Airbnb if they need help.
• Check-in: Hosts should provide their guests with the ability to readily access the listing at check-in (ex: correct directions, updated keycode, etc.) and throughout their stay.
• Promised Refunds: Hosts should honor their promises to refund or compensate guests (ex: offering a refund to a guest to compensate for a broken amenity, etc.) in a timely manner.

Timely communication

Hosts or co-hosts should be available to respond to guest inquiries or unexpected issues that may come up before and during stays.

We recognize that hosts have many demands on their time. What is considered a reasonable response time can depend on specific circumstances, like the nature of a guest's inquiry and the stage of their trip.

For example, if a guest reaches out with a question that is material to their stay:

• Before the stay:
  • If check-in is more than five days away, hosts are expected to respond to guests within three days of receiving a message. This is when guests are likely reaching out for additional information to plan the details of their trip.
• Leading up to check-in and during the stay:
  • Close to check-in time, or if a time-sensitive issue arises during the stay (ex: reservation issue), it's especially important to respond to guests quickly. During these moments, hosts are expected to respond within 1 hour to guest messages received during local daytime hours. Outside of local daytime hours, Airbnb may provide immediate assistance to guests who are facing a trip issue if the host is unresponsive.
  • Otherwise, when a guest reaches out with other inquiries during the stay or within five days of their arrival, it’s best to respond within 12 hours to guest messages received during local daytime hours. This is because if check-in is within five days, guests may be beginning their travel and may need confirmation of final details like check-in instructions or the location of the listing.

Listing cleanliness

All listings should be clean and free of health hazards before guest check-in.

• Health and safety: Listings should be free of health hazards (mold, pests, etc.).
• Cleanliness: Hosts should provide listings that meet a high standard of cleanliness (free of extensive dust, pet dander, dirty dishes, etc.).
• Guest turnover: Hosts should be sure to clean between every stay (do laundry, take out trash, vacuum/sweep, wipe down surfaces, etc.).

Enforcing these ground rules

We are committed to enforcing these ground rules. When a ground rule violation is reported, Airbnb will attempt to contact the host to understand what occurred.

Actions we take may include educating hosts about this policy, issuing warnings, and requiring hosts to remove content that misrepresents the listing or misleads guests. When repeated or severe violations of these ground rules are reported, hosts or their listings may be suspended or removed from the platform, hosts may be prevented from publishing new listings or lose their Superhost status, co-hosts may be prevented from participating in the Co-host Network or co-hosting at new listings, and the timing of host and co-host payouts may be adjusted.

Depending on the nature of the violation, Airbnb may also take other actions, such as canceling an upcoming or active reservation, refunding a guest from a host’s payout, and/or requiring hosts to provide proof that they have addressed issues before they can resume hosting.

In addition, a host who cancels a confirmed reservation, or is found to be responsible for a cancellation, may face other consequences under our Host Cancellation Policy. Airbnb may waive cancellation fees and, in some cases, other consequences if the host cancels because of certain valid reasons beyond the host’s control.

Reporting a violation

Airbnb encourages guests to promptly report violations of these ground rules. When a guest is dealing with a violation of these ground rules, we ask that they:

• Communicate with the host—the host is in the best position to quickly resolve issues.
• Document the issue using the Airbnb message thread, photos, etc.
• If the host can't resolve the issue, contact us to report the issue directly or request a refund through the Resolution Center.
• Leave an honest review with feedback so that the host can improve for future guests.

Appealing violations

Hosts may appeal decisions under this policy by contacting customer support or through the link we provide to start the appeals process. In reviewing appeals, we will consider any additional details the host provides, such as new or corrected information, violations of our Reviews Policy, or other relevant circumstances related to the violation(s).