AirBnB Unlisted due to Airbnb’s Nondiscrimination rule

[Tom4948]

Hi all, 

I hope you all are doing well.

I manage a high-value Airbnb property, and I have a clear policy: the primary guest — the person booking and responsible for communication — must be at least 25 years old. This rule applies to everyone, no exceptions. It’s not about discrimination; it’s about accountability. Over the years, I’ve had all kinds of guests, and unfortunately, the biggest issues have come from younger groups with no clear responsible lead.

In this case, the guest didn’t want to follow that policy or sign the renter agreement, and instead of working with me, he immediately accused me of age discrimination — in the very first message. That set off red flags. If someone is already throwing around accusations before even checking in, I can only imagine what would happen if I needed to file a claim or resolve an issue later on.

I never denied the booking — I simply asked for the policy to be followed. But when trust and cooperation aren’t there from the start, I don’t feel safe opening my home. 

He reported me to Airbnb and they have unlisted my listing. Could you guys give me advice on how to proceed? Thank you guys in advance.  

[Shelley159]

Hi @Tom4948 

There are 2 active listings on your profile - has the issue been resolved, or was there a third one?

[Tom4948]

Hi @Shelley159

I have another that has been unlisted. So 3 total. I have contacted customer support and they said they would get back to me in 1-2 hours but nothing yet. Would you be able to advise me on how to navigate this ? Or would you be able to escalate it ? Thank you

[Peakpulse0]

Hi @Tom4948,

I’m really sorry to hear you're dealing with multiple listings being unlisted — that’s incredibly frustrating. Since you've already contacted customer support and haven’t received a follow-up, I’d recommend doing the following:

Follow Up Directly: If it's been more than 2 hours, reply to your original support thread to keep it active. Sometimes that nudges a faster response.

Escalate via Twitter Support: Reach out to @AirbnbHelp on Twitter with your case number. They tend to respond quickly and can often escalate urgent host issues.

Document Everything: Keep a detailed record of any messages, emails, or calls you’ve had with Airbnb. If you end up needing to make a formal complaint or appeal, that documentation will help.

If you  has a way to escalate internally or with a community liaison, that could definitely speed things up. Hopefully they can step in — we all know how tough it is when listings go down unexpectedly.

[Joan2709]

@Tom4948 

Airbnb doesn't allow Hosts to refuse reservations based on age, or make restrictions for booking based on age, as their policies consider that as discrimination. The only exception would be HOAs that have 55+ communities or condos/apartment buildings that restrict age for those staying there. 

Non Discrimination Policy

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2867

Vrbo does allow Hosts to set an age minimum. Not sure about other platforms. 

My guess is most likely your listing will be suspended for a period of time and Airbnb will require you to remove any age limitations on your listing and you'll probably be required to agree you will not restrict guests due to age in the future. Once a complaint is made, it is turned over to a "specialized team" to investigate. Most of the time I have seen it take about 10 business days. Typically you will not be able to talk to the specialized team during the investigation. They will notify you of the results of their investigation.

[Peakpulse0]

@Tom4948 

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out, and I’m sorry you’re going through this. I completely understand your concerns — as a host, protecting your property and ensuring responsible guest behavior is incredibly important.

That said, Airbnb’s Nondiscrimination Policy prohibits setting age-based restrictions that might limit bookings, unless they are legally required or clearly tied to safety (e.g., insurance regulations, licensing laws, etc.). While your intention is to maintain accountability, a blanket policy excluding guests under 25 may be interpreted as age discrimination under Airbnb’s policy.

What you can do is emphasize behavioral expectations and house rules — for example:

Require the person booking to be present and accountable throughout the stay.

Clearly outline your house rules (no parties, ID verification, security deposit, renter agreement, etc.).

If there are local ordinances or insurance requirements supporting your age policy, you can reference those in a respectful, transparent way.

To move forward, I suggest:

Appeal the delisting: Reach out to Airbnb Support through the Help Center. Be calm and clear: explain that your intent was safety and accountability, not discrimination.

Revise your listing language: Focus on required behaviors (mature, responsible guests, agreement signing, etc.) rather than age. Airbnb often flags listings that cite specific age restrictions.

Document everything: Keep records of messages and interactions to support your case during the appeal.

If you haven’t already, you might consider joining Airbnb’s Community Support team via Twitter (@AirbnbHelp) or calling for direct host support—they often escalate faster.

[Joan2709]

@Tom4948 

As @Peakpulse0  mentions, there are other things you can do to protect the property. Hosts with larger properties tend to have issues with unauthorized parties.

- Require ALL guests have an Airbnb profile (not just the booking guest). Requires ID verification from all guests by Airbnb. Then booking guest needs to add ALL guests staying to the reservation detail so you can see the names of all guests.

- Mention in a message to booking guest that ALL guests must abide by House Rules and ask them to agree they have read and understand those House Rules and agree to abide by them. Specifically mention no parties and mention that if a party occurs, the reservation will be cancelled with no refund and all must vacate the premises.

- Add noise monitors (be sure to disclose them in the listing)

- Add smoke detectors designed to detect cigarette smoke and cannabis smoke (Minut has one that is both a noise and smoke detector). You will be notified via an App on your phone. You'll also be notified if someone tries to tamper with it.

- Robust outdoor camera security system (properly disclosed on the listing of course)

- Add wording to your Addl House Rules that tampering with, disabling, or obscuring outdoor cameras and/or noise & smoke detectors is not permitted and may result in cancellation of stay without refund.

[Naomi208]

Hallo Tom

Am sorry to read this disturbing and disappointing message.

it’s unfortunate Airbnb took down your listing since your house rules are clear. Before guests book they are aware about the host’s requirements.

Please keep appealing, hope they will sort out.

Best wishes 

[Joan2709]

@Naomi208 

Unfortunately, if @Tom4948 's HOA doesn't restrict those staying by age, then they aren't allowed to add an age restriction to the listing, nor prevent guests booking the property if they are under a certain age, as this is against Airbnb policies. 

Non Discrimination Policy

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2867

Vrbo does allow hosts to add an age restriction to the listing.

[Naomi208]

Thank you for the feedback , l understand now