Private room with Shared common spaces

[Viktoriya50]

Hello everyone, I have a situation where my guests are constantly left with the expectations that they have booked the entire space and not just private bedroom with shared kitchen/bathroom and Toilet. 

I have set the listing to Flat/Room and any time I try to talk to Airbnb, they are saying that it is all being set correct. However, Airbnb obviously doesn't care about "hosts" and I get negative reviews which are being accepted by Airbnb and I cannot appeal them in any ways.

Does any of you know what I need to do, to change it correctly and make sure the set-up is correct? 

Thank you.

[Elegant-Homes-Retreat0 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Viktoriya50,
I completely understand your frustration—this is a common issue many hosts of private rooms face. Even when the listing is technically set up correctly, guests often don’t read carefully and assume they’ve booked the entire space.

Here are a few suggestions that might help:

Use bold text at the very beginning of your listing description (something like: "Please note: This is a private room with shared kitchen and bathroom. You are NOT booking the entire apartment.").

Repeat this message in your house rules and pre-booking message.

Add a photo layout or floor plan in your photo tour that clearly shows which spaces are private and which are shared.

Consider renaming your listing title to make it clearer, e.g. “Private Room in Shared Apartment | Kitchen & Bath Shared”.

It’s frustrating when Airbnb doesn’t support us more with these misunderstandings, but clear communication upfront can really help reduce confusion and protect your ratings.

Wishing you better guests and smoother hosting ahead!

[Viktoriya50]

@Elegant-Homes-Retreat0 Thank you so much for those tips.

I am frustrated with Airbnb, they have closed one of my listings because of that. And honestly, I do not feel like it is my fault. They do not support us as hosts at all which is crazy really. I make better money and receive better support with Booking rather than Airbnb and honestly, I've been thinking of removing all my listings from them as I see no point in spending my time in constant arguing with clients and Airbnb support...

Thank you once again for the tips!

[Elegant-Homes-Retreat0]

@Viktoriya50 Thank you so much for choosing my response as the top answer. I’m really happy to know that my suggestions were helpful to you.

As a hosting community, we’re all here to support each other—so please don’t worry, you're not alone in facing these challenges. Many hosts have experienced similar issues.

I also checked your listing and read your review. In my opinion, you may need to change some of the content in your listing description to make things even more clear for future guests. For example, clearly highlight that it is a private room with shared spaces at the very beginning of your description and in other important sections like the house rules and title.

Small changes like this can really reduce misunderstandings and help protect your ratings.

Wishing you better experiences ahead, and please feel free to reach out anytime if you need more suggestions or support. We’re all happy to help!

@Elisa