Payouts on Hold Since 28 December – Airbnb-Confirmed Technical Issue

[Dawood5]

Hi everyone,

Good day.

I have been hosting on Airbnb for several years and have always complied with all requirements. This is the first time I have ever experienced an issue like this.

Since 28 December, all of my payouts have been placed on hold without any clear explanation or written notice. The total amount currently held is approximately USD 15,000, covering multiple completed reservations.

I have:

• Called Airbnb support almost every day
• Contacted support via chat
• Sent multiple X (Twitter) DMs to @AirbnbHelp

Despite all of this, there has been no resolution.

Airbnb support has repeatedly told me:

• The issue is not from my side
• It is a technical issue from Airbnb
• It has been “forwarded to the specialized / engineering team”

However:

• No timeline has ever been provided
• Cases keep getting closed and reopened
• I have received no written explanation
• No payouts have been released

I have been fully KYC-verified for years, my payout method has not changed, and I continue to host normally. Some reservations after December were even processed correctly, which further confirms that this is not an account compliance issue, but a system or payout bug.

At this point, this situation has become critical. I cannot properly manage my properties or operations while all payouts are being held indefinitely, especially when Airbnb has acknowledged the issue is internal.

I am posting here publicly because I urgently need:

• A Community Manager or Senior Case Manager to review this
• A clear written explanation of what is happening
• A realistic timeline for when my payouts will be released

Please, I am asking for real intervention, not another referral to a “specialized team” without follow-up.

Any help from a Community Manager or Airbnb representative would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Dawood

[Dawood5]

Any update from a Community Manager would be greatly appreciated.

[Dawood5]

Any update from a Community Manager would be greatly appreciated.

[Joan2709]

@Dawood5 

What type of "technical issue/bug" does Airbnb say is causing the issue?

What payout method (type) are you using? (bank, other?)

Are you subletting (arbitrage)? It appears many of your listings are hotel rooms?

New Regulations

It appears Egypt has launched new regulations effective November 12, 2025 for short term rentals for 8 units or more (you have 18 listings some of which are apartments/rooms in hotels?). Decree No. 209 of 2025 governs the operation and licensing of Holiday Homes, establishing a regulatory framework that clearly distinguishes them from hotels regulated under Law No. 8 of 2022 (Hotels and Tourism Law). There are license requirements, fees and safety regulations.

Egypt Launches New Holiday Home License

https://egyptian-gazette.com/egypt/egypt-launches-new-holiday-home-license-for-tourists/

New Requirements License Holiday Homes Egypt

https://riad-riad.com/new-requirement-to-license-holiday-homes-in-egypt/

"Under the new framework, ‘Holiday Home’ accommodation refers to independently located properties consisting of at least eight furnished units, either apartments or studios, designed to offer essential services and welcoming both Egyptian and international guests.

Not sure if the new regulations would apply to you or not?

[Dawood5]

Hey they says it’s a technical issue from airbnb nothing more,

about the new regulations, that doesn’t interact with my payout case, I don’t have any problem receiving payout from Airbnb, and i use bank transfer, 

[Joan2709]

@Dawood5 

Here is what I have found in working with other Hosts who have had payouts suspended. Many times the different departments at Airbnb do not communicate with each other and operate in their own "bubble" without understanding that different areas affect each other. Since you have not changed your payment information and have not had issues before, there are few possible scenarios that might be causing the issue that I have personally seen that are caused by this lack of communication between Airbnb Departments:

Here is a Real Life Example 1:

You have 4 Co Hosts? Airbnb periodically requires Hosts and Co Hosts to re-verify their IDs. One (or more) of your Co Hosts has possibly failed to respond to Airbnb's attempts to re-verify their ID. You as Primary Host/Owner are not aware of this. Airbnb suspends all payouts until they receive the required ID Verification from one or more of your Co Hosts. Payouts only knows your payments are suspended and is not aware another Department has actually placed the payment suspension due to failure to re-verify ID on the part of one (or more) of your Co Hosts.

Here is Real Life Example 2:

1. Host is required to register annually for their license to operate (Airbnb Department Regulations & Taxes)

2. Host has had their payouts suspended, as they have not renewed their license (Payouts)

3. Payouts knows that payments are suspended, but have not realized the suspension was placed by Regulations & Taxes Department.

Host will never get paid until the Host renews their license and enters the new license on the listing. Payouts only knows there is a "technical problem" not understanding the "technical problem" was actually Regulations & Taxes placing the restriction on payouts on the account. 

Here is Real Life Example 3:

1. Host profile is under a business name

2. Airbnb KYC (Know Your Customer) periodically asks Hosts to re-verify their business details and sends an email to the Host. The Host either never gets the email, it goes to a spam folder, or doesn't respond to the email. They are given 30days in the email to update their business details.

3. 30 days passes without the Host uploading their business details and/or re-verifying their ID. The KYC Department places a suspension on all payments until the Host successfully uploads the new verification information.

4. Host keeps trying to talk to the Payouts Department, not realizing the real issue is failure to re-verify business or ID.

information.

These are possible scenarios that could be affecting your payouts. I would double check your emails from Airbnb and/or verify with Regulations & Taxes and KYC Departments if they are requiring any additional information and that is the real reason for the payout suspensions. I would also talk to all your Co Hosts and see if any of them failed to re-verify their IDs or perhaps missed an email request from Airbnb to do so.

[Dawood5]

Thank you very much for taking the time to share these examples and possible scenarios. I really appreciate the detailed explanation, and I want to reassure you that I have carefully checked all of these points on my end.

To clarify in detail:

• Co-hosts & ID verification:
  I have reviewed all co-host profiles associated with my account. All co-hosts have verified IDs, and none of them have received any pending or failed re-verification requests. There are no alerts or action items showing in the account related to co-host verification.
• Primary host / my own verification:
  My own ID and account details are fully verified, and there are no requests in my account to re-submit documents or update information. I also carefully checked all inboxes (including spam), and I have not received any email from Airbnb requesting additional verification or updates.
• Regulations, taxes, or license requirements:
  Regarding Regulations & Taxes, in Egypt there is currently no option within Airbnb to add a tax number, license number, or operating permit. These matters are handled independently and are not linked or required through the Airbnb platform at this time. There are no missing fields or compliance requests showing in my listings or account.
• Business / KYC verification:
  My account details are up to date, and there has been no request from the KYC team to update business information or re-verify identity. Again, no emails, notifications, or deadlines have been received.

Based on all of the above, everything on my side appears to be fully compliant and in good standing. This is why I am concerned that the payout suspension may be due to an internal technical or system-related issue between departments rather than any missing action from my end.

I would greatly appreciate it if this could be escalated internally so the exact department that placed the payout restriction can be identified and resolved.

Thank you again for your support, and I look forward to your guidance on the next steps.

[Joan2709]

@Dawood5 

If you have verified with KYC and Trust and Safety there are no pending issues (not just spoken with payouts)  then I have no clue what could possibly be holding up payouts.

@Bhumika,

@Rebecca 

Could you please forward this case to the appropriate Team at Airbnb?

[Dawood5]

Exactly they told me you don’t have anything to do with your account it’s a technical glitch from our side (Airbnb) and they are working on it without any eta