Has anyone else faced issues with Airbnb refusing to remove an obvious retaliatory review left by a guest? I have documentation and proof of messages exchanged between me and the guest, as well as messages between me and Airbnb support before and after the review was left (including escalations to the highest level), and despite assurances from support that any retaliatory review would be removed and the situation handled, both of my requests to remove it were denied. Reaching out to support has been unhelpful—every escalation just leads to the same outcome, even after they told me the review would be taken care of. I feel like I’m losing my mind.
I had a guest book my Airbnb for a one-night, last-minute stay on the day of. Their profile advertises that they have host status themselves. They left the property at midnight, but caused significant damage: a chipped countertop, damaged kitchen island, a broken shower, and they even tried to throw out utensils they’d used for illegal substances. Before doing anything else, I reached out to Airbnb support for full details on how to handle the claim and damages. They assured me the situation would be taken care of, including reimbursement, and encouraged me to leave a 1-star review detailing the issues. So I did, providing complete feedback about the property’s state upon checkout, including mentioning that a service animal had been left unattended on the property for two hours (which I now understand violates Airbnb’s review guidelines on service animals). I wasn’t given any opportunity to review or edit my feedback to comply with those rules before it was posted.
As a result, my review was removed from their profile for that guideline violation. But their retaliatory 1-star review—left right after—remains on my page, dropping my perfect 5-star rating to 4.5 overnight. I specifically didn’t confront them in the chat during their stay to avoid escalating into a fight, following support’s advice to handle it post-checkout. I figured with all my proof of damages, photos, and prior support assurances, if they left something retaliatory, it would be removed easily. But now I’m stuck with this review that Airbnb refuses to touch, even though they acknowledged the issues by processing my claim.
I don’t know what to do… As a host who works so hard to provide top-tier stays, it’s very discouraging that a retaliatory review can taint my listing and drop my rating, especially when I followed support’s guidance to the letter and there’s clear evidence of the guest’s behavior. It’s sad that hosts are put in this position where enforcing accountability feels impossible without risking unremovable backlash, and support’s promises don’t hold up.
