Removal request for retaliatory review after late checkout violation — prior attempts made

[Fee92]

 

Hi everyone,

Has anyone had success removing obviously retaliatory reviews by a guest?

I wanted to share a frustrating experience we recently had with a guest — and how Airbnb’s inconsistent enforcement of its own Review Policy has left us feeling unprotected as hosts.

Situation

• Guest stayed 1 night.

• Checkout time was clearly stated as 12:00 pm.

• At 6:00 am, I reminded the guest of the checkout time via Airbnb messaging.

• At 10:37 am, the guest wrote (through Airbnb message): “With the rain and terrible condition currently occurring, will it be possible to extend my stay for a few additional hours?”

• At 11:01 am, I politely declined, explaining that the unit had to be prepared for a potential 1:00 pm check-in.

• At 11:10 am, the guest replied “Okay sounds good,” clearly acknowledging the 12:00 pm checkout.

Despite agreeing, the guest did not vacate at 12:00 pm. At 12:04 pm, we discovered the unit had been left unlocked, messy, and still full of the guest’s belongings, with the key missing. We recorded a video at that time, which was later shared with Airbnb, showing clearly that the guest had not packed at all.

At 12:05 pm, after I contacted the guest about not checking out, he replied that he was “grabbing supplies to pack out” and then requested another 30 minutes. I declined again because of the 1:00 pm potential check-in and reminded him of the importance of respecting the checkout time. What is also interesting here is that the guest claimed rain was the reason he could not check out, yet at the same time admitted he was out “grabbing supplies.” How could rain prevent him from vacating the unit on time but not prevent him from running errands outside?

The guest only returned at 12:20 pm, at which point Airbnb instructed that he be escorted in to pack his belongings. Prior to this, he had falsely claimed in Airbnb messaging that he was already “downstairs grabbing belongings” — but my video evidence clearly shows he was not at the property at that time. In the same Airbnb message trail, the guest also directed hostility toward me, calling me “crazy” and “wicked.” After re-entering, the guest and his companion spent time packing and did not vacate the property until between 12:35 and 12:40 pm, which directly cut into cleaning time. As a result, the 1:00 pm potential check-in had to be canceled, and we lost that booking because the unit was not ready in time.

From 12:06 pm until the guest left, I was on the phone with Airbnb Customer Support. Every step I took, including when and how to allow the guest back inside, was done under Airbnb’s direct instructions.

Why this review violates Airbnb’s Review Policy

• Unbiased / Retaliation: Airbnb’s policy prohibits retaliatory reviews. The guest left a  retaliatory star review only after being denied a late checkout and after Airbnb Support became involved.

• Relevance: The review says nothing about the property itself (cleanliness, amenities, or accuracy of the listing). It focuses solely on the guest’s frustration at not being given extra hours, despite agreeing beforehand to the 12:00 pm checkout.

• False information: The guest falsely claimed in the review that he had moved his belongings out and was locked out, which is directly disproved by both Airbnb message records and video evidence.

What I’ve already done

• Submitted two review-removal requests with documentation.

• Called Support and provided evidence (video, message history, support call logs).

• Was told even though the review should be removed, the “specialized team” declined, without explanation.

• I have also attached a screenshot of the review for reference.

Asking the community
For those who’ve succeeded, what’s the best way to get escalated to the right Airbnb policy team when a review is clearly retaliatory and irrelevant? I’ve followed procedure, submitted evidence, and acted only under Airbnb’s guidance — but the false review remains, damaging my listing unfairly.

It feels like Airbnb’s Review Policy is not being consistently enforced. If hosts can’t rely on Airbnb to protect us from retaliatory reviews when we enforce house rules and follow Support’s direct instructions, how are we supposed to maintain standards for future guests?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Fee92 this will not qualify under the retaliatory reviews exception I am afraid. However you are bringing this on yourself by having 1 hour between check out and check in. With the best will in the world some guests will leave slightly later than planned. I would think a 4 hour window would be far more sensible so say 10am checkout and 2 pm check in or 11am out, 3 pm in.

[Fee92]

Considering the fact that this is a studio unit, I believe 1 hour is infact enough. That has been the set time for the past 3 years that I’ve been hosting and it has never been an issue. 
It would be understandable if this guest woke up late and was packing needing additional time to exit the unit. 

In this case, the guest just didn’t care about the checkout time as he got dressed up and went out less than an hour before the checkout time to get about his day, even though he asked for a late checkout and I had declined. He could have even packed up before heading out, but he didn’t. 

I’ll like to clarify if you’re saying this review is relevant since the guest just used it to rant about a late checkout he isn’t entitled to and I am not obligated to offer? Am I obligated as a host to allow late checkouts?