Request for Human Review: False Review Not Removed Despite Clear Evidence (Review Policy Misapplied)

[Tuğkan-Berke0]

Hello everyone,

I am a Superhost with four years of experience on Airbnb, hosting hundreds of guests with consistently high ratings. I am posting here because I believe the automated review-removal process has failed in my case, and I would greatly appreciate guidance from experienced hosts and attention from Airbnb staff.

Summary of the Issue

A guest left a review that contains multiple statements that are factually incorrect, disproven by photographic evidence, and contradictory to Airbnb message records.

Despite submitting all supporting materials, Airbnb’s automated system decided that the review “follows the Reviews Policy,” and refused removal.

However, according to Airbnb’s own Review Policy, the review clearly violates:

📌 False or Misleading Content Policy

Airbnb states that content should be removed if it includes:

“False, misleading, or irrelevant information that does not reflect the guest’s actual stay.”

This review fits that definition for the following reasons:

1. The guest’s claims about sleeping arrangements are demonstrably false.

The guest stated the listing “did not have enough beds” and “only one L-shaped sofa instead of two.”

My listing clearly states:

• 1 double bed
• 2 single beds
• 1 L-shaped sofa
• Baby crib (0–2 years)

Everything exactly matches the listing photos.

The guest’s claim is objectively false.

2. Check-out photos from the same day disprove the ‘lack of bedding’ claim.

On the day the guest checked out (October 26), the cleaning team photographed:

• Two pillows on each bed
• Extra duvets on the sofa
• Additional bedding stored in the wardrobe

These photos were included in the evidence submitted to Airbnb Support.

3. The cleanliness complaint is disproven by the next guest’s review.

Immediately after this guest (October 26–31), another guest checked in and left a 5-star public review, stating:

• The apartment was clean
• Everything was exactly as described
• Communication & hospitality were excellent

This contradicts the negative review entirely.

4. The only issue reported was caused by the guest themselves.

On October 25–26, the guest opened the bidet valve fully and did not close it, causing water overflow in the bathroom.

Airbnb message logs clearly show:

• The guest confirmed the issue
• The flooding stopped immediately when they closed the valve
• Photos of the incident were sent to Airbnb Support in the ticket opened on October 25–26

This proves the guest caused the issue themselves.

5. The guest stayed only one night but left a review pretending they experienced four days.

This contradicts Airbnb’s requirement that reviews reflect the actual stay experience.

Why I believe this needs HUMAN review, not automated rejection

The evidence is detailed, factual, photographic, and timestamped.

However, the rejection email clearly appears to be automated because:

• None of the specific evidence was acknowledged.
• No reference to the submitted photos or the October 25–26 support ticket was made.
• The response was generic and did not address the contradictions or the clear policy violations.

As hosts, we rely on Airbnb to protect the integrity of the review system. When factually false statements remain published, it damages trust and affects business operations despite the host providing full proof.

My Request

I kindly request the following:

1. A real human case manager to review the evidence manually.

The automated process clearly did not evaluate the submitted materials.

2. Guidance from experienced hosts

Has anyone dealt with similar cases where the automated system misapplied the Review Policy?

How did you escalate to a senior specialist?

3. Re-evaluation of the review under the “Misleading Content” section of the policy.

Conclusion

The current system leaves hosts unprotected against demonstrably false reviews.

I am seeking fair treatment, consistent with Airbnb’s own policies, and hope someone from the Airbnb team can review the case manually.

Thank you very much to everyone reading and supporting.

[Akshatha0]

Hi @Tuğkan-Berke0 👋

First of all, I’m really sorry you’re going through this – it’s especially disheartening when you’ve built up years of good hosting history and then run into a case where a clearly unfair review isn’t being handled properly. You’ve done a great job documenting everything and explaining it clearly here.

You’re right that situations like this often need a human review, not just an automated decision. When there are timestamps, photos, message history, and back-to-back reviews that contradict each other, it’s very difficult for a generic template response to feel fair.

A few things you might still be able to try:

• Reply to the original email thread again, very concisely.
  Summarise your evidence in 3–4 bullet points and explicitly ask for a manual review, for example:

  • “The review states X, but listing and photos show Y.”

  • “Photos taken on checkout date show correct beds/bedding.”

  • “Message thread on [date] confirms the flooding incident was caused and stopped by the guest.”

  • “Next guest left a 5 review confirming cleanliness and accuracy.”

• Ask Support to escalate to a senior/specialist team.
  When you contact Support, ask if they can note on the case that you’re requesting a policy specialist / senior review for misleading content, not just a standard check. Sometimes the wording you use helps route it differently.

• Use your public response strategically.
  Even if Airbnb keeps the review, your public reply can calmly correct the record for future guests. Something like: highlight that the beds and bedding match the listing, that you responded quickly about the bathroom, and that subsequent guests confirmed cleanliness. Many guests read the host’s response very carefully.

• Keep everything factual and short.
  You’ve already done the deep dive here in the Community (which is very helpful for other hosts). With Airbnb staff, shorter, clearly structured points sometimes get more traction than long explanations.

Sadly, a lot of experienced hosts have been in similar situations where a review seemed to conflict with Airbnb’s own policy but wasn’t removed. The only things that tend to help are: persistent but polite follow-ups, very concise evidence, and a clear request for a human specialist to re-check the case.

You’re clearly a careful and committed host. I really hope you’re able to get a proper manual review on this, or at the very least use your response to show future guests what really happened. 🙏🏼

[Tuğkan-Berke0]

Thank you for your reply.

However, I must be very clear: this decision cannot have been made after a real human review.

I personally submitted every single piece of evidence — written explanations, timestamped photos, message history, check-out documentation, and contradictions between consecutive guest reviews. I also explicitly requested that the case be handled by a Specialist Team, not the automated system.

Yet both of my review removal requests were “resolved” in less than 15 minutes.

It is simply not possible for any human to open, read, interpret, and verify all the evidence in this short amount of time.

Because of this, it is evident that my case was evaluated through an automated system, not a genuine specialist review — despite me clearly requesting one. This is extremely disappointing, especially considering that this situation directly affects my business, my reputation, and my future work as a Superhost.

Airbnb’s Review Policy states the following:

• Reviews containing factually incorrect or misleading information must be removed.
• Reviews must reflect the real experience, not false claims.
• Airbnb must perform a fair and thorough evaluation when evidence contradicts a review.

In my case:

• The guest made statements that are proven false by listing photos, inventory, and check-out documentation.
• The guest’s own messages contradict their review.
• The next guest left a 5-star Accuracy & Cleanliness review, confirming the listing is exactly as described.

These facts meet the exact criteria for removal under Airbnb’s Content Policy.

But the automated system completely ignored them.

This is not only unfair it is a violation of Airbnb’s own review guidelines.

Therefore, I am formally requesting:

A manual re-evaluation by a Senior Policy Specialist who can actually review the evidence I submitted.

Not an automated check.

Not a template response.

A real, human, policy-based assessment.

I have been a committed Superhost for years, and I expect a decision that reflects the actual evidence and complies with Airbnb policy. My business, my credibility, and my future bookings depend on a fair and correct evaluation.

Thank you for taking the time to escalate this properly.