Seeking Community Support – False Review Disputing Airbnb’s Policy Guidelines

[Tuğkan-Berke0]

Dear Airbnb Community,

I am reaching out to seek your support regarding a review dispute that was unfortunately rejected by Airbnb Support, despite the fact that I provided concrete, time-stamped evidence proving the review in question is false and violates Airbnb’s content policy.

Why I’m Writing:

Airbnb’s review policy clearly states that content which is demonstrably false, not based on actual guest experience, or written with the intent to harm a host’s reputation may be subject to removal. However, in my case, despite clear documentation, my request for removal was declined. I believe this issue deserves a second look—this time with your help.

The Facts:

1. Overwhelming Positive Guest Feedback (Before & After)

Every guest before and after this reviewer has left 5-star reviews, confirmed the place matches the photos, and commented positively on the apartment. Examples:

• Abdullah (April 7–9, 2025):
  ✔️ 5 stars in all categories
  ✔️ Selected: “Place matches photos”
• Simonet (April 9–11, 2025):
  ✔️ 5 stars
  ✔️ Comment: “Very big and cozy space with all the amenities needed and a nice living room to chill and relax.”
• Farima (April 16–17, 2025):
  ✔️ Selected: “Place matches photos”
  ✔️ Comment: “Everything was very nice. The host was very helpful. The apartment is exactly like the photos and very clean.”
• Вили (May 1–5, 2025):
  ✔️ 5 stars
  ✔️ Comment: “Nice place! We spent a great time. Good location.”
• Hanifi (May 10–11, 2025):
  ✔️ 5 stars
  ✔️ Comment: “Exactly as described.”

These consistent, verified reviews directly contradict the disputed review.

2. The Disputed Review (Emrullah, April 26 – May 1, 2025):

Comment: “Pozele sunt vechi nu are treaba cu realitate”

Translation: “The photos are old, and they do not reflect the reality.”

Why this review is false:

• I submitted timestamped photos taken just 3 hours before guest check-in, which clearly show the apartment in the exact same condition as displayed in the Airbnb listing.
• These match the official listing photos and confirm the review’s claim is inaccurate.
• Every guest before and after has confirmed the opposite of what this guest stated.

3. Possible Bad Faith or Non-Actual Stay:

Given the completely baseless nature of the comment, and its contradiction with factual photographic evidence and consistent verified reviews, I have reasons to believe:

• The guest may not have been the actual reviewer or
• They may have written the review with malicious or retaliatory intent.

My Request to the Community:

I’m kindly asking for the support of experienced Community members and Airbnb staff who may see this post. I truly believe this review violates Airbnb’s review guidelines and should be re-evaluated. I am happy to re-submit the evidence if needed.

The integrity of the platform matters to us as responsible hosts. When false information is allowed to remain public, it not only harms our business but undermines the trust system that Airbnb is built on.

Thank you so much for your time, support, and for helping me get this reviewed fairly.

Best regards,

Tuğkan Berke Süslü

[Jason2727]

I am host of more than 10 years and I have recently had a similar issue with a false review. The thing is AirBnb's Content Policy doesn't require the review to genuine or truthful so if you prove that the review is fabricated they will not remove it. 

I have created a thread to petition for AirBnb to update their Content Policy to require that reviews be truthful and if they are proven to be false then they will be removed. 

Actually, I have conducted some research on the Content Policy of other similar platforms (such as

Google, Uber, Trustpilot, Smype, Tripadvisor, etc. ). Pretty much all of the platforms mentioned above except Uber require the reviews to be genuine / truthful.

Hopefully with the research below it would  help the relevant team at AirBnb with the creation of a Jira task to get this effected. 

For Google Reviews:-

Google’s content policy emphasizes that reviews must "reflect genuine experiences and be relevant to the business. Reviews should be based on actual interactions with the business and must not contain false or misleading content."

https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596774

For TrustPilot:-

Trustpilot’s Guidelines for Reviewers explicitly require reviews "to be based on genuine experiences with a business’s product or service" ...... "Violations, such as fake reviews, lead to removal and potential action against the reviewer or business per their Action We Take policy"

https://legal.trustpilot.com/for-reviewers/guidelines-for-reviewers

For Uber:-

Uber does not explicitly outline a standalone review policy focused on truthfulness whereas it encourages honest feedback from genuine experiences but Uber’s customer service does have a process for handling complaints about fraudulent or misleading activities, suggesting an expectation of authentic reviews.

https://help.uber.com/

For Smype:-

Smype's guideline for Users explicitly says "The deliberate spreading of false information, including fake news, conspiracy theories, and unverified medical advice, is not allowed."

https://smype.com/terms

One of the reps from AirBnb mentioned that it is impossible to fact-check and verify every review which is understandable. I mentioned that no platform has the resources to do that but when there is clear evidence that a review contains misleading of false information then it would be removed. 

For Tripadvisor:-

Tripadvisor's guideline for reviews explicitly require reviews "to be truthful, based on genuine, first-hand experiences" with the reviewed business

https://tripadvisor.mediaroom.com/ (under the Content Integrity Policy)

Presumably AirBnb copied Uber's content policy given that both are in the shared economy space but given that Google Reviews is probably considered the most used and most trusted I think AirBnb can take a leaf out of their book. By including the requirement that reviews be genuine and truthful it would to elevate the overall trustworthiness of the platform so that all users will have confidence that the AirBnb reviews are truthful and genuine.