# Removing an unfair review on Airbnb or Booking: which reviews they take down, how to ask and what to do if you are threatened with a bad one

> Only if it breaks the rules: a fake review, from someone who did not stay, blackmail, retaliation, insults or personal data. Disagreeing is not enough. How to ask on each platform.
>
> Topic: Booking, Airbnb and others · Reviewed: 2026-10-17 · URL: https://mipisoturistico.app/en/guides/removing-an-unfair-review
> Published by Mi Piso Turístico (Torremolinos Gestión Vacacional), a holiday-rental management company on the Costa del Sol.

**Short answer:** yes, but only if the review **breaks the platform's rules**: it is not based on a real stay, the guest never actually stayed, they use it to **blackmail you**, it is **retaliation** because you reported what they did, or it contains insults, discriminatory content or personal data. Neither Airbnb nor Booking removes a review because you disagree with the score or with the guest's opinion. On Airbnb you ask through the review dispute form; on Booking, from the extranet inbox with the topic **Reviews**. If they do not remove it, you still have the public response.

## Which reviews does Airbnb remove?

According to its policy on authentic and reliable reviews (October 2026), Airbnb can remove those that are:

- **Fake**: not based on a real booking.
- **Irrelevant**: they do not reflect the experience of that booking, for example if the guest **never arrived** or cancelled for reasons unrelated to your listing.
- **Biased, misleading, extortionate or incentivised**: you cannot threaten a bad review to obtain unjustified compensation, or give or withhold a review in exchange for something of value.
- **From competitors**: from someone with a direct relationship with the listing or who competes with it.
- **Retaliatory**: they only count as such if the guest **broke a rule**, was warned and then left a biased review **because you reported it**. Airbnb gives as examples damage, staying longer than agreed, breaking the house rules or holding a party.
- **Against its content policy**: explicit, discriminatory, harmful or illegal.

If it removes one, it also removes the star rating that goes with it.

## And which does Booking remove?

Booking only lets you ask for removal in these cases:

- The guest **cancelled and confirmed that they did not arrive** at the property.
- **You cancelled** the booking at least **24 hours before** check-in.
- The booking is marked as a **no-show** and the review does not describe any experience ([no-shows and invalid cards](/guias/no-presentado-tarjeta-invalida-booking)).
- You cancelled on the arrival day because **the card was invalid**.
- The guest **reviewed the wrong property**.
- The guest uses the review to **blackmail you**: here Booking requires **written evidence**.

In addition, its content guidelines do not allow insults, harassment, threats, discriminatory content, **personal data** (cards, documents, addresses), advertising, impersonation or content unrelated to the stay or that is misleading. Booking also says it has systems and people to **detect fake reviews**, which it deletes when it finds them.

## What is NOT a reason to remove it?

| Does not work | Why |
|---|---|
| "The score is unfair" | Airbnb does not remove reviews over disagreement with the stars, even if the text is positive |
| "It is their opinion, but they are wrong" | Subjective opinions stay; Airbnb does not usually step into disputes over whether a review tells the truth |
| "They complain about the street noise" | Airbnb keeps comments about things you do not control if they are useful to other guests |
| "They arrived, did not like it and left" | On Booking, anyone who arrives at the property can review even if they do not complete the stay |
| "I cancelled at the last minute because of overbooking" | On Booking, if you cancel with less than 24 hours' notice because of overbooking, the guest can review |
| "It was a one-off" | On Airbnb it does not work for appealing sanctions: they are based on repeated or serious breaches |

## How do you ask on Airbnb?

1. Go to the Help Centre and open the **review dispute** form (button **Get started**).
2. **Select the review**.
3. **Choose the reason** that fits the policy.
4. **Explain in detail** why it breaks the rule.
5. **Upload the documents**: photos, the message thread with the guest, the notice of the rule they broke.
6. Click **Submit**.

You can also contact Airbnb directly ([how to contact Airbnb](/guias/contactar-con-airbnb)). Airbnb does not guarantee removal: you have to prove the breach. If it is retaliation, the documentation must make it clear that the review came **because you reported** what they did. That is why it is worth always talking through Airbnb's messaging: everything is on record.

## How do you ask on Booking?

1. Sign in to the extranet.
2. Click **Inbox** and then **Booking.com messages**.
3. Click **See contact options** and choose **Reviews** as the topic.
4. Click **Check contact options** and choose how you want to get in touch.
5. If you choose **Message**, give the **booking number** and explain the problem.

Bear in mind that Booking sometimes removes the text but **keeps the score**; then you will no longer be able to reply, because you can only reply to reviews with text. More on the channel in [How to contact Booking](/guias/contactar-con-booking).

## Is there a deadline?

Neither of the two publishes a deadline for asking for removal (October 2026). There are other deadlines worth knowing:

- **Airbnb**: guest and host have **14 days** from check-out to review. The author can delete their own review **up to 30 days after publishing it**, and then cannot write another for that booking.
- **Booking**: it may accept only reviews submitted within **3 months** of check-out and stops showing them after **36 months** or if the property changes ownership.

The prudent thing is to ask as soon as it is published, while the evidence is still fresh.

## And if they do not remove it?

Reply to it. A calm response convinces the next guest more than the review itself. On **Airbnb**, from your profile, in the reviews about you, you choose the review and write a **public response**, which is published immediately. On **Booking**, from **Guest reviews** in the extranet or in Pulse, with **Reply**: write in the language of the review or in English; Booking checks the response and can take **up to 72 hours** to publish it. How to write it without making things worse is in [Reviews of your holiday flat](/guias/resenas).

## A guest is threatening me with a bad review if I do not refund them: what do I do?

Do not pay or negotiate over the review. Both platforms treat it as blackmail:

1. **Do not reply in the heat of the moment** and do not continue the conversation on WhatsApp: move it to the platform's messaging.
2. **Keep the threat in writing**. Booking requires written evidence to remove a review for blackmail; Airbnb asks for documentation.
3. **Tell the platform** straight away, before the review is published. On Booking, you can also **report the guest's misconduct** from the booking in the extranet or in Pulse, from check-in until **7 days after check-out**. Booking makes clear that a bad review on its own is not misconduct.
4. If they then publish the review, ask for its removal with that evidence.

If there is real damage, that goes down another route: [AirCover for hosts](/guias/aircover-para-anfitriones) or the [security deposit](/guias/fianza-airbnb-y-booking).

## What does a manager do with this?

They read all the reviews as soon as they come out, ask for removal only when there is a clear and documented breach, and reply to the rest. So that there is evidence, they talk to guests through the platform's messaging and put every incident in writing. And on Airbnb they work as co-host: the reviews stay in the owner's account even if they leave the management.

## Sources

- [Airbnb: Reviews Policy for authentic and reliable reviews](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2673)
- [Airbnb Resource Centre: how to handle a retaliatory review](https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/how-to-handle-a-retaliatory-review-552)
- [Airbnb: responding to a review](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/32)
- [Airbnb: time limit for writing a review](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/995)
- [Airbnb: what happens if a listing or account is suspended, restricted or removed](https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1303)
- [Booking.com Partner Hub: how to request the removal of a guest review (in Spanish)](https://partner.booking.com/es/ayuda/pagina-alojamiento/general/c%C3%B3mo-pedir-que-se-elimine-el-comentario-de-un-cliente)
- [Booking.com: content guidelines and standards (reviews) (in Spanish)](https://www.booking.com/content-moderation-policy/content-guidelines.es.html)
- [Booking.com Partner Hub: viewing guest reviews (in Spanish)](https://partner.booking.com/es/ayuda/experiencia-cliente-alojamiento/comentarios/ver-los-comentarios-de-clientes)
- [Booking.com Partner Hub: Reporting guest misconduct](https://partner.booking.com/en-us/help/reservations/manage/reporting-guest-misconduct)
- [Booking.com: How we work, reviews section](https://www.booking.com/content/how_we_work.en-gb.html)