A Guest Left a Bad Review About My Cleaning Fee — Can I Remove It?
A review complaining your cleaning fee was too high is usually not removable — unlike Airbnb's own service fee, the cleaning fee is set by you, so it's considered relevant to your listing. It only qualifies as irrelevant if the complaint is squarely about Airbnb's fees, not yours. Otherwise, review your pricing and respond briefly.
Your fee vs. Airbnb's fee
This is the distinction that decides it. The cleaning fee is set by you, so it's part of your listing's pricing — relevant, and not removable. Airbnb's service fee is Airbnb's, outside your control, and a review focused on that can be removed as irrelevant.
- “The cleaning fee was outrageous” → your fee, about your listing → stays up.
- “Airbnb's service fee made this a rip-off” → Airbnb's fee → removable as irrelevant.
What to do
- 1If the complaint targets Airbnb's service fee, request removal citing irrelevant content and quote that line.
- 2If it targets your cleaning fee, it stays — sanity-check whether your fee is competitive for your market.
- 3Reply briefly: note what the fee covers, or that you've adjusted pricing, without sounding defensive.
Check your review in ~30 seconds — free
Paste the review. We'll tell you honestly whether Airbnb's policy makes it removable — and give you the exact words if it is. No login, no account access.
Check my review — freeFrequently asked questions
My cleaning fee complaint mentions Airbnb's fees too. Removable?
Possibly in part — if the review is genuinely about Airbnb's service fee, cite the irrelevant ground for that portion. But if the core complaint is your cleaning fee, expect it to stay, since that's your pricing.
Can I remove a review just for complaining about price?
Not when the price is yours to set — nightly rate and cleaning fee are part of your listing, so complaints about them are relevant and stay. Only complaints about Airbnb's own fees qualify as irrelevant.
Should I lower my cleaning fee after a complaint?
Treat it as data, not a verdict. If several guests flag it or it's high for your market, a trim can prevent repeats. If it's fair and covers real costs, a brief reply explaining what it covers is enough.
Sources
This guide reflects Airbnb's own published policies. Verify against the primary source, as Airbnb can update its policy: