How to Remove an Airbnb Review Containing Harassment, Profanity, or Hate Speech
An Airbnb review containing profanity, threats, harassment, hate speech, discrimination, or sexual content violates Airbnb's content policy and is removable. Quote the offending words directly in your removal request and name the content-policy violation — this is one of the strongest grounds.
What violates Airbnb's content policy
This is one of the clearest removal grounds because it doesn't depend on who's right about the stay — the words themselves break the rules. A review is removable when it contains:
- Profanity or vulgar language directed at you.
- Threats of violence or harm.
- Hate speech, slurs, or discrimination based on race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or similar.
- Sexual content or harassment.
- Personal abuse that goes beyond criticism of the stay.
Why this ground is often the easiest win
Unlike "this is unfair," a slur or a threat is objective. The support agent can read the exact words and see the violation. That's why quoting the offending phrase verbatim — rather than paraphrasing or summarising the tone — is critical.
How to request removal
- 1Copy the exact offending words — the profanity, slur, or threat.
- 2Open the Airbnb Help Center review-removal flow.
- 3State that the review violates Airbnb's content policy against harassment / hate speech / profanity, and quote the specific words.
- 4Do not editorialise — the words do the work. Keep the request short.
- 5If declined by the first agent, escalate and quote the words again; front-line agents sometimes miss context.
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
The guest didn't swear but was clearly insulting. Is that removable?
Harsh or insulting tone alone is usually not enough — Airbnb allows negative opinions. It becomes removable when it crosses into profanity, threats, slurs, discrimination, or sexual content. If it's just rude, a calm public response is the better move.
The threat or slur was in our private messages, not the review. Can I use it?
Private-message abuse can support other grounds like extortion or a retaliatory review, but the content-policy removal specifically targets what's in the public review itself. If the offending language is only in messages, look at the extortion or retaliatory grounds instead.
Should I respond publicly to a review with a slur while I wait?
It's usually best to request removal first and hold the public response. If you must reply, never repeat the language or attack back — keep it calm and factual. Once Airbnb removes the review, your response disappears with it.
Sources
This guide reflects Airbnb's own published policies. Verify against the primary source, as Airbnb can update its policy: