Off-Platform and Fee Transparency Policy

By hosting on Airbnb, you agree to abide by our terms and policies, including our Terms of Service, which we reserve the right to enforce at our sole discretion. In the event of repeated or severe violations, we may suspend or permanently deactivate a user’s listings or account. In order to protect our community, we prohibit the following behaviors that are listed below.

Moving current, future, or repeat bookings off of Airbnb

This includes: 

• Asking or encouraging users to move current, future, or repeat bookings (including reservation extensions) off of Airbnb
• Including links that take people off of the Airbnb platform in listings or messages
• Offering or soliciting discounts to book off of Airbnb
• Canceling existing full or partial reservations to rebook off of Airbnb

Failing to disclose reservation fees at the time of booking

This includes:

• Failing to include any mandatory fees in the pricing fields provided by Airbnb or otherwise causing the total price at checkout to be inaccurate
  • Mandatory fees are costs that guests must pay given the number of nights booked, guest count, and pet count. Examples of mandatory fees include utility fees, extra guest fees, pet fees, resort fees, management fees, destination fees, homeowners association (HOA) fees, and taxes (see exception below).
  • All mandatory fees must be disclosed in the appropriate fee field or the nightly price if there is no applicable fee field.
• Failing to use Airbnb’s “Change reservation” tool to collect payment for modifications to nights, guest count, or pet count
• Failing to disclose a security deposit. Most hosts are not allowed to charge a security deposit. For the small number of instances in which security deposits are permitted, they must be disclosed in the appropriate fee field.
• Failing to disclose required deposits for incidentals as part of a hotel’s standard procedures. The deposit amount must be disclosed in the listing description.

Exception

In locations where Airbnb does not collect taxes or where hosts are legally required to collect them directly from guests, hosts must disclose taxes in the listing description.

Payment for any reservation fee off of Airbnb

Requesting, sending, or receiving payments outside of Airbnb is prohibited. This includes the cost of the reservation and fee payments related to reservations (e.g., optional fee to heat the pool).

Exceptions

• Select software-connected hosts may collect payment for disclosed mandatory fees and security deposits off of the Airbnb platform
• Hotels may request a credit card or cash deposit at check-in to cover the cost of incidentals as part of their standard procedures
• Hotels may also collect payment off of the Airbnb platform for optional fees (ex: parking) where it is part of their standard procedures.
• In locations where Airbnb does not collect taxes or where hosts are legally required to collect them directly from guests, hosts are permitted to collect disclosed taxes off of Airbnb

Asking guests for, or using, contact or identity information in ways unrelated to their stay, or that compromise the quality of their stay

This includes:

• Asking guests for contact information prior to booking; all guest communications prior to booking must be on Airbnb
• Soliciting guests for their email, mailing address, or other communications channels using the Airbnb messaging system or email alias after a booking
• Asking guests for contact information after a booking in order to run credit checks or background checks
• Asking guests to send photos of their government ID prior to arrival except where required for legal or compliance reasons as outlined below
• Using contact information provided by Airbnb for other purposes that violate our Terms of Service
  
• Selling, sharing, or using guest contact information for marketing communications or signing guests up for contact list

Exceptions

• You may require additional contact/identity information if it is required for legal or compliance reasons and can be verified by a host upon request by Airbnb (such as local laws, HOA rules, building security rules). In such instances, hosts must include information about what is required and why in their listing description, so guests understand this additional step is a requirement prior to booking. Hosts are responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable data privacy laws
  
• After accepting a booking, you may ask a guest to confirm that the contact information provided by Airbnb is an appropriate way to get in touch during their trip or if the guest requests an alternative or communication after booking
  
• You may use an alternative means of communicating with a guest if requested by a guest after booking (ex: chat app), however, you must ensure such communications comply with the other requirements of this policy

Taking people off of the Airbnb platform for feedback and reviews

You may not ask guests to review an Airbnb stay on a non-Airbnb website or fill out a survey regarding an Airbnb stay on a non-Airbnb website (such as a form off of Airbnb) unless you are an approved hotel partner. These actions take valuable input about a guest’s stay away from the Airbnb community. We want guests to share their feedback directly on Airbnb so that other guests may benefit from their insights.

Requiring guests to use other websites or apps to physically access their listing

This includes: 

• Asking guests to create a separate account or register on another website besides Airbnb.com for purposes of gaining entry to a listing
  
• Asking guests to install a third-party app to access a listing; all listings on Airbnb must be accessible to a guest without requiring they have another app or account
  

Exceptions

• Additional registration or installation of additional apps is permitted where it’s required for legal or compliance reasons which a Host can verify in writing upon request by Airbnb (such as local laws, HOA rules, building security rules). In such instances, hosts must include information about what is required, and why, in their guest-facing listing description, so guests understand this additional step is a requirement prior to booking
  
• Keyless entry apps and apps that facilitate a guest’s experience during the stay (ex: Sonos, Nest, concierge apps) as long as they are optional