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Airbnb Terms of Service for Hosts: Five Clauses Worth Reading Before You List

This page is general information, not legal advice.

Airbnb has separate Terms of Service for users in the EEA, the UK and Australia. This page covers the version for users outside those regions, last updated February 5, 2026. Five clauses in it shift cost or risk onto hosts. For each one you get the exact wording, why it matters, and what to ask for instead. Individual hosts can rarely negotiate standard platform terms, so use this as a checklist.

1. Payout reductions and clawbacks

If: (i) a Guest experiences a Reservation Issue (as defined by the Rebooking and Refund Policy for Homes), (ii) a Major Disruptive Event arises, or (iii) a Reservation is canceled under Section 12 of these Terms, the amount you are paid will be reduced by the amount we refund or otherwise provide to the Guest, and by any other reasonable costs we incur as a result of the cancellation. ... Airbnb (via Airbnb Payments) may recover that amount from you, including by deducting the refund against your future payouts.

Source: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2908, retrieved 2026-10-29.

Why it works against you

The cancellation policy you choose doesn't fully protect you. The same section says Airbnb's refund policies and these Terms "preempt the cancellation policy you set" when they allow a refund. You pay for the guest's refund plus "any other reasonable costs" Airbnb incurs. If you've already been paid, Airbnb can take the money back from future payouts. It can also hold a payout while it decides on a refund.

What to ask for instead

Sample wording to propose: "Before reducing or recovering a payout, Airbnb will give the Host a written breakdown of the refund and any costs charged, and at least 7 days to respond with evidence."

2. Suspension and cancelled bookings

If (i) you breach these Terms, our Additional Legal Terms, Policies, or our Standards, (ii) you violate applicable laws, regulations, or third-party rights, or (iii) Airbnb believes it is reasonably necessary to protect Airbnb, its Members, or third parties; Airbnb (or its affiliates) may, with or without prior notice: ... cancel pending or confirmed bookings ... For minor violations or where otherwise appropriate as Airbnb (or its affiliates) determines in its sole discretion, you will be given notice of any intended measure by Airbnb and an opportunity to resolve the issue.

Source: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2908, retrieved 2026-10-29.

Why it works against you

Ground (iii) doesn't require a breach. Airbnb only has to believe the action is reasonably necessary. Airbnb also decides, "in its sole discretion," whether you get a warning and a chance to fix the problem. When a booking is cancelled under this section, your payout drops by whatever the guest is refunded. Separately, Airbnb can end the whole agreement "for any reason" with 30 days' notice. You can appeal through customer service. Compare termination for convenience clauses explained.

What to ask for instead

Sample wording to propose: "Except where there is an imminent risk to safety, Airbnb will notify the Host in writing of the reason for any suspension or booking cancellation and allow 5 business days to resolve the issue before acting."

3. Assumption of risk and your own insurance

You acknowledge that hosting carries inherent risks and agree that you assume the entire risk arising out of your access to and use of the Airbnb Platform, offering Host Services, or any interaction you have with other Members whether in person or online. ... You agree to obtain and maintain at your expense primary insurance covering your liability and the liability of any of your employees or agents working with you or on your behalf for third party bodily injury and property damage arising from a Guest’s stay at your Accommodation during a Reservation.

Source: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2908, retrieved 2026-10-29.

Why it works against you

You take on "the entire risk" of hosting, and you must pay for primary liability insurance yourself. Airbnb's Host liability insurance program sits alongside that requirement. It doesn't replace it, and the Terms make you cooperate with claims under it. If your policy lapses, you have to tell Airbnb immediately. Ordinary home insurance may exclude short-term rentals, so ask your insurer directly.

What to ask for instead

Sample wording to propose: "Airbnb will state in writing what its host protection programs cover, the limits that apply, and how they interact with the Host's own policy, before the Host's first booking."

4. A perpetual license over your photos and listing text

By providing Content, in whatever form and through whatever means, you grant Airbnb a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, sub-licensable and transferable license to access, use, store, copy, modify, prepare derivative works of, distribute, publish, transmit, stream, broadcast, and otherwise exploit, in any manner such that Content to provide and/or promote the Airbnb Platform, in any media or platform, known or unknown to date and in particular on Internet and social networks.

Source: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2908, retrieved 2026-10-29.

Why it works against you

Your listing photos, descriptions and reviews can be edited and used in Airbnb's marketing, and the license never expires. Deleting your account doesn't end it, and if the agreement is terminated, "you are not entitled to a restoration of your account or any of your Content." You also promise that you own the content, so a photographer's images you aren't licensed to share become your problem. See perpetual content licenses explained.

What to ask for instead

Sample wording to propose: "The license for promotional use ends 90 days after the Host deletes the Content or closes their account, except for materials already published."

5. Arbitration for US hosts

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS CAREFULLY BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE THAT YOU AND AIRBNB AGREE TO RESOLVE ALL DISPUTES BETWEEN US THROUGH BINDING INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AND INCLUDE A CLASS ACTION WAIVER AND JURY TRIAL WAIVER. ... This Arbitration Agreement only applies to you if your country of residence or establishment is the United States.

Source: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2908, retrieved 2026-10-29.

Why it works against you

US hosts give up a jury trial and the right to join a class action. Before filing for arbitration, you must mail a Pre-Dispute Notice and wait 30 days. Arbitrations involving $50,000 or less are decided on documents alone unless the arbitrator agrees to hold a hearing. Both sides keep the right to use small claims court. The only opt-out covers later changes to Section 23: you must reject them within 30 days, and rejecting them leaves the earlier arbitration agreement in force. Hosts outside the US fall under other sections, such as Irish law for the "Rest of World." How this applies to you is a question for a qualified lawyer. Compare mandatory arbitration clauses explained.

What to ask for instead

Sample wording to propose: "Hosts may opt out of this Arbitration Agreement by notifying Airbnb within 30 days of first accepting these Terms."

Also worth a look

Airbnb's liability to hosts is capped at "the amount paid to you as a Host in the 12-month period prior to the event giving rise to the liability" (Source: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2908, retrieved 2026-10-29). See limitation of liability clauses explained. Your indemnity to Airbnb applies "regardless of Airbnb’s responsibility for negligence and howsoever the same may be caused" (Source: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2908, retrieved 2026-10-29). See indemnification clauses explained. For another marketplace, see Etsy seller policy explained.

Scan your own document free

Terms change, and the policies linked from the Terms are part of your agreement too. Paste your Terms of Service or co-hosting contract into the ScanMyTerms Terms of Service checker. In about a minute it flags clauses that work against you, with the exact wording and what to ask for instead. The free preview shows the risk count and the first two findings, and the full report is a one-time $5 per document.

This page is general information, not legal advice.

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