Airbnb’s Off-Platform Policy - Airbnb Help Centre (2024)

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 person’s account.

In order to protect our community and business, the following behaviours are prohibited:

Taking people off the Airbnb platform for new, partial or future bookings

• Contacting potential guests prior to booking on Airbnb to move the booking off Airbnb (e.g. offering discounts to book off Airbnb)
• Asking guests to fill in forms, or call, email, or otherwise contact you via a non-Airbnb communications service prior to accepting booking requests
• Cancelling existing full or partial reservations and having guests rebook off Airbnb
• Asking or encouraging guests to book outside of Airbnb for repeat or future bookings
• Including links or embedding buttons (e.g. footers, headers) that take people off Airbnb to another website in any messages to guests, including emails sent via Airbnb's email alias feature

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

• Asking guests for contact information prior to booking; all guest communications prior to booking must be on Airbnb
• Soliciting guests for their email, postal 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
• Asking for or using guests’ contact information to settle additional payments outside of Airbnb’s platform; all payments related to a guest’s stay, including extensions of a stay (and besides exceptions identified below), must go through Airbnb (e.g. using the Resolution Centre)
  
• 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 lists

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, homeowners' association rules, building security rules). In such instances, Hosts must include information about what is required and why in their listing description so that guests understand that 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 means of communication after booking
• You may use an alternative means of communicating with a guest if requested by a guest after booking (e.g. chat app). However, you must ensure such communications comply with the other requirements of this policy
  

Taking people off the Airbnb platform for feedback and reviews

You may not ask guests to review an Airbnb stay on a non-Airbnb website or to fill in a survey regarding an Airbnb stay on a non-Airbnb website (such as a form off 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

• Asking guests to create a separate account or to register on another website besides Airbnb.com for the purposes of gaining entry to a listing
• Asking guests to install a third-party app to access a listing; all listings on Airbnb should be accessible to a guest without requiring that 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, homeowners' association rules, building security rules). In such instances, Hosts must include information about what is required and why in their guest-facing listing description so that 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 (e.g. Sonos, Nest, concierge apps) as long as they are optional
  

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