Guest left a retaliatory 1-star review — what are my options?

Category: Guest Communication

By: Olivia Laurent

Posted: 2026-02-20T11:20:36.774Z

Had a terrible guest: broke house rules (party in a 2-person studio), left the place trashed, and I charged them a $200 damage claim. In retaliation, they left a 1-star review saying "place was dirty, host was rude, nothing worked." Everything in the review is fabricated. I have security camera footage of 8 people entering a 2-person listing and photos of the mess they left. My cleaning records show the place was spotless on arrival. Can I get this review removed? What are my options?

Reply by Michael Thompson:

First, take a deep breath. This is infuriating but it's manageable. Here's the playbook: **Step 1: Report the review to Airbnb** - Open the review and click "Report" - Select "Review is retaliatory" — this is a specific category Airbnb recognizes - Provide the timeline: damage claim filed → retaliatory review posted - Include all evidence: security camera footage, photos, your cleaning log **Step 2: Call Airbnb Support (don't just use the chat)** - Ask for the Trust & Safety team specifically - Explain that the review violates Airbnb's Content Policy regarding retaliatory reviews - Reference the damage claim explicitly — this creates a paper trail showing motive **Step 3: Write a public response (even if you're trying to get it removed)** - Keep it factual and professional - Don't be emotional or accusatory - Something like: "We were sorry this guest chose to violate our clearly posted house rules. Despite accommodating 4x the listed guest limit, we treated the situation professionally and filed a standard damage claim for the cleanup required. We have 200+ five-star reviews and maintain impeccable standards for every guest." **Step 4: If Airbnb refuses removal** - Escalate by tweeting @AirbnbHelp with your case number - File a BBB complaint (they respond to those) - Ultimately, one 1-star among many 5-stars won't tank you The review response generator at https://strspecialist.com/tools/review-response-generator can help craft the perfect public response.

Reply by Tony Russo:

I had this exact scenario and the review was removed after 10 days. The key was connecting the TIMING of the review to the damage claim. When Airbnb sees: "Host filed claim on Monday → Guest left review on Tuesday," it's clearly retaliatory. My tips for the escalation: - Be persistent but polite with support agents - If one agent says no, call back and get a different agent - Reference Airbnb's own policy verbatim — they can't argue with their own rules Also, from now on, ALWAYS leave your review of a bad guest BEFORE they leave theirs. Airbnb shows reviews simultaneously, so if you leave yours first and it's honest about the rule violations, their retaliatory review looks even more suspicious.