How long do I have to review an Airbnb guest?

Airbnb gives hosts and guests 14 days after checkout to write a review. Reviews are double-blind: neither side sees the other's review until both have submitted or the window closes.

Should I leave a bad review for a bad guest?

If they broke house rules or caused damage, yes, written as facts. Future hosts rely on it. Skip adjectives and opinions, describe what happened, and say whether you reported it to Airbnb.

Can I edit an Airbnb guest review after posting it?

Treat a submitted review as final and write it carefully the first time. Check Airbnb's current help pages for any edit options before relying on them.

Should I reply to every review of my listing?

Reply to every negative or mixed review, and to positive ones when you have something useful to add. Future guests read replies to judge how you handle problems.

What should I never put in a guest review?

The guest's personal details, anything about their race, religion, health or other protected traits, threats, and retaliation for their review of you. Airbnb can remove reviews that break its content policy.

Is there a faster way to write these?

Our free review response generator drafts a guest review or a reply from a few details. You still read and edit it before posting.

Airbnb Guest Review Templates and Examples

Every template below has placeholders in square brackets. Swap them for real details before you post. Specific details are what make a review useful to the next host, and what make a reply believable to the next guest.

If you'd rather not start from a blank box, the free review response generator drafts a review or a reply from a few facts.

How Airbnb reviews work

After checkout, Airbnb gives the host and the guest 14 days to review each other. Reviews are double-blind. Neither of you sees what the other wrote until both reviews are in, or until the 14 days are up. That means your review can't be a reaction to theirs, and theirs can't be a reaction to yours.

As a host you write three things:

A public review of the guest, which other hosts see when that guest asks to book.
Category ratings such as cleanliness, communication and following house rules.
An optional private note that only the guest sees.

Separately, when a guest reviews your listing, you can post one public reply under their review. Future guests read those replies closely. Airbnb changes the details of its review system from time to time, so check its help center for the current rules on edits and removals.

What a good guest review says

Other hosts read your review for one reason: to decide whether to accept this guest. Give them what they need in this order.

The verdict. Would you host them again? Say it plainly, first or last.
One or two specifics. Checked out on time, left the kitchen clean, kept to the guest count. Specifics carry more weight than "great guests".
Anything a host should know. Late checkout, extra cleaning, a broken rule. Facts only.

Leave out personal details, guesses about why something happened, sarcasm, and anything that reads as payback. A calm factual review protects you if the guest disputes it.

Reviews for great guests

Use these when the guest did everything right. The detailed version is worth the extra minute for groups, long stays and families, because those are the bookings other hosts worry about most.

Great guest, short · 5 stars across the board

[Guest name] was a pleasure to host. Clear communication from booking to checkout, followed every house rule, and left the place spotless. We would welcome [him/her/them] back any time.

Great guest, with detail · when you want future hosts to know why

[Guest name] and [his/her/their] group stayed [number] nights and were ideal guests. They checked in on time, kept noise down after [quiet hours time] as asked, and left the kitchen and bathrooms clean, with towels gathered and the dishwasher run. They even let us know about [small issue, e.g. a loose cabinet handle] so we could fix it before the next stay. Highly recommended to any host.

Great family or group · larger groups, kids, pets

We hosted [Guest name]'s family of [number] for [number] nights. They treated the home with real care: furniture back where it belonged, trash and recycling sorted, and [the pet] was exactly as described. Friendly, quick to reply and easy to coordinate with. Any host would be lucky to have them.

Reviews for good guests

Most guests land here: no problems, nothing remarkable. A short, warm review is right. Don't inflate it, and don't knock them for small things a normal cleaning covers.

Good guest, minor housekeeping · 4 to 5 stars

[Guest name] was a respectful, easygoing guest. Communication was friendly and check-in went smoothly. The place was left in good shape overall. Recommended.

Good guest, quiet stay · little contact, no issues

[Guest name] had a quiet, uneventful stay, which is exactly what we like. Checked in and out on time, followed the house rules, and left the home tidy. Happy to host [him/her/them] again.

Reviews for average guests

For a guest who was pleasant but caused a real cost, such as a late checkout or a long clean, name the one issue and keep the rest positive. Mentioning the issue is fair to the next host. Making it the whole review is not.

Average guest, late checkout · 3 to 4 stars

[Guest name] was polite and communicated well during the stay. Checkout was about [time] later than the [checkout time] in our listing, without a request beforehand, which put pressure on our cleaning team. Otherwise the stay went fine.

Average guest, extra cleaning · more mess than a normal stay

[Guest name] was friendly and easy to deal with. The home needed more cleaning than usual after checkout, mainly [specific area, e.g. dishes left in the sink and food in the fridge]. Future hosts may want to share their checkout steps in advance.

Reviews for difficult guests

This is where hosts get into trouble. Anger reads badly to everyone, including Airbnb if the guest disputes the review. Write it the next morning, not the night it happens.

State what happened, when, and how you know (photos, neighbor reports, noise monitor, messages).
Say whether you raised it with the guest and whether you reported it to Airbnb.
If a damage claim is open, keep the review to the facts in the claim.

House rules broken · party, extra guests, smoking

We can't recommend [Guest name]. The booking was for [number] guests, but [describe what happened factually, e.g. our neighbors reported around 15 people at the property on Saturday night]. This breaks the house rules listed on our page. We raised it with the guest at the time and have reported it to Airbnb.

Damage or a very dirty property · once a claim is open, keep it factual

[Guest name]'s stay left [specific damage or condition, e.g. a broken dining chair and wine stains on the living room rug]. We needed [extra cleaning / a repair] before the next guest could check in. We have contacted the guest and Airbnb about it. Hosts should review their house rules carefully with this guest.

Hard to communicate with · no replies, rude messages, demands

[Guest name] did not reply to our check-in messages and arrived [time] after the agreed time without letting us know. During the stay [he/she/they] [factual detail, e.g. asked for a partial refund for a beach that was "too busy"]. The property itself was left in reasonable condition.

Private feedback notes

The private note is the right place for coaching. It lets you thank a guest properly or point out a small miss without putting it on their public record. Guests take it better when it is short and specific.

Private note, thank you · great guests

Thanks so much for staying with us, [Guest name]. You left the place in great shape and it made our cleaner's day. If you are ever back in [city], message us directly through Airbnb and we'll do our best to find you dates.

Private note, gentle correction · good guests with one small miss

Hi [Guest name], thanks again for a lovely stay. One small thing for next time: [the trash goes out on Tuesday nights / the towels go in the laundry basket, not the bath]. Not a big deal at all, just helps us turn the place around. We'd be happy to host you again.

Private note, after a problem · pairs with an honest public review

Hi [Guest name], thanks for staying. I wanted to let you know directly that [specific issue] meant our team needed [extra time / a repair] before the next arrival. I've kept the public review factual. If anything about the home made checkout harder than it should be, please tell me so I can fix it.

Replies to reviews of your place

Your reply is written for the next guest, not the last one. A future guest reading a two-star review wants to know one thing: will this happen to me? Answer that, briefly.

Positive reviews

Thank them and mention something specific from their review, so it doesn't read like the same line under every review. If you can add a useful detail for future guests, do.

Reply to a 5-star review

Thank you, [Guest name]. We're glad the [specific thing they mentioned, e.g. early check-in and the walk to the beach] worked out for your trip. You were welcome guests and we'd love to have you back.

Reply that helps future guests

Thanks for the kind words, [Guest name]. For anyone reading: the [feature they praised, e.g. rooftop deck] is shared with one other apartment and gets the best light after 4 pm. Hope to host you again next [season].

Mixed reviews

Acknowledge the fair point, say what changed, and stop. If the issue was something your listing already disclosed, move it higher in the listing and say so.

Reply to a mixed review, issue already fixed

Thank you for the honest feedback, [Guest name]. You were right about [issue, e.g. the shower pressure]. We had a plumber out on [day] and it has been fixed for every guest since. Glad you enjoyed [positive thing they mentioned].

Reply to a mixed review, expectation gap

Thanks for staying, [Guest name], and for the feedback. Our listing mentions [the street noise on Friday nights / the steep driveway], and we've now added it to the first line of the description so the next guest knows before they book. We appreciate you taking the time to write.

Negative reviews

If you were at fault, apologize once and name the fix. If you disagree, correct the record with one or two facts and no adjectives. Never argue line by line. The guest has already left; the reader hasn't booked yet.

Reply to a negative review, you were at fault

[Guest name], we're sorry. [The heater failed on your second night] and it took us too long to get someone out. That's on us. We've since [replaced the unit / added a backup heater and a 24-hour contact in the guidebook]. Thank you for telling us plainly.

Reply to a negative review you dispute

We're sorry the stay didn't meet your expectations. For future guests: [state the fact briefly, e.g. check-in is self check-in from 3 pm, as shown on the listing, and the door code was sent two days before arrival]. We replied to every message during the stay and offered [what you offered]. We welcome any guest to message us before booking with questions.

Tone and timing

A few habits that keep reviews fair and keep your replies working for you:

Review within a day or two of checkout. Details are fresh and you aren't racing the 14-day window.
Wait a night before writing a bad one. Read it back as if you were the next host, then as if you were Airbnb support.
Write in the same voice as your listing. If your listing is warm and casual, a stiff corporate reply looks like it came from someone else.
Keep a short list of your own lines. Save the templates you actually use and edit them for each guest. Copying the same review word for word under every stay looks automated, because it is.
Fix the cause, then mention it. The best reply to "the Wi-Fi password was wrong" is a reply that says it's fixed.

That last point is where most bad reviews start: a guest asked a simple question, waited, and got the wrong answer or none. Clear check-in details and fast, accurate replies prevent more low ratings than any review reply can repair. Our guides to welcome messages and check-in instructions cover those, and the Airbnb message templates library has the rest of the stay.

If you want those replies handled for you, HostOwls AI messaging answers guests from your guidebook and hands anything it isn't sure of to a person. See pricing for what it costs per property.

Airbnb guest review templates