Airbnb
Airbnb's terms include strong arbitration requirements that block class action lawsuits for US users, along with broad content licensing that gives them perpetual rights to user-generated content. They can terminate accounts for any reason with 30 days notice, though they do provide some user-friendly policies like the ability to appeal decisions and clear cancellation policies.
They just renamed two of their policies—the one about extra fees is now called "pricing and payment transparency," and the one about what hosts can require from you is now called "limiting host-imposed contracts and other requirements." Nothing about what you can actually do has changed; they just reorganized and renamed things to make the policies clearer.
See the full change →The Bottom Line
AI-generated summary of the terms as we read them. Opinion, not legal advice.
Airbnb's terms include strong arbitration requirements that block class action lawsuits for US users, along with broad content licensing that gives them perpetual rights to user-generated content. They can terminate accounts for any reason with 30 days notice, though they do provide some user-friendly policies like the ability to appeal decisions and clear cancellation policies.
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Notable Clauses
“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 oth...”
“You and Airbnb acknowledge and agree that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, we are each waiving the right to participate as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class action lawsuit, class-wide arbitration, private attorney general action, or any other representative or consolidated p...”
“You acknowledge that Airbnb (or its affiliates) has the right, but does not have any obligation, to monitor the use of the Airbnb Platform and verify information provided by our Members. For example, we may record, review, monitor, disable access to, remove, or edit text or in-app messages, phone re...”
“Except for our obligation to transmit payments to Hosts under these Terms, or make payments under the Airbnb Host Damage Protection, in no event will Airbnb's aggregate liability for any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms, your interaction with any Members, or your use...”
“For United States users, to help Airbnb to assess the safety, integrity, and trustworthiness of our platform and its users, you authorize Airbnb to undertake checks designed to help verify your identity or review your background, and consent that Airbnb may screen you against and obtain reports from...”
“Airbnb may terminate this agreement and your account for any reason by providing you 30 days' notice via email or using any other contact information you have provided for your account.”
“You may appeal a decision by Airbnb by contacting our customer service.”
Protect Yourself
ACTIONABLESettings and actions you can take to limit your exposure
Turn Off Content Recommendation Tracking
Disable personalized recommendations to reduce how much data Airbnb uses to profile your preferences
- Go to Account → Privacy & sharing → Data & Privacy
- Turn off 'Personalized recommendations'
- This limits some of the data they use for content suggestions
Limit Search History Tracking
Clear your search history to reduce data collection for recommendations
- Go to Account → Privacy & sharing
- Click 'Manage your data'
- Select 'Search history' and delete it
- Turn off search history saving if available
Opt Out of Arbitration Changes
If Airbnb changes their arbitration terms, you can reject the changes within 30 days
- Watch for emails about Terms updates
- If arbitration terms change, email arbitration.opt.out@airbnb.com within 30 days
- Include your name, address, username, email, signature, and clear opt-out statement
Request Data Download Before Issues
Download your data periodically in case of account termination
- Go to Account → Privacy & sharing → Download your data
- Request a copy of all your data
- Save this backup including messages, reviews, and booking history
- Do this every few months for active users
Disclaimer: The clauses shown above are excerpts from publicly available Terms of Service documents. Ratings and severity levels reflect community and AI assessment, not legal advice, factual claims, or determinations about a company's legality or intent. Clauses marked “VERIFIED” have been confirmed as exact quotes from the source document. Clauses marked “AI-extracted” were identified by AI and may contain errors. Always verify against the original TOS.
Get notified when Airbnb updates their TOS
We'll email you what changed and what it means
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.