Airbnb removes 100,000 listings, expands listing verification

Airbnb has removed 100,000 listings as part of an effort to prioritize “quality and reliability” across its platform, the company revealed Monday as part of its “Spring Product Update."

“This is the largest set of removals we've ever made, and we're building new tools to prevent these homes from being relisted,” said Airbnb.

Last April, Airbnb launched a hosting quality system, that evaluates properties based on a number of factors including subcategory ratings, host cancellations, listing accuracy, communications and more. Since then, Airbnb said it has removed 100,000 listings it identified as providing a continuously “below par” guest experience.

“Every day, an average of nearly 1 million guests put their trust in Airbnb as they check into a listing. Each one of them should feel confident that they know exactly what they can expect before they book,” Airbnb said.

The company said before it delists a property, it works with hosts to share tips and feedback to improve experiences for guests.

Airbnb also revealed nearly 1.5 million listings will have completed the company’s verification process by the end of the month. The process is occurring as part of an initiative shared in September to provide verification badges to its listings in the United States, Canada, Australia, France and the United Kingdom. Airbnb said it will launch new tools including video and photo verification, and listing verification will also begin in 30 additional countries in the fall.

The short-term rental giant is also updating its "Guest Favorites" identification system that launched last November. The company said it will display a "unique highlight" for those listings in the top 25% based on ratings, reviews and reliability and a "trophy icon" for the top 1%. Listings in the bottom 10% will also be identified.

Airbnb is also expanding its integration with smart lock providers. The company expects to share its “2024 Summer Release” in May.