in this case
- Daria Popova booked an Airbnb in Ireland from her home in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, near the front line but firmly under Ukrainian control.
- Airbnb asked her to confirm her address. Right after she did, the platform permanently disabled her account claiming she violated community standards.
- Airbnb cancelled her booking but kept her $1,000 payment. Her appeals with full documentation got nothing but automated replies refusing to restore the account or issue a refund.
Daria Popova reserves an Airbnb in Ireland. But it turns out Airbnb has reservations about her. It disables her account, cancels her booking but keeps the $1000 she paid. What’s going on?
Question
I don’t understand why Airbnb deleted my account. I’ve been a responsible guest with excellent reviews. Airbnb says I violated its community standards, but I know I didn’t. The only explanation I can think of is my location.
I live in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, which is near the front line but remains under Ukrainian control. Airbnb will not do business in Russia.
Some international services wrongly mark our entire region as “disputed,” which feels discriminatory and unfair. Airbnb asked me to confirm my address, and right after I did, it froze my account permanently.
I appealed and sent all the information they requested, including proof of residence. Still, they refused to restore my account and said I can’t create a new one. And even worse, I never received my refund of $1,000 for the cancellations.
Can you help me get my money back and, if possible, my account reinstated? Daria Popova, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
It’s bad enough that they disabled her account without explanation, but what gives them the right to keep her deposit when they clearly are refusing to honor her reservation? At the very least, refunding any deposits should be automatic when they cancel someone’s account.
Read more insightful reader feedback. See all comments.
Answer
Airbnb owes you both an explanation and a refund. The company is allowed to close an account if it believes a guest has violated its terms, but it should provide a valid reason and process your refund in a timely manner. None of that happened here.
You followed the right steps, appealing the decision, providing documentation, and contacting customer support. Unfortunately, it looks like you got stuck in a loop of automated replies from Airbnb. That left you without answers or access to your funds.
This isn’t the first case where Airbnb got its geography wrong. I mediated a case at the beginning of the Ukraine war where the platform banned a guest because she used to live in Russia and still had a Russian phone number.
When the normal resolution process doesn’t work, you can always appeal to an Airbnb executive. I list all of them on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.
I reached out to Airbnb on your behalf. A representative said the company would review your case. Shortly after, Airbnb asked you again for your address information. You provided it, but then received the same canned response that your account was permanently blocked. At that point, you still had no refund.
So I went back to Airbnb and asked for a second review. That finally broke the logjam. Airbnb refunded the full amount of your canceled reservations and reactivated your account
The takeaway: When a company ignores you, persistence matters. A paper trail, a clear record of promises made (like refund deadlines), and, if needed, an advocate, can make the difference between losing $1,000 and getting it back.
Your voice matters
A Ukrainian guest with excellent reviews loses her $1,000 and her Airbnb account because automated systems mistakenly mark her region as disputed. Her appeals get only canned responses.
- Should online platforms be legally required to provide a specific reason and human review before permanently disabling user accounts?
- Should companies be required to refund customer payments within 30 days when they cancel bookings due to platform decisions or account closures?
- Should automated systems that flag accounts based on geography be prohibited without manual verification to prevent discrimination against war-affected regions?
What to do when Airbnb freezes your account and keeps your money
Quick answers to the most common questions about Airbnb account suspensions, refund recovery, and how to appeal when automated systems make incorrect decisions.
Airbnb can permanently disable accounts for violations of its community standards, suspected fraudulent activity, terms of service breaches, or sanctions compliance issues. The platform sometimes flags accounts based on geographic location, IP addresses, or phone numbers from regions like Russia or disputed territories. Many disabled accounts result from automated systems incorrectly identifying legitimate users in war-affected regions like Ukraine.
No. Airbnb is allowed to close accounts if it believes terms have been violated, but it must provide a valid reason and process refunds for cancelled bookings in a timely manner. When Airbnb cancels reservations due to account closures, the platform owes customers full refunds for those cancelled bookings. Keeping payment without providing service may constitute breach of contract.
Submit a formal appeal through Airbnb’s support system with detailed documentation including proof of residence, government-issued identification, payment records, and booking history. Address each specific reason given for the suspension with concrete evidence. If standard support provides only automated responses, escalate to Airbnb executive customer service. Elliott Advocacy’s guide to how consumer complaints work walks through the full escalation path.
Elliott Advocacy publishes a directory of Airbnb executive contacts including names, phone numbers, and email addresses on the Airbnb company contacts page. Use these contacts only after the standard appeal process has failed to produce results. Send a polite but firm letter explaining your situation and requesting human review of your case.
Refunds for cancelled bookings should be processed automatically when Airbnb closes an account, but this often does not happen without intervention. Customers stuck in automated reply loops may need to dispute charges with their credit card company while pursuing executive customer service appeals. The dual approach creates pressure on Airbnb to resolve the case while protecting your financial interests.
Some international services wrongly mark Ukrainian regions like Zaporizhzhia as disputed territory, even when these areas remain firmly under Ukrainian government control. Automated systems designed to enforce sanctions against Russia sometimes incorrectly capture Ukrainian users near the front line. This geographic discrimination affects legitimate Ukrainian residents who have done nothing wrong. Elliott Advocacy has previously mediated cases where Airbnb banned a guest because she used to live in Russia.
Airbnb’s terms typically prohibit creating new accounts after a permanent ban. The platform tracks user identifiers including phone numbers, email addresses, payment methods, and device information to prevent re-registration. Attempting to create a new account after being banned may result in immediate suspension of the new account and could complicate any pending appeals or refund requests. Focus on overturning the original ban through proper appeal channels instead.
Why does Airbnb permanently disable user accounts?
Can Airbnb keep your money after disabling your account?
How do you appeal an Airbnb account suspension?
How do you contact Airbnb executives directly?
What happens to refunds when Airbnb closes your account?
Why are Airbnb users in Ukraine sometimes incorrectly flagged?
Can you create a new Airbnb account after being banned?
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