Airbnb Resolution Center: How to Use It, Step by Step

Key Takeaways

• The Airbnb Resolution Center at airbnb.com/resolutions is where hosts and guests settle money questions without leaving the platform.
• Hosts can also reach it from the booking: Today → select the reservation → send or request money.
• General requests can be submitted up to 60 days after checkout. Damage reimbursement runs on a separate 14-day clock from the responsible guest’s checkout.
• Send a reimbursement request for damage, missing items or unexpected cleaning and the guest has 24 hours to respond. Airbnb does not publish the same 24-hour rule for ordinary refund or payment requests.
• The “before your next guest checks in” cutoff no longer applies. Airbnb removed it when AirCover launched, stating hosts get 14 days “even if you’re booked back-to-back”.
• Keep conversations inside the Airbnb app wherever you can, so Support can read them directly. If part of it happened elsewhere, save screenshots. Hostile messages actively damage your case.

Why Every Host Should Learn This Tool Before They Need It

The Airbnb Resolution Center is the platform’s built-in tool for sending and requesting money on a booking. Hosts open it at airbnb.com/resolutions, pick the reservation, choose a reason, enter an amount and attach evidence. General requests allow 60 days after checkout; damage requests allow 14, and on those the guest has 24 hours to respond.

Here’s the thing most property owners learn too late: this tool exists, it’s free, and it runs on clear rules. Discovering it only after something breaks means panic is already running the show, the deadline is ticking, and a perfectly valid claim can end up denied over a missed step.

How to Access the Resolution Center on Airbnb

The fastest route, on any device where you’re already signed in, is the direct link: airbnb.com/resolutions. Save it now. Airbnb does not put a permanent Resolution Center button in the main host navigation, which is exactly why so many hosts hunt for it under pressure. Canadian and UK accounts label the same tool Resolution Centre.

Route	What you do	When it works
Direct link	Open airbnb.com/resolutions, then pick the reservation	Any time you’re logged in
From the reservation, as a host	Today → the reservation → send or request money	Any time you’re logged in
From the reservation, as a guest	Trips → the reservation → Resolution Center → send or request money	Any time you’re logged in
From the Help Center	A Resolution Center link appears on your Help Center homepage	Only inside the 60-day submission window

Where “Today” actually is, since Airbnb never explains it. Today is the host dashboard, and Airbnb’s own help article links the word straight to airbnb.com/hosting. If you cannot see a Today tab, you are looking at Airbnb as a traveller rather than as a host. Guests have no Today at all; their equivalent is Trips.

One more thing worth knowing: the Resolution Center may not be available for some hotel stays booked through Airbnb. Where that applies, the two sides settle payment questions with the hotel directly.

What It Does, When You Need It, and Which Request Type to Pick

Tucked inside every Airbnb account is a negotiation tool linked to individual bookings, and guests see the identical interface from their side. One party puts forward a figure; the other accepts it, counters, or rejects it. When neither will budge, Airbnb reviews everything filed and hands down a binding ruling. This is also where you start claims covered by AirCover for Hosts, which carries $3 million in host damage protection and $1 million in liability insurance, with all limits shown in USD.

When a Claim Is Worth Making

A chipped mug or a slightly crooked towel rack rarely justifies a formal claim. Some wear comes with the territory. But broken tiles, a sofa frame snapped at the base, gouged hardwood, punctured drywall, sanitation well beyond a normal turnover, vanished linens or electronics, and house-rule breaches with a real dollar consequence are all worth a Resolution Center request. Whether AirCover then reimburses you is a separate question, decided by whether the loss meets the Host Damage Protection terms.

The Three Request Types

Airbnb’s own documentation describes the tool in narrow terms: refunds, optional fees, and security deposits (the last only for select software-connected hosts, properly disclosed). In day-to-day hosting, those rules produce three practical situations, and picking the right one shapes how quickly your case moves.

• Damage claims cover breakage, stains, or destruction to the property and its furnishings. Because these feed into AirCover, Airbnb itself can step in financially when a guest refuses to cooperate, as long as you filed on time and your paperwork holds together.
• Reimbursement requests cover costs that weren’t in the original booking price: locksmith fees after a lost key, replacement linen, an emergency plumber on a Sunday night.
• Disputes apply when a guest pushes for a refund you consider groundless. If a traveller demands money back claiming the unit looked nothing like the photos, your counter-evidence (recent images, maintenance logs, message screenshots) goes through the Resolution Center.

Two limits worth knowing: reservation alterations belong in Change reservation, not here, and mandatory fees (cleaning, resort, linen, utilities, HOA) must be disclosed in the proper fee field at booking rather than collected afterwards.

How to File a Request, Step by Step

The form itself is the same on every device. Only two things change between the web and the app: how you get in, and one extra button on desktop. Airbnb publishes word-for-word identical instructions for iOS, Android and mobile browsers, so “the app” below covers all three.

Where the Web and the App Differ

	On the web	In the app
Getting in	airbnb.com/resolutions, or airbnb.com/hosting → the reservation → send or request money	Make sure you are in hosting rather than travelling, then Today → the reservation. Or open the Resolution Center directly
Picking the reservation	Select it, then click Choose	Select it. There is no Choose button

Guests use either device the same way: Trips → the reservation → Resolution Centre.

The Six Steps

1. Open the Resolution Center by whichever route above suits your device.
2. Click or tap Request money.
3. Select the reservation. On the web, confirm it with Choose.
4. Under What is this request for?, pick the reason that best describes why you’re requesting money.
5. Enter the amount you’re requesting, add a note, and upload your attachments. Airbnb labels attachments optional; on a damage claim they are what the decision turns on.
6. Click or tap Next, then Request. Airbnb notifies the guest.

One wording note: these follow Airbnb’s dedicated guide to requesting money, and its older topic-specific help pages label the same screens slightly differently. Don’t be thrown if a button reads “Next” where this says “Choose”, or if your Canadian or UK account spells it Resolution Centre.

What to Write and What to Attach

The clicking takes two minutes. These three decisions take longer, and they are where most claims are won or lost.

• Describe the problem in detail. Generic phrasing like “the guest left damage” gives the reviewer nothing to evaluate. Write exactly what happened: “cracked two ceramic tiles in the entryway and burned a ring into the oak nightstand with a cigarette.” Name the item, the room and the type of damage.
• Upload your evidence. Well-lit photographs from several angles are the backbone of any winning case, and before-and-after sets are especially persuasive. Add original receipts, written estimates from licensed contractors, and screenshots of the relevant Airbnb messages.
• Itemize the amount. Break the total into line items rather than one lump figure. “$140 tile repair, $90 nightstand refinishing, $55 supplementary cleaning” reads as transparent. A round $285 with no breakdown invites skepticism.

After You Submit: What Happens Next

Your guest opens the request inside their Airbnb inbox. On a reimbursement request for damage, missing items, or unexpected cleaning, Airbnb gives them 24 hours to pay the full amount, pay a different figure, or decline. That published 24-hour clock is specific to those reimbursement requests; Airbnb does not state the same deadline for ordinary refund or payment requests, so on those, expect a reply when it comes. Low-dollar claims paired with solid photographs tend to resolve at this stage without friction. In our experience, guests cooperate more readily when the evidence is clear and the tone stays respectful.

Should the guest decline, pay only part, or let that window close, you can push the case up to Airbnb’s support team. Claims channelled through AirCover add another safety net: when a guest never acknowledges the request, Airbnb can authorize payment out of its own pool, provided your filing met every deadline and documentation standard.

One-pace warning. Airbnb’s Resolution Center article notes that for mediation requests you have only one hour to respond, so keep notifications on while a case is active.

Explore Airbnb Tips & Tricks for Hosts: Maximize Revenue, Occupancy & Efficiency.

Getting Damage Claims Right

Of everything the Resolution Center handles, damage claims demand the most precision. But they also offer the greatest protection when done correctly. There are actually two clocks, and almost no host guide separates them.

Step	Deadline	Where it comes from
Ask the guest to pay, and notify Airbnb	14 days from checkout	Host Damage Protection Terms, s.3.1.2
File the reimbursement request in the Resolution Center	14 days from checkout	Airbnb’s host damage protection article
File the Payment Request Form with evidence	30 days from checkout	Host Damage Protection Terms, s.3.3
General, non-damage request	60 days from checkout	Airbnb’s Resolution Center articles

Do not read the 30-day line as sixteen spare days. Airbnb’s legal terms give 30 days for the formal Payment Request Form, but its Help Center instructs hosts to file the reimbursement request in the Resolution Center within 14 days of the responsible guest’s checkout, and the Help Center is what support staff work from. To protect your eligibility, finish the request, the evidence and any escalation inside 14 days.

Evidence and What Airbnb Will Actually Pay

Photograph the damage thoroughly: wide-angle shots for room context and tight close-ups for detail, all under decent lighting. If you already snap a full set at every turnover, once before arrival and once after departure, before-and-after proof becomes a five-minute task.

Pair every requested dollar with paperwork. Airbnb calculates most items at the lowest applicable measure in its terms, and there are five of them: depreciated actual cash value, the cost to repair, the cost to replace with materials of like size, kind, and quality, a capped rebuild elsewhere, and a functional-equivalent replacement for electrical or mechanical equipment. Whichever applies, a couch you bought four years ago won’t return today’s sticker price. Realistic, well-documented figures strengthen your position far more than inflated ones.

Throughout, keep your exchanges with the guest inside Airbnb’s messaging system wherever you can, because Support can pull those conversations up directly during a review. Airbnb’s terms accept photographs, videos, receipts, documents, and other verifiable proof too, so if part of the conversation happened over WhatsApp or by phone, save screenshots and notes rather than assuming they count for nothing.

Read more about the Airbnb Damage Policy here.

Resolution Center Refunds: How Money Moves Both Ways

Most host content treats the Resolution Center as a collection tool. It is equally a refund tool, and hosts who use it deliberately settle more complaints before they ever reach Airbnb.

Refunds You Send

After a stay has started, the Resolution Center is the only way for a host to send money to a guest. Click or tap Send money, choose the guest, pick a reason, enter the amount and a message, then send. Airbnb processes the refund within 48 hours, though arrival depends on the guest’s payment method and can run to 15 business days on a credit card. Two cautions: once sent, the transaction is final, and refunds should go in within 60 days of checkout.

Refunds Guests Request From You

A guest who hits a problem has 72 hours from discovering it to report the issue, and their request lands in your Resolution Center for you to accept, counter or decline. If you can’t agree, Airbnb mediates under its rebooking and refund policy for homes, and you are not a bystander in that: Airbnb normally tries to confirm the guest’s account with you, and you can dispute it. A granted refund reduces your payout by that amount. What counts as a qualifying problem, and when a guest is owed anything at all, is covered in full on Airbnb Refunds Explained: What Hosts Should Know About Guest Refund Requests.

If You Are the Guest Asking

The request form is the same one, and Airbnb’s instructions are written for either party. Only the way in differs: go to Trips, select the reservation, open the Resolution Center, then tap or click Request money and follow the same six steps. Message your host first with photos, since a request you have already discussed is far more likely to be accepted than one that arrives cold.

A refund is not a damage reimbursement, and the two run on different clocks and evidence standards.

How Approved Compensation Reaches Your Payout

Once a reimbursement is approved, Airbnb issues the payment to the listing owner’s payout method rather than promising to fold it into your next reservation payout. One step catches co-hosted listings out: where a co-host managed the request, the listing owner may have to sign a Host Damage Protection Approved Payment Request Agreement first, and only they can sign it. Expect the approved figure to sometimes land below your request. Claiming $500 for a sofa with no receipt showing what you paid almost guarantees a haircut, so store receipts for every piece of furniture from day one.

When the situation flips and a guest files for a refund alleging your space didn’t match the listing, Airbnb weighs your published photos and written description against the complaint. Properties with sharp, current photography and precise copy consistently hold up better than those running on outdated images or vague descriptions. Keeping your listing optimized and accurate protects you during disputes just as effectively as it attracts bookings.

When Disputes Escalate and How Airbnb Resolves Them

Sometimes neither side budges. Common triggers include a guest demanding money back for something you can disprove (Wi-Fi they say was broken while your router logs show steady uptime), a flat refusal to cover property damage, or silence once the response window closes.

• How Airbnb reviews the case. Most disputes go to a Community Support team member, who decides responsibility from the evidence and the submissions both sides made. Certain host damage protection requests are now expedited and decided automatically, without a person reviewing them first. Airbnb does not say that review history or Superhost status makes a claim more likely to be approved, so the lever you actually control is the quality of your file and how quickly you answer follow-up questions.
• What can happen? Airbnb may approve your full amount, reduce it where line items lack backing, or pay through AirCover when the guest is unresponsive. It can also rule against you if your documentation falls short.
• On appeals, hosts and guests are documented differently. Where a damage request was decided automatically, Airbnb gives the host the option to request human review and submit more evidence. For manually reviewed claims, Airbnb does not clearly publish a general host appeal route or deadline. Guests are told they can appeal before and after being charged, with 60 days to appeal once the charge lands. For the full picture on what to do after a rejection, read AirCover Claim Denied? Reasons + How to Appeal.

Mistakes That Weaken or Kill Your Claim

Late filing wrecks more claims than anything else, and vague language runs a close second: “everything was a mess” hands the reviewer nothing to act on. Padding is just as damaging, since requesting $700 for a lamp you paid $50 for colours how the reviewer reads your whole submission.

Two quieter ones cost hosts just as often. If you can’t show what the space looked like on the morning of check-in, proving the damage happened during that reservation becomes a guessing game, and a detailed house rules template helps by setting expectations before a guest walks in. Then there is tone: aggressive messages create a permanent record that makes you look adversarial, and measured wording consistently outperforms it.

How Long Does an Airbnb Resolution Take?

There is no single answer, because a resolution is a chain of separate clocks rather than one countdown. Airbnb publishes deadlines for some links in that chain and nothing at all for others.

Stage	Window	Source
Guest responds to a damage reimbursement request	24 hours	Airbnb damage protection articles
You respond to a mediation request	1 hour	Airbnb’s Resolution Center article
Airbnb processes a damage payment request	“A reasonable period”, seven named factors	Host Damage Protection Terms, s.4.1 and s.4.2
Advertised reimbursement speed	Typically within 2 weeks	Airbnb’s AirCover launch page
Host-sent refund reaching the guest	Processed within 48 hours	Airbnb’s refund article

On the one stage that matters most, Airbnb says two different things. The binding Host Damage Protection Terms promise only processing “within a reasonable period”, then list seven factors, including the amount requested, the property’s location, how complete your documentation is and how many other requests are queued. The AirCover launch page still advertises “typically within 2 weeks”. Treat two weeks as a best case, not a commitment.

In practice, from the cases we handle, simple situations with solid documentation and a cooperative guest usually close within three to five days, because the guest either pays inside the 24-hour window or Airbnb reaches a quick verdict. Larger disputes involving conflicting accounts or several categories of damage stretch across two to three weeks. Those ranges are our own observation rather than a published figure. If seven or more days pass after your escalation with no update, a polite status inquiry to Airbnb Support is completely appropriate.

When the Resolution Centre Can’t Help

Damage claims submitted after the 14-day window lose their eligibility entirely. General requests have a longer runway, but evidence weakens and guest responsiveness drops the longer you wait. Damage you can’t connect to a specific reservation through photos or timestamps is extremely difficult to prove, and if your only evidence is a phone call or a text exchange outside the Airbnb app, you’re working with a thin file.

Some scenarios also outgrow the platform, and the mistake here is treating that as a reason to skip Airbnb. Structural damage costing tens of thousands, injuries, third-party liability or a guest who committed a criminal act all need your insurer, a lawyer or the authorities. File the Airbnb request inside the deadline anyway: miss the 14 days and you lose the AirCover route permanently, whatever else is going on. Run the two tracks in parallel.

Read about Airbnb Damage Deposit: How It Works for Hosts.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Airbnb Resolution Centre

1. Can I request money before the stay has ended?

Yes, and the rules are not symmetrical. A host can request money from a guest before a confirmed reservation starts but cannot send money until the stay has started or been cancelled. A guest can send money before the stay but cannot request any until it starts. After check-in, both directions are open.

2. How long does Airbnb take to refund a guest?

Airbnb says it processes an approved refund within 48 hours, but arrival depends on the guest’s payment method. Airbnb’s own timetable runs from 24 hours for PayPal and Airbnb credit up to 15 business days for major credit cards, and longer again for a few methods.

3. What happens if the guest ignores my request?

On a damage reimbursement request the guest has 24 hours. If they decline, pay only part, or say nothing, you can involve Airbnb, which reviews what both sides filed. Where AirCover applies and your filing met every deadline, Airbnb can pay out even though the guest never responded.

4. Can I still file a request more than 60 days after checkout?

No. New requests must go in within 60 days of checkout, and damage reimbursement requests within 14. One exception works in your favour: you can still respond to a request someone else opened, even after 60 days, as long as it was submitted inside the window.

5. Can I appeal an Airbnb Resolution Centre decision?

Partly. Where a damage request was decided automatically, Airbnb offers hosts the option to request human review and add evidence. For manually reviewed claims, it publishes no general host appeal route or deadline. Guests are told they get 60 days to appeal after a damage charge.

6. Can my co-host file a request for me?

A full-access co-host can start, manage and resolve a damage reimbursement request on your behalf. Payment always goes to the listing owner, never the co-host, and you may be asked to sign a Host Damage Protection Approved Payment Request Agreement before it is released. Once you take a request over yourself, it cannot be handed back.

Protect Your Income by Knowing the Process

The Airbnb Resolution Centre is one of the most practical tools available to hosts, yet most property owners only discover it under pressure. Understanding how it works before you need it gives you a clear advantage: you’ll file faster, document better, and communicate more effectively than hosts who are figuring it out in real time.

The pattern is consistent across every successful claim we’ve seen: preparation drives the result. And when turnover photography, guest messaging, supply tracking, and damage follow-up start consuming as many hours as the hosting itself, that’s usually a strong signal it might be time to bring in professional property management.