Airbnb fee compliance: how to disclose | Help

Fee collectability matrix

Pet / extra guest / required stay fee	Mandatory fees belong in Airbnb pricing fields or the nightly price; changes to nights, guest count, or pet count use Airbnb's Change Reservation tool. PreArrive documents that the guest acknowledged the related rule.
Damage / smoke remediation / unexpected cleaning	Use the Resolution Center or AirCover path with photos, videos, receipts, estimates, and other verifiable proof. PreArrive adds the signed rule acknowledgment and audit trail.
Late checkout / optional add-on	Disclose clearly and keep collection on-platform where Airbnb requires it. PreArrive can capture pre-stay acknowledgment and generate matching disclosure language.
Security deposit	Most Airbnb hosts are not allowed to charge one. If a narrow permitted case applies, disclose it in the required Airbnb field; otherwise use rules, photos, receipts, and estimates instead.
Taxes / local assessments	Follow the local rule and Airbnb tax-collection availability. If direct collection is legally required, disclose it in the listing description. PreArrive is not tax advice.

The short version: PreArrive is the acknowledgment layer. Pricing fields, Change Reservation, Resolution Center, AirCover, and local tax rules still decide where money requests belong.

Mandatory fees → Airbnb’s pricing fields

If a fee is mandatory for every stay, it belongs in Airbnb’s pricing structure, not just in your house rules. Examples:

Cleaning fee: Airbnb has a dedicated cleaning-fee field.
Pet or extra-guest fee: use the appropriate fee field or the nightly price where Airbnb requires it.
Linen / per-night supply fees: bake into the nightly rate.

A signed PreArrive acknowledgment is not a workaround for putting a mandatory fee in the listing’s pricing field. Airbnb’s Resolution Center weighs whether the fee was disclosed in the place the platform expects to see it.

Conditional / rule-based fees → Additional Rules + PreArrive

Fees tied to a rule violation belong in the Additional Rules field of the listing, with a specific amount tied to a specific condition. They still need supporting proof if you later submit a request. Examples:

Extra-guest fee: “$75 per person per night over the listed occupancy of 4.”
Smoking remediation fee: “$500 one-time if smoking is detected anywhere on the property.”
Unauthorized-party fee: “$1500 one-time if more than 12 people are present without prior approval.”

PreArrive generates a paste-ready Additional Rules block from your itemized fee schedule (the disclosure half), and the guest signs the acknowledgment half before check-in. Both halves live in the file Airbnb’s Resolution Center reviews.

Occupancy or pet changes mid-stay → Airbnb’s Change Reservation flow

If something materially changes after a guest books (they confirm an extra adult, they decide to bring a pet), Airbnb expects you to use its Change Reservation flow, not a side channel. The Change Reservation flow updates the booking’s recorded terms and adjusts pricing on the platform.

A signed PreArrive acknowledgment does not change a booking’s terms on Airbnb’s side. It documents the original rules. If terms genuinely change, use Change Reservation; PreArrive is not a substitute.

Damage and smoke claims need more than a signature

For AirCover/Host damage protection, the signed PreArrive certificate is one piece of the file. Airbnb also describes documentation such as photos or videos, repair or cleaning estimates, receipts, invoices, and other verifiable proof. Smoking-related claims may require evidence that the guest or invitee caused the smoke odor.

That is why the certificate should sit beside turnover photos, cleaner notes, receipts, and the platform message thread. It proves acknowledgment; it does not prove the incident by itself.

Security deposits → usually do not put them in the packet

Airbnb says most hosts are not allowed to charge a security deposit. For the limited cases where a deposit is permitted, Airbnb requires the deposit to be disclosed in the appropriate fee field or through the permitted software-connected path.

Do not use PreArrive to create an unauthorized deposit. Use the packet to disclose behavior rules and preserve acknowledgment evidence, then document any actual damage through the proper claim path.

On-platform collection only

Airbnb’s host terms restrict off-platform collection of mandatory or rule-based fees. “Just Venmo me” is not a workaround. It is a separate problem class, and one of the more reliable ways to lose a Resolution Center case (and your Superhost status).

The Resolution Center is the on-platform collection mechanism. PreArrive produces the evidence file you submit; the actual collection happens on Airbnb’s side, at Airbnb’s discretion, against the payment authorization the guest gave at booking.

Primary sources

Policy changes. Verify these sources before publishing new fee or claim copy:

What PreArrive is — and is not

Is: a dated, tamper-evident record that the guest read each rule and each fee and agreed to them, with timestamps and IPs.
Is: a paste-ready Additional Rules block that mirrors your itemized fee schedule.
Is not: an automatic-billing system. We don’t charge the guest; we don’t process refunds; we don’t talk to Airbnb’s billing.
Is not: a guarantee. Whether the Resolution Center, AirCover, or your insurer pays is at their discretion, on the file you submit.
Is not: a substitute for putting mandatory fees in Airbnb’s pricing fields or using Change Reservation when terms actually change.

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Airbnb fee compliance: disclose the right way