Airbnb froze my account and kept my $1,000. Can you help?

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

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.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.

© 2026 Christopher Elliott