Determining if you’re an individual or business host

In order to comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations, as well as regional consumer protection laws, we need to know if you’re hosting as a business – or if you’re setting up a personal, individual account. Airbnb is not able or required to determine your status, so the following information may help you to determine your status.

In general, hosting as a business means that you’re registered as a business with your government. This is true for hosts in the United States, and in many countries worldwide. However,
in certain countries and circumstances, business registration is optional or not available – or there are other factors that determine whether you’re hosting as a business or not.

Hosts in the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK and Switzerland

Hosting as an individual

You’re typically an individual host if hosting on Airbnb isn’t your primary profession or source of income. For example, hosting on Airbnb is a side activity, or your accommodation is only listed occasionally on Airbnb, like when you are away on holiday.

Hosting as a business

You’re typically hosting as a business if:

• Hosting on Airbnb is your primary profession or source of income, or if you’re part of an established business, like a boutique hotel or property management company.
• You host as a company, sole trader, sole proprietor or partnership.
• Your hosting business is registered with a government business registry.
• You’re registered for Value-Added Tax (VAT) purposes.
• You regularly host on Airbnb over a longer period of time in order to make a profit.

This list isn’t exhaustive and other factors such as the number of listings and/or the number of bookings you receive may be taken into account to determine your status. If you’re unsure about your status as a host, we recommend seeking advice from a lawyer or other legal advisor.

Display requirements

For hosts in these countries, your status (individual or business) will be shown on your listing(s) to guests in the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK and Switzerland.

You can find additional information about display requirements for hosts in the EU, and how to display additional business details if you’re based in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the UK or Switzerland.

Hosts in South Korea

If you’re hosting in South Korea, find out about the requirements and obligations on hosts in South Korea, and learn about transaction thresholds and potential legal sanctions for non-compliance.

Hosts in Brazil

If you’re hosting in Brazil, find out about Brazil tax data requirements and what it means to host as a business.

Adding or changing your status

As a host, you’ll be prompted either during the listing creation process or at a later stage to declare yourself as either a business or individual host. If your circumstances change and you need to update your status, contact us to let us know.