Airbnb hosts and guests in Costa Rica have until April 20th to accept the platform’s updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy if they want to continue booking stays or receiving reservations through the site. The company quietly rolled out the changes for new users this month and will extend them to all existing users globally, including Costa Rica, from 20 April, according to its online Help Center.
After that date, anyone who created an account before 5 February will be asked to review and accept the updated Terms and acknowledge the revised Privacy Policy the next time they use Airbnb. Airbnb warns that users who do not complete this step will be unable to continue booking stays, receive future bookings, or use host tools on the platform. Existing confirmed reservations made before 20 April will still be governed by the previous Terms and Payments Terms, but any new activity on the platform will fall under the updated rules once they are accepted.
The Privacy Policy update sets how the company will collect and use personal data from April 20th onward and will apply to all continued use of the platform, even for long‑time users in Costa Rica. Airbnb notes that, regardless of whether a user actively clicks “accept,” use of the platform after the effective date is subject to the updated privacy conditions.
While Airbnb has not explicitly announced automatic account deletion for users who refuse the new terms, the company makes clear that access to key features will be blocked until the updated documents are accepted. The platform’s general policies also state that terminated accounts cannot expect automatic restoration of access or content once an agreement ends.
The deadline comes as Costa Rica’s short‑term rental sector adapts to evolving local tax and registration requirements, which already oblige many Airbnb hosts to formalize their operations. Hosts who rely heavily on the platform for bookings could see their listings effectively sidelined if they do not act before April 20th.
Airbnb users in Costa Rica are encouraged to log in during the coming weeks, review the updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy in full, and seek legal or tax advice if they have questions about how the changes interact with their local obligations.
