If the expiration time is indeed statically defined at the check-out time, then anything goes, but that seems a little bit complex. As I have learned at my expense in the other thread, it is probably best not to assume basic things from Airbnb.
In my view and that is what I am testing now, a review expires 14 days from the moment the review is created. As I am sure you have experienced, reviews are created at different times. That is why you cannot compare between different reviews. One can be more delayed than the other.
I am looking at two listings now. One was created at 23:39:56 UTC and the other at 23:23:47 UTC. This means the host received the initial alert asking them to write a review at those exact times. Two listings, two bookings, same check-out time, different reviews, and quite important time difference.
I believe reviews start to be created at the check-out time (so all reviews for listings with a check-out at 10:00 UTC are created at the same time). When the season is busy, lots of review to create, it can take some time and the difference can be very high (so the explanation of the guestâs timezone might work, but only up to a point). However, now it is a low in the season, so the difference from the actual check-out time prescribed in the listing is :39 and :23 minutes respectively.
Anyway, the matter is solved from my part in 2 hours.
But just because the prompt to review is received later doesnât necessarily mean the deadline is different. The checkout time can still be the impetus.
It absolutely can indeed.
It would however add another level to consider the deadline for reviews is different from the guest or hosts perspective. I believe it is is irreconcilable with the fact that reviews are double-blind.
What bugs me is that on the API, the review of the host (reviewing the guest) doesnât reference any listing. The review of the host doesnât âknowâ when or where the guests stayed or any timezones. It only âknowsâ when it was created.
Itâs not though⌠because even if they expire at different times (which was DEFINITELY the case with my party girl guest) they wonât both be visible until the expiration of BOTH.
What about when emails are delayed though? I had a guest once contact me through gmail and I didnât recieve until the next day. The same reason I donât want to rely solely on Airâs messaging system.
Are you going by the time you receive the email in your message box? Or does email show the exact time something was initially sent?
I have reviewed your messages and I cannot understand in detail what happened. A few theories are floated: may I ask what is yours and what would be define the expiration time for the guestâs review?
As for the reviews I am watching, one of them due to expire in 20 minutes (if the check-out theory is right) has a review from the guest. It has not been public yet.
To determine when a review was created, I look at what the review is on Airbnbâs API (which is not public and not documented). This is one of the reviews I am looking at tonight.
"author_id": the_host_id,
"can_be_edited": true,
"comments": "",
"created_at": "2016-09-30T23:23:47Z", <= The moment the review was created by Airbnb
"id": the_review_id,
"listing_id": null,
"recipient_id": the_guest_id
Sorry, Smart! I guess I wasnât clear. I am in Hawaii. I am three hours behind PST, the time of my guest expiration. So hers expired at midnight her time, 9PM my time. After 9PM she could not have reviewed me, but I could have reviewed her ! (however, I wasnât sure and didnât want to take a chance so I submitted mineat 8:58 my time.)
She was expired at 9 and could not review me.
Just to make sure, I tried with my next guests, who were also in SF, three hoursâ difference. Same thing. I could review them until midnight my time, but after 9 their time, they could not review. Why? That would be after midnight, after the expiration.
Mind you this was in 2015, so things might have changed.
You know Smart, I am beginning to think this is an inexact science, as we have heard different things from different reps, and now as you say, the API⌠might say something entirely different.
That is an interesting one. So in your experience, the cut-off hour would not be check-out time for the listing, but midnight in the timezone of origin, 14 days after the check-out date?
For the sake of my own bedtime, I hope you are wrong 
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Hence the experiment !
If it is public in 15 minutes: check-out time theory works.
If it is public 14 days after the created_at field: the 1 209 600 seconds works.
If it is still public after that still: the midnight theory works
Hopefully, there wonât be any 4th theory in between 
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YES!!! This came directly from an Air rep! But we all know they can be wrong and will say anything to get you off the phone. It did work however!
Did you specify a check-out time on your listing at that time?
Past check-out time, both hosts reviews can still be edited. No change on the guestâs side: the review waiting to be published is still embargoed.
Yep⌠That is why I donât think it is really check out time. Yes. I do have a check out time, and did at that time.
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The review referenced above can no longer be edited, 1 209 600 seconds from the moment of its creation (which is impossible to actually plan without additional info). The matching review has been immediately published.
For me, the matter is settled. I have to change my code, but this means my âsneak attackâ mode can now very precisely send a message 9 seconds before the expiration time.
So it IS the checkout time? For both host and guest?
What this show is that it is impossible to reliably predict from the customer service or the host. Only the system can know for sure.
The review is created at a certain point of time (that starts, maybe, at the check-out time but there can be a significant delay depending on the number of reviews to create on that day and time).
Then, you add 14 days * 24 hours * 2600 seconds and you know down to the second when the review expires. After that time, the review has expired and the guest review, if applicable, will be immediately made public.
The best approximation for the host is to add that time to the moment you receive the email from Airbnb to inform you. As @cabinhost rightfully said, this is subject to email issues.
The same also applied for another review which was created at at :39. It expired at the exact second it was planned following the method above.
Well, I guess Iâm just another host who got bad info from Air on this matter. After smartâs findings, by my calculation, my review period expires at 11:40 tomorrowânot today.
My first Air email re reviewing arrived at 11:40 the day of check out. The 2-day warning review email arrived at 11:40 12 days later. The Air rep said that the review period expired on day 13 (yeah, that makes no sense) at 11:00 am which is our check out time. This even conflicted with their 2-day email that said weâd be unable to review after 10/15 (day 14).
So now Iâve prematurely posted my negative review giving the guest plenty of time to post theirs. Boo.
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