What Are Locked Fields on Airbnb?
Airbnb has a feature called attribute locking, which prevents certain listing fields from being updated via API. This means that when you make specific changes directly in Airbnb, those fields become locked and can no longer be updated automatically through your property management software (PMS), including Hospitable.
In other words, once a field is locked, only updates made directly on Airbnb will apply. Any changes you make through Hospitable will be ignored for that specific field.
How Does It Work?
Whenever you edit certain parts of your listing directly on Airbnb, those fields automatically become “locked.” You don’t need to manually lock them, Airbnb handles this behind the scenes.
Anyone who can edit a listing on Airbnb (such as property owners, main hosts, or co-hosts) can trigger this behaviour by editing a supported field.
Which Fields Can Be Locked?
Not every field can be locked by Airbnb, but the following are currently eligible:
Listing details: title, summary, “The space,” “Guest access,” and “Interaction with guests” sections
Amenities
Location details: coordinates and address (street, city, state, ZIP code, country)
Check-in and check-out instructions
House rules
What Happens When a Field Is Locked?
If a field is locked, any changes sent from Hospitable to Airbnb via the API will be ignored for that particular field.
For example:
You update your listing description in Hospitable.
We push the update to Airbnb.
Airbnb keeps the version you edited directly on its platform, ignoring Hospitable’s update.
This can result in some fields not syncing as expected, even if you’ve recently made updates in Hospitable.
How to Unlock a Field
If you’d like Hospitable to manage a field again (so that updates flow from Hospitable to Airbnb), you’ll need to unlock it from your Airbnb account.
Here’s how:
Log in to your Airbnb account.
Go to Listings.
Select the listing you want to adjust.
Click Edit preferences.
Choose Property management software.
Under “Not currently managed by Hospitable,” you’ll see a list of locked fields.
Click Manage from Hospitable instead.
Confirm by selecting Yes, allow.
Done! That field can now be updated through Hospitable again.
Summary
Airbnb’s locked fields feature gives hosts more control over specific listing details, but it also means that some changes made in Hospitable may not appear on Airbnb if those fields are locked.
If you notice that updates aren’t syncing, check your Airbnb account’s property management software settings to see if the affected fields are locked. If so, unlock them to allow Hospitable to manage them again.