Hosts able to cancel bookings from COVID-19 hot-spots penalty free

[Chris1492]

I am a UK based Superhost. My property is approx 250 miles (400km) from London, the (current) UK number one hotspot for COVID-19. The small town in which I live is close to the bottom of the national COVID-19 infection table.

I have a week-long booking from a London person due to start week commencing 06 April (so next week, as I write this). In the email associated with the booking the person says they are coming to visit their parents.

The official UK Government position on this sort of travel is clear: it should not be taking place. We are all being told to "...stay at home..." and specifically, not to "...visit friends and family...". To be doing this from the nation's number one hotspot demonstrates a cavalier disregard for official advice (and common sense).

I do not want to host this booking. I do not want to support someone who is so blatantly going against official Government advice.

However, it seems there is no provision by Airbnb that allows me to cancel this booking, without damaging my Superhost status? As a host I have never, ever canceled any booking (until now).

It is possible that the Government may impose further restrictions and the problem may solve itself. However, I have a gut feeling that the guest will not cancel and it will be up to me to take action.

It seems to me that my only option is to process the cancellation and take whatever penalty Airbnb decides to impose on my Superhost status.

It all seems very wrong and unfair. Does anyone have any experience or advice to offer? Greatly received - thank you.         

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Chris1492 well done, though.

You did the right thing.

There is no way this guest should be travelling now.

[Chris1492]

Update:

1) I raised a request with support via message. I didn't get any other than an automated response, which didn't answer the issue raised.

2) After a couple of days I phoned and actually managed to get through after only 5 mins on hold. Spoke to a really helpful person who could not do enough to help. He canceled the booking at their end and confirmed that he had tweaked my Superhost settings, so my status would not be impacted.

3) I answered the messaged I had raised a couple of days previously, thanking them for their assistance and got a personal response.

4) A couple of days later my Superhost status was reconfirmed, as per normal message.

So, all well - but only because I raised it with them directly by phone - that's what did the trick.

[Hugh124]

I am a super host based in Scotland.  I have had to cancel a booking due to the fact that there were three guests from three different households.  As we all know UK Government states only two households can meet up.  I went through the airbnbn and although the booking has been cancelled, the dates still remain blocked in the diary, with a message from airbnb stating "You canceled this reservation, and the guest has. even refunded.  These dates have been blocked to help avoid future cancellations".  This potentially stops future bookings on these dates for guests that do fall into the Covid rules. You will all have received an email stating that hosts having to cancel because of Covid Restrictions will not be penalised.  Surely we are being penalised by not allowing those dates to be unblocked.  I have contacted the Support Centre, they were useless.  Does anyone have a UK phone number I can contact them.  The last time I called them about 9 months ago to resolve an issue, it cost me £110 from a landline!!!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Hugh124 The UK number for Airbnb can be found in the 'contact' post pinned to the top of the help section in this forum.

Just one minot point. The UK Government does not set the rules on households. These are devolved to local administrations so your rules come from the Scottish Government. As a result I don't think even 2 households are allowed anymore so you may have more need of the number going forward.

[Hugh124]

Hi Mike and Jane, thanks for the info.  I know re Scottish Government rules etc and also at the time of posting, two households were allowed to meet inside.  It is all so fluid. 

Maybe I am being a bit dim but I still can't see the number.

Thanks

Angela

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Hugh124 Here you go

United Kingdom

+44 203 318 1111