Active reservation was cancelled by airbnb due to covid but someone checked in

[Gigi69]

Hi hosts! I have been hosting now for several years, every year is harder and I want to congratulate all hosts for pushing through. This week an Airbnb representative cancelled and refunded in full while the reservation was on going without calling me. The guest asked airbnb to cancelled the reservation due to someone on the party having covid this was same day check in. She received the check in instructions and the reservation stayed active for 3 days. Then I get a message from the support department notifying me that the reservation was cancelled and a full refund was approved. 

1. The representative never called me or informed me. Airbnb has always said that if an active reservation is altered they have to contact both parties. 

2. The guards have a checked in form filled for that unit. 

3. I asked the airbnb representative to call me immediately as someone was in the unit and he just cancelled the payout without further investigation.

Is beginning to weight on me this types of decisions and ambiguity when it comes to the powers of airbnb representatives impacting my livelihood without even double checking with me. This month airbnb has cancelled all reservations for this unit either same day or in this case active reservation on the same listing due to COVID. 

Has anyone had the same issues? I find it extremely stressful to keep up with my bills as I can't relied on anything, not the calendar, not the cancellation policy, not on airbnb double checking information provided by a guest. 

[Huma0]

@Gigi69 

I know your post is a few weeks old now, but if it's any consolation, COVID-19 is no longer a part of the extenuating circumstances policy: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/1320/extenuating-circumstances-policy

Of course, it doesn't help for the cancellations you got prior to 31st May.

It seems bizarre to me how Airbnb CS has handled this situation because it's completely contradictory.

1. Guest informed Airbnb on the date of check in that someone in his/her party had COVID and they wanted to cancel. Fine. However, those guests should then never have stayed and, if they did, which you had proof of, you are entitled to at least the nights that they did stay. Even if they had to cancel during their stay due to COVID (which is obviously not the case as they reported it on day one), you should have been paid for the nights they stayed. Seeing as they requested the refund and then went on to stay there, I would think you are entitled to a full payment because they were clearly abusing the Extenuating Circumstances policy.

2. If the guests are claiming they never stayed, and Airbnb is disregarding/not believing your proof, what justification at all do they have for cancelling all the other reservations for the month for that unit? The only reason to do this is if the guest with COVID actually stayed there!

It would be great to know the outcome of your situation. It sounds really unfair and if you haven't yet had a resolution to it/received your money (personally I think you should be compensated also for the other cancelled bookings if indeed no one with COVID stayed) I would continue to badger Airbnb CS about this, quoting their own policy back to them.