Airbnb Policy on Coronavirus

[Jim402]

WHAT ARE AIRBNB PLAYING AT?!!!!

My government (UK) has decreed  that myself, as a 74 year old host,  must self isolate for four months from this weekend (21/3/20).

And what is Airbnb's response? It is that if I so do I shall be punished! Unbelievable!

A self isolation friend of mine is leaving Airbnb because this is what Airbnb have done to her.

I'm sorry, but unless I have got this wrong (and if I have will someone from Airbnb please explain)  Airnbnb have some rapid clear thinking and explaining to do.

[Helen3]

This is a global crisis @Jim402 . We are all in the same boat. 

Why do you feel this is at Airbnb's door?

This is a community of hosts and guests if you want to speak to Airbnb you will need to contact them directly.

You can cancel bookings in line with Airbnb's EC policy for the virus up to mid April free of charge, and they are likely to extend this as the situation becomes clearer.

I have blocked out my calendar for the next two months.

[Chris232]

Likewise @Helen3 

I have blocked my calendar till the end of May, and will review the situation later.

Gives me the chance to build an additional en-suit, which will keep me outy of mischief.

If it gets worse then I will look at getting a short/long term Lodger

[Jim402]

I also have blocked all gaps in my calendar but I am not allowed to cancel existing bookings

[Jim402]

My reply to this post (which, incidentally, I found most unhelpful because it failed to take on board the issue in my original one) was blocked in a most peculiar fashion. Any explanations?

[Jim402]

whoops! I meant by this the reply by Helen3 in Bristol. Everyone else, thank you- your replies were very helpful. I must admit to having to resist getting paranoid here because all my attempts to bring up the issues of Airbnb to satisfactorily address issue were blocked. I spent half an hour trying to post and was told things like my post couldn't be put up because I used things like full stops and commas!

[Helen3]

No need to be rude @Jim402 

You asked a question which I tried to answer.  Just because you didn't like the reply doesn't mean that I didn't address your original question.

Rather amusingly when another host gave the same advice as I did i.e. cancel under EC and then wait for Airbnb to extend their EC policy , you said his reply was really helpful 😞

[Jim402]

My genuine apologies for coming across as rude. To be honest, I was a bit paranoid because my rants about Airbnb policy defects were being blocked and I thought you might be an Airbnb plant! Which was obviously disgraceful of me. I did disagree with your reaction but hey, let's not bother with that. All the best to you and take care.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Jim402 

I suggest you just cancel up to the date in April where it is allowed and then wait for Airbnb to update its policy which I am sure they will unless Government advice changes.

It might be sensible to message future guests to say that you will be cancelling them as Airbnb allows you to without penalty so they get some warning.

Finally it may be worth ringing customer support again and see if they will cancel for you under their normal EC rules which really should apply.

[Jim402]

OK, many thanks for that advice. I want to cancel for a minimum of three months but what you advise sounds very sensible. I may advise guests whom I don't cancel to do it themselves if I can assure them that when I get my cut I assure them as a legally binding contract that I shall re-imburse them.

[Jim402]

Yes it is working well apart from Airbnb penalising me for cancelling bookings that were later than March 14th. As a 74 year old meeting fulfilling government guidelines to self isolate I find this extraordinary and will need to reconsider my future with them However, I do appreciate that they are under enormous pressure. For example, the help line has been suspended so there is no appeal at present for their penalty decisions.

[Lezlee0]

I’m a host trying to cancel a guest’s booking.  When I try the message states I’ll be penalized.  The booking was made in November and is for April 12-14 which should be within the range to cancel penalty free.  Am I missing something from the policy states that both guests and hosts can cancel penalty free?  I’ve asked my guest to cancel and she won’t even though she said she doesn’t intend on keeping the reservation.  

[Sarah977]

@Lezlee0  Why is your guest refusing to cancel from their end? I just messaged my one and only guest still on the books to say I thought it best if she cancels because of the coronavirus, and she was totally amenable to it, agreeing that travel wasn't wise now. Her booking and arrival dates fell within the covered period, as your's does, she cancelled and received a full refund. Try telling this to your guest- that all she has to do is click on cancel, and she'll get a full refund.

@Jim402 Try messaging your guests and explaining your situation and ask them to please cancel from their end. Hopefully most will comply. If they only get a refund in line with your cancellation policy, you could tell them you will refund them as soon as you receive the payment, which should be within a day or two after their check-in date.

[Jim402]

I have completed my cancellations, thankfully. I have encountered problems regarding Airbnb's policy but their systems must be in meltdown at the moment so I forgive them!

[Lezlee0]

@Jim402and @Sarah977    I had 4 guests still on my books and messaged them asking if they were still coming to town.  All 4 of them responded kindly stating the reason they wouldn't be needing the reservation.  3 of them promptly canceled with a nice message.    The last one, Stephanie, did not cancel.  I waited a bit and asked her if she'd please cancel to free up my calendar.  She proceeded to tell me how selfish I am to think of my calendar when she, in the health care industry (she's a physical therapist) will cancel when they have time.  Her reservation was for her to be stopping though town moving from CA to Indiana....nothing to do with Health Care.  I responded asking her to please cancel.  She responded she doesn't have time.  I then stated it would take less time to have canceled than to respond.  She attached me more stating how selfish I was to focus on my calendar, etc and proceeded to say in the event support health care staff was called for reinforcement to CA she may need the reservation.  She was so offended and obstinant that I finally had to cancel her reservation trusting the policy stated by Airbnb was true that hosts can cancel.  It was scary because as you advance through the steps it threatens you repeatedly of losting super host status, posts on the wall, penalties, fees, etc every step of the way.  I forged through anyway and it froze my calendar.  I then had to wait 45 minutes on the line with Airbnb to get the penalties removed and the calendar cleared.  Oddly, I later learned this guest was also a host so I was disappointed she was unable to see the hosts side of this unfortunate situation.  All and all it was a negative time consuming process.