Burned by Covid Cancellation Policy

[Deirdre12]

Hello fellow hosts,

This past Sunday I was on the sidelines of my 9-year-old son's first flag football game when I got a worrying message from my incoming guest. He had booked months ago, and was now due to arrive in 3 days from the UK, and stay for 11 nights, with a payout to me of thousands of dollars.  He and his family were flying in from the UK and they had just taken their required pre-flight Covid tests and their daughter had tested positive. Now, he wrote, they would not be permitted to fly for another 10 days.  Could I give him a refund or could he push the reservation to a later date? I have a "strict" cancellation policy that prevents last minute cancellations with refunds, so I wrote back that I really felt for him and I was so sorry he was stuck in England, but no, I could not refund or push the dates, as either way, I would be losing the money for the dates he had originally booked, and I rely on that money to pay the house's expenses, and I would be unlikely to find another guest so close to the check in date.  I suggested that he cancel as soon as possible to free up the dates so I could try to rent them to another guest, and if so, I would happily refund him for any dates booked, of course.

Well, stupid me, I was unaware that Airbnb has a Covid Extenuating Circumstances Policy that states that if you show a positive Covid test within 14 days of the trip, you may cancel without penalty or payout, no matter the host's cancellation policy.

So the guest just went to Airbnb, sent the positive Covid test, and Airbnb cancelled the reservation.  3 days before the check in date for an 11-day stay.  No penalty for him, no payout for me.  I got no help from Airbnb despite repeated calls, conversations and emails.  

I had long assumed, from a cursory read of the updated Airbnb policies, that a guest could no longer cancel by blaming Covid.  But I was wrong, of course. It turns out that the positive test is the only remaining way you can cancel.  But it's a VERY easy way -- just send in a Word document -- and it also guarantees that the cancellation will be last minute, which is the worst thing for hosts, since the test must be within 14 days of the stay.

It goes without saying that of course I wouldn't want someone who has tested positive for Covid to travel.  Of course.  But that doesn't make the consequences from a guest's pre-travel Covid test my responsibility.  Knowing he was flying internationally, from a place that has travel restrictions into the US due to Covid, the guest could have booked a house with a flexible cancellation policy, or he could have purchased travel insurance. He did neither. Instead he -- and more importantly Airbnb -- essentially expected ME to act as his travel insurance.

There was a lot of blowback in the early days of the pandemic after Airbnb allowed guests to cancel without penalty.  In response, Airbnb set up a fund to reimburse hosts for 25% of their cancellation policy, which was not much but at least something.  Post all that, Airbnb has talked a big game about trying to be better about supporting hosts.  But if they were serious about that, why didn't Airbnb just keep the Covid fund going if they were still going to allow guests to cancel without penalty due to a positive Covid test?  (You are not allowed to cancel due to other surprise illnesses or injuries.)  Why, as usual, are hosts expected to carry the entire burden of Covid on our shoulders? Why doesn't Airbnb just require guests to either purchase trip insurance, or forgo their right to get a refund due to Covid?  Or I am sure there are a million other ideas, any of which are better than making the host shoulder the entire cost. 

But what really worries me is what happens going forward. Because now I realize that there is a way for guests to easily circumvent my cancellation policy by either sending Airbnb a legit positive Covid test, or just sending a Word doc that looks like a Covid test.  So, what if someone books my house for weeks or months, blocking it months ahead of time, and then cancels with a positive Covid test 3 days before the check in date?   Sure, it may be unlikely that someone would do that, but my point is that Airbnb allows it.  And then I would have no recourse and I would really be in trouble financially. 

At the end of the day, this whole experience just once again makes me resent Airbnb and it makes me want to try to get bookings on other platforms that don't micromanage me and get in the way of how I want to do business.

Thanks for letting me vent and for listening. 

[Mary996]

Great question @Huma0

We could reasonably ask for evidence of a genuine personalised covid result to be provided to our Agents Airbnb... surely??? 

[Huma0]

@Mary996 

One would hope so, but it's Airbnb CS who take that decision, not the hosts, and we are not party to this, so we have no way of knowing if they are actually checking evidence or even requiring it in the first place. The reason I am skeptical about this is that we know that for a while at least, guest were only asked to 'attest' to it, i.e. 'I have COVID, I promise," and that's all.

[Huma0]

@Mary996 

I was on the phone to Airbnb CS today trying to get a full refund for yet another guest who booked and then wanted to cancel because she was worried about the UK going into lockdown. Like so many, she had just assumed that any COVID related reason would result in an automatic refund. 

While I was on the phone the rep brought up the EC policy of refunding guests with COVID. I asked him if CS requires evidence. He said, "Absolutely. We require a positive test result with the guest's name on it."

Hopefully, this is something that is standard procedure and not just up to the individual rep. I got a very strong feeling from the way the conversation turned that the guest I mentioned in an earlier post was going to try to get a refund on the basis that he had COVID. As I haven't heard back from him RE his test result, it's quite possible that he tried and failed because he couldn't produce the documentation (he didn't have COVID, he cancelled because he didn't want to quarantine if his Day 2 test came back positive).

[Mary996]

That is very interesting @Huma0.

I honestly believe that we do have an influence here and I am sure that things may have tightened up as a result of our conversations... so there is now no room for equivalence.

Afterall we want our Agents to be the very best they can be. Likewise this motivates me to want to present my property in the best way possible and to be a really good Host and I've been feeling a bit down and despondent about it mainly due to the issue of bills in Winter. I'd love to have folk working from home but in T shirt and shorts with all the heaters full blast??? There's a conflict of interest which I need to think about. Anyway I'd better start a new post on the matter as this is off topic. But I do feel really cheered by your news @Huma0. Thanks. Morale boost!! 

[Huma0]

@Mary996 

Yes, that is another issue worth discussing, especially during this energy crisis.

[Mary996]

Thanks @Huma0

I'll start a new topic. There have been poss solutions discussed already! 

[Deirdre12]

@Mary996 The guest has to send in a positive Covid test result.  

But again, this documentation is extremely easy to fabricate.

And a friend of mine just had a situation where it wasn't the guest or the guest's family who had Covid, but someone she had invited to the trip.  The guest sent that person's positive Covid test and Airbnb refunded the full amount (and only 3 days before check in date so my friend will likely not be able to rebook the dates).

[Huma0]

@Deirdre12 

Yes, I think that the EC applies if anyone in the group gets COVID, but at least now they are asking for some kind of documentation, rather than just an 'attestation'.

I had a guest who wanted to cancel. He was entitled to a partial refund and I said I would refund him for any rebooked dates, but he wasn't satisfied with that.

He said it was because his work trip was cancelled. When I asked him why his employer wouldn't cover it, he changed the story and said the work trip wasn't cancelled but he didn't want to come anymore because his brother (whom he didn't live with) was vulnerable. Then he said his girlfriend was vulnerable. So, the story kept changing and I didn't believe him anymore. I explained to him over and over about the EC policy and why he was not eligible, as he had booked after March.

So, he called Airbnb and they immediately issued a full refund. The only reason for him to be entitled to that was if he had COVID, which I knew he didn't. He couldn't have been asked for any proof, because this all happened in minutes. 

I called Airbnb to ask what was going on. They wouldn't tell me what reason the guest had given but said he fell under the EC. When I asked if he had been required to provide evidence, they said yes, the guest is asked to write it in a message. Oh great. That's concrete evidence isn't it? The guest writes saying "I have COVID, I promise," and the refund is issued.

Now, CS assures me, they require actual proof but, as you said, how do they verify that it's real?

[Helen427]

New Zealand lags way behind you folk internationally, we have only just in the last week had Lateral Flow Tests available through Pharmacies..

@Deirdre12 @Huma0 @Mary996@Max144 @Airbnb @Catherine-Powell 

and others

Factoring into account Lateral Flow Tests (LFT) are a Biohazard when used, how do you dispose of them responsibly as we don't need them polluting our lands or oceans?

Disposing them in Household rubbish is an unacceptable solution.

With all the Technology out there, why have the Scientists not come up with an Environmentally friendly solution?

It's a shame people no longer use a Thermometer to check their Temperature as every home used to have one and know how to sterilize them, or was it because of the Mercury in them they stopped encouraging the use of them.

[Sarah977]

@Helen427  People still use thermometers at home, not sure why you think they don't. They are now digital, much easier to use than holding it under your tongue.

[Helen427]

How many of you are aware that when areas go into Lockdowns and one gets multiple Cancellations one's listing is Red Flagged and may be subjected to restricted notifications?

[Mary996]

Might this explain @Helen427  no further requests to my daughter since a Guest transferred by mutual agreement given his high consumption of power? Was in T shirt and shorts despite cold weather outside.  I wore my lumpy jumper... but no hint was taken!!!

[Helen427]

Perhaps at the same time we should be addressing the wider societal issues of ''Short Term Rentals'' and related Ordinance matters as they all tie in together, e.g  Housing.

There seems to be a focus on Anti Tourists and people movement of which Platforms used like Airbnb are blamed instead of looking at the positive contributions, how people who travel for whatever reason, mainly 'Tourists' are to blame for impacts on the environment we all live in.

How accurate is the methodology and modelling been used by those within Academic Institutions that various Governments and Councils are using in general terms?

Did you find these issues also surfaced like a domino in your regions?

@Mary996 @Deirdre12 @Huma0 

[Mary996]

There's a tolerance in my area as we actually have a lot of social housing. Big houses used in a variety of ways and with some density so there's a capacity been reached on this south facing hillside overlooking the city and the sea. We co-exist @Helen427.

I acknowledge your point about possible hostilities. This does come into play in more remote parts of Wales when Foreigners or "the English" take on the majority of properties for holidaying in but leave them empty off season destroying any sense of community. 

[Raveena3]

I see many people have been burned by this policy which is absolute bulls***... how this is allowed to continue is absolutely beyond me. I got a Xmas week cancellation 2 days before the start of the booking, which means no way i could get another guest in such a short time (especially since Airbnb took 2 days to review the case so only released my calendar on the 23rd of December).  The host produced a positive result for her unnamed "boyfriend", I can dig up 10 positive results from my friends and claim that it is my boyfriend, and again no compensation to the host, the guest gets all the benefit and none of the responsibility, and as hosts we don't even have the option to choose if we would like to abide by the Covid policy or not. What is the point of having hosts choose their cancellation policy if Airbnb can overrule it anytime they want for whatever reason they want? It has become a convenient excuse to circumvent all our cancellation policies and it is simply unacceptable.