Coronavirus: cancelling guests bookings past 14 April 2020

[Frances52]

My partner and I are in high risk group so we want to cancel guest bookings and refund guests, and temporarily shut down our listing until further notice. However we can't afford the usual penalties and many of our bookings are during busy period, so after 14 April where Abnb's current extenuating circumstances won't cover. I wrote to Abnb help but got a link to the extenuating circumstances policy, so not any help at all. Our listings are at our home. So if we can't cancel guest bookings, our efforts at social distancing/limit interactions or self-isolate will be useless. What can we do?

[Teresa1392]

That is so unfair of them.  I have just cancelled our three month trip through Italy and Airbnb kept over $500 in booking fees and there is no one to contact, email or phone. Very frustrating. I feel really bad for all the hosts like yourself. I would rather they gave the fees to the hosts.  Good luck. Stay safe and healthy. 

[Frances52]

@Teresa1392 

I'm sorry to hear you lost hefty booking fees.

Some of my guests who cancelled got both refund and service fee returned.

This is what I'm talking against with Airbnb but so far the messages to support, the #shameairbnb on Twitter have not resulted in anything.

Really Airbnb needs to let guests and hosts cancel due to covid 19 with full refund for guests, no penalties to hosts, REGARDLESS OF WHEN THEY BOOKED AND WHEN THE STAY IS. 

This drip feed roll out of full refund policy with limitations about when booked and when stay is for are costing guests and hosts unfairly, because not everyone is able to navigate how to cancel, what qualifies and what doesn't. The restrictions are confusing. I myself after writing to some guests initiated cancellations and racked up 3 penalties, for US$50, US$100 and US$150. Now I'm taking to handling each guest's reservations on one by one basis,  depending on what Airbnb policy is at the moment, and offering cancellation upfront (with 50% refund as standard policy and promising I'll pay them balance as refund when I get it from Airbnb) or asking them to use covid-19 cancellation procedure if they qualify for refund that way. 

[Irene879]

@Frances52 

You could try a writing to your upcoming guests and asking them to cancel because of your situation and the coronavirus pandemic. I'm sure most people would understand at this point, don't you think?

[Frances52]

@Irene879 @Yes. Ive done that. The pain is the airbnb restrictions regards when they booked and when the stay is for in order to qualify for full refund

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Frances52 

contact your guests, explain the situationa and ask them to cancel . tell them they will be fully refunded.

If guests don't want to do that then just wait, I am sure Airbnb will extend their cancelation policy after April 14 because there is no chance this pandemic will be over until then.

[Frances52]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 

Thank you for your suggestions. I can see that Airbnb has extended full refund cancellations up to 1 June. So my guests that fall within that stay period are cancelling using this link: 

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/2728/what-options-do-i-have-for-cancelling-a-reservation-for-a...

I can't imagine that as long as situation persists, Airbnb will not extend again and again. Some guests willing to wait and see when policy is updated to do cancellations. Others want to do it now and get 50% refund now. For these guests I am making separate individual arrangement to transfer balance to them when Airbnb pays me. While we too, like many others, worry about mortgage, we can't conscienably take money and penalise guests at this time. 

[Yadira22]

Hi @Frances52 

@hope you are well. Ask your guest to consider a mutual cancellation. 

You insist they initiate the cancellation process and state the need for this to happen. In exchange you will ensure that they get a full refund via the Airbnb messages. 

Meaning that once they are issued their refund based on the cancellation policy, you can assist with providing a full refund and confirm with them and Airbnb that this is being processed. This could take up to 15 days before the money shows up on their accounts. 

Good luck and please stay safe! 
Yadira