Extenuating Circumstances

[Paul60]

Hey all,

Hope all is well.

Can I ask re the extenuating circumstances page.

Can anybody recall if this line was always there or was it sneaked in afterwards to suit Airbnb snake moves?

https://www.airbnb.ie/help/article/1320/what-if-i-need-to-cancel-because-of-an-emergency-or-unavoida...

' There’s no required documentation for these circumstances, but our specialised team will review each case to confirm that you’re directly affected.'

[Debra300]

@Paul60,

Yes, something like that verbiage has always been in the EC policy.  What's getting many hosts up in a dander is the COVID-19 EC policy where a guest only has to "attest" that they have to cancel due to COVID-19.

[Mark396]

Paul,@Paul60
 
If you want to see how things used to look, just learn to use the Wayback Machine:  www.archive.org :

Extenuating Circumstances Wayback Record

Here's the page you're referring to back in 2018:
 
https://web.archive.org/web/20180330043027/https://www.airbnb.ie/help/article/1320/what-if-i-need-to...
 
At that time there was nowhere to be found the words "no required" and also no word "pandemic".
 
I pointed out this second change  before, as well as the differences in the definition of "pandemic" vs "endemic", which was the wording of the page before covid19 "Pandemic". 
 

Here:  https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/COVID-19-Discussions/Refund-discussion-no-venting/m-p/1308760#M6...
 
Strangely, this exact page (URL) was only archived in 2018 and 2020....not sure why...my guess is they changed the URL in between and probably the language as well, but I'm not sure.
 
Here's the language that illustrates those points, in order, from the 2018 version:
 
1.  Instances of "require" in 2018:
 
"We generally require claims to be submitted no later than 14 days from the original check-in date and we may require valid supporting documentation."
 
The entire word "required" does not appear anywhere.
 
2.  Instances of "Pandemic":  none.   Instances of "Endemic" :  one  :
 
"Endemic disease declared by a credible national or international authority (such as the US Centres for Disease Control or the World Health Organization)
 
Hope that helps.  If someone else can find the "real"  pages for "extenuating circumstances" between 2018 and 2020, please give us a shout.  Thanks!

[Huma0]

According to a video I saw by a legal firm offering arbitration services to hosts, the word 'pandemic' was slipped into the EC policy on 13th March.

[Huma0]

If you want more detail RE the changes to the policy (which the law firm says they noticed in late March), see here. Although it's a long article, it does cover exactly what they noticed had changed:

https://www.traverselegal.com/blog/did-airbnb-breach-its-terms-by-refunding-guests-under-its-extenua...

[Jen89]

Previously the wording said (and I am sure that a message from Airbnb endorsed this) that documentation would be required for cancelling a reservation under Covid EC policy in order for the guest to get a full refund (cash.)  It would seem however that guests are abusing this and telephoning Airbnb to cancel a reservation and being positively encouraged to use the EC policy even when truthfully it is not a viable reason.  Anything goes at the moment as long as the guest is kept happy!