I booked + paid an apartment 1 hour ago and host will not give me the address

[Lisa5143]

I have just booked and paid for an apartment in Perth 1 hour ago and the host said he will not release the address til the day before i arrive. This appears to be very suss so i went to cancel and re-book with another host but he is charging me 50% of the total booking.  Is this normal ? how can i get a full refund and book with someone else?? Lisa

[Rowena29]

@Lisa5143  I am really confused.

A quick look at your profile indicates you have done some hosting yourself as well as having been a guest previously also

Surely you are familiar with the protocols of cancellation policies  ( which you are shown and you indicate that you agree to prior to booking)  and the ability to see an address in the confirmation email airbnb provides?

I'm aware that if the trip is sometime away the address is not always immediately provided, but if you only qualify for a 50% refund if you cancel now, that suggests that the trip is  quite soon.

The host sounds inexperienced and confused rather than dubious.

I'm sorry but to me this sounds like naivety on the  of both of you, not grounds for a cancellation, unless I am misunderstanding something.  

Check your confirmation email from airbnb.  worst case scenario, ring customer support and have a chat with them. I'm sorry but it sounds like a bit of a storm in a teacup to me.  If I've misinterpreted, do clarify with further information so other hosts and guests can offer more specific advice.

Regards

[Lisa5143]

Thanks for your feedback Rowena  - this was the message i received back when asking for the address because yes we are travelling within 4 days. The confirmation email from air bnb did not have the address so i asked the host and below is the reply. 

'Hi Lisa,
I hope you are well!
Unfortunately we cannot give you the exact address for security reasons until one day before your arrival, I can only tell you that the property is on Mount Lawley, I hope this helps you to have an idea about the location.
Would you be able to provide me with a little more information about yourself and your plans for your stay?
As we look after the property remotely, we don't get to meet our guests so this is a great way to get to know you better.
Have a lovely day!
James' Support Team'

I am simply not comfortable is the address cannot be revealed due to security issues.

--Lisa

[Lisa5143]

* if the address

[Lisa5143]

PS i had already responded to previous questioning that we where travelling to drop our daughter at university.

[Helen3]

Some hosts withhold their address for security reasons @Lisa5143 . Personally I can’t see why. 

What did Airbnb say when you spoke to them?  Are they going to follow up with the host regarding the address?

I agree wanting to cancel without making a call to Airbnb to resolve seems  rather an over reaction. 

[Paul1255]

@Lisa5143 

Hosts have the option for the address details to be given to a guest:

-as soon as their booking is confirmed 

or 

-48 hours after their booking is confirmed 

So you’ll receive the address well before your stay starts if it’s still 4 days away.

[Lisa5143]

Thanks Mark - but he has said no address til 24 hours before arrival.

[Helen3]

So what did Airbnb say @Lisa5143 ? 

@Paul1255  I think you are a little confused not disclosing the address for 48 hours only applies when a guest books two weeks or more in advance.  

@Lisa5143  said her travel is in four days time.

[Rowena29]

@Lisa5143 I'll admit I"m not completely up to speed with the timings of when airbnb release the address to guests ( they often change without letting us know) but unless there is a glitch in the system I'm almost certain that airbnb will provide the address via email more than a day out ( what the host says he'll do is irrelevant).

Personally I don't entirely agree with your hosts approach, but given that he is a remote host, I can see his concern for caution.  There have been cases of burglary as well as guests  having drugs and weapons delivered to hosts addresses, all sorts of nefarious activities.  

I can see it's all a bit irritating, but I'm still  not entirely sure I can see why you'd need to cancel even if it was only 24 hours notice? unless you felt that didn't give you enough time to plan - but the map  with the listing marked should show you an area within about a 5 - 10 min radius. I genuinely do not find at all suspicious. What could the host possibly be hiding? I think he is just being  very cautious.  

Still if you are really uncomfortable ring CS as @Helen3 keeps suggesting and see what their response is.

[Stuart154]

One reason for not publishing the address is if the host is infriging local by-laws. It sounds like you are booking the entire place (i.e. the host is not present).  Some Perth councils require such properties to be registered as a short stay business, although I don't know about Sterling (the Mt Lawley council).

Perhaps the host is hoping to fly under the radar by not releasing the address to speculative guests who might subsequently cancel.

Just a thought and it does not really make sense to me...

[Colleen253]

@Lisa5143  The host must have a strict cancellation policy, and your stay is close, which is why you are being charged the 50% for cancelling.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Community-Center-Updates/An-update-on-changes-to-the-Strict-canc...

Hosts have the option to tick a box that specifies address won't be given until after the free 48 hr cancellation grace period is past. Otherwise, address should be revealed to you with your booking confirmation details. Not sure how this host could adjust this setting otherwise. He may just not realize Airbnb releases it with the booking. 

Why do you feel it necessary to cancel? The general location of the property is available on the listing, and is fairly specific, specific enough that you should be able to plan your travel there easily enough, without the exact address. 

[Sarah977]

@Lisa5143  There's nothing suspect about this. The host seems to have sent you a friendly message. Many hosts have had issues with guests showing up hours before stated check-in time if they are given the address earlier, so that may be the reason.