My host is asking me to cancel

[Gemma241]

I booked a 30 day Airbnb, as soon as I booked it my host asked me had I paid. Then straight away he told me to cancel as he is unavailable. If I cancel I automatically lose the first 30 days payment. I now have my money taken and nobody will contact me from Airbnb and this man will not cancel the reservation. Should I contact a lawyer?

[Helen350]

@Gemma241  It is your host's responsibility to cancel if HE is the one who is not available/made a mistake.  He will be fined $50 if the booking is some way off & $100 if it's soon, and he will lose Superhost status, if he is one. - But that's HIS fault, not yours! - This will be why he wants YOU to cancel... but why should you have to suffer the financial penalty? You've done nothing wrong!

Airbnb customer services are super busy right now, owing to Covid related issues, and the fact that they recently laid off 1,900 staff.... I would persist in contacting CS, use the messaging, they will respond eventually!

And maybe send your host a polite message to tell him it's HIS responsibility to cancel,  not yours!

Good luck!

[Elena87]

@Gemma241 

Don't panic but do follow the procedure in the link below to ensure you receive a full refund

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1250/what-should-i-do-if-my-host-needs-to-cancel

If your host let you know that they can’t accommodate your stay anymore, don’t cancel for them. If you cancel, you may not be eligible for a full refund depending on the host’s cancellation policy.

Instead, send your host a cancellation request to make sure you receive a full refund. To send a cancellation request:

1. Go to Trips and find the trip you want to cancel
2. Click Show trip details
3. Click Change or cancel
4. Click Cancel reservation 
5. Under Please select a reason, choose My host needs to cancel
6. Next to Did they say they can’t host you anymore? choose Yes 
7. Click Ask host to cancel

If your trip starts within a week, the host has 24 hours to respond to the request. Otherwise, they have 48 hours to respond. If your host accepts the request, or doesn’t respond, you’ll have the option to find a new space for your stay or request a full refund including service fees. If they decline the request, your host is letting you know that they can still host your stay.

[Debra300]

@Gemma241,

Some hosts have said that they've had better luck reaching customer service on Twitter and Facebook.  If you are scheduled to check-in within the next few days, you may need to contact your credit card company and inquire about a charge-back if you cannot get assistance from Airbnb today.