@Christopher64
As a long term host, I normally only take bookings of 28 days or more. Unlike with short term guests, long term guests are not a dime a dozen. If a guest cancels a one month stay less than 30 days from the booking date, the chances of filling those dates is slim, unless you reduce your minimum stay radically and even then it's not certain that you will book all, or even some with a last minute cancellation.
Host have the option of refusing extra on top of the cancellation policy. If I can rebook nights, then usually I offer to do this, so there's no 'double dipping', but that's really my choice. I think it's a bit harsh to call hosts 'capitalist' because they stick to the cancellation policy that you agreed to when you booked. It's really your responsibility, not theirs. You did not know about the long term cancellation policy, yet you say you frequently do one month stays.
Yes, life happens. Deaths happen. There is an extenuating circumstances policy to deal with some situations. However, life also happens to hosts. Guests book month long stays, blocking their calendars (who knows how many other guests might have booked those dates otherwise?) and then guests cancel last minute demanding full refunds because they didn't check the cancellation policy before booking or that it simply shouldn't apply to THEM. The guest expects the host to lose the income when there is no guarantee the nights will get rebooked. The guest is outraged because, even though they signed up to a cancellation policy, of course, an exception should be made for THEM. The host is harassed, not for something they have done, but for the guest's problems.
No, you are clearly not here to sympathise, because this is about YOU. Clearly, how the situation effects anyone else is not your concern...