Seeking advice - guest found mouse droppings in cabin

[Lee353]

I have been hosting for 4 years on airbnb and have about 400 reviews  averaging 4.8 stars.  My cabin is in the woods, so it's not uncommon to occasionally get a mouse in the cabin--especially if it has rained a lot.  I have monthly pest control and spectacular cleaners, so I've never gotten a complaint from a guest about this until yesterday.

The guest showed up about 20 minutes before check-in time, and the cleaners rush to wrap up so they could check in.  The guests had been there about an hour when I received a message that they had discovered mouse droppings in the cabin behind a table when they moved the furniture and were disgusted and wanted a full refund and to leave.

I apologized profusely and explained that we have regular pest control, but sometimes mice get in unfortunately.  I offered to have the cleaners come back out immediately + $150 refund (on a $500 stay).  I told them if they were adamant about leaving, I'd honor a full refund since I didn't want their trip ruined over this.

I asked the guest to cancel the reservation since they wanted to leave, but tell Airbnb to look in the thread to see that I approved the refund.  I've only had to do this a few times in the past, but it has never been an issue--Airbnb sees that I approved the refund and processes it.

So the guest canceled yesterday immediately.  The cleaners and pest control came out and took care of the issue and set out more bait/traps just in case.  Another guest booked with a check-in today.  I assumed everything was good, but this is where it gets weird, and I have no idea how to proceed because Airbnb support won't respond to me.

I get a message from an airbnb rep this morning saying that they processed the full refund for the guest, marked the reservation canceled by me (the host), and that I may be at risk for deplatforming due to this "health violation."

So now, airbnb canceled the reservation "canceled by host" even though I didn't cancel it and offered as much as I could to keep the guest happy.  So now I worry my super host status is at risk, when I was just trying to the do the right thing by the guest by offering a full refund.

Also, my calendar is now blacked out because it's canceled by host, and I can no longer see the reservation of the NEW guest who booked last night.  No one from support can tell me how to access his reservation or if he's still confirmed (I confirmed his stay last night but it's now blacked out on my calendar so I can't see it!).  

I also apologized profusely and asked what "risk of deplatforming" means, but I can't get any response.  

While I know mouse droppings are gross, a cabin built into the side of a mountain is almost impossible to completely guarantee nothing will ever get inside. 

Did I just get a bad airbnb rep?

Have others seen a reservation that was canceled by the guest switched to being canceled by the host? 

What do I do about the blacked out calendar and the guest checking in today? 

Has anyone ever been deplatformed over something like this?

[Emiel1]

@Lee353 

If the guesst cancels, they will not receive full refund, but only what the cancellation policy is calculating (Also not the Airbnb Service Fee). So the guest also needed to contact Airbnb as having a "travel issue" and Airbnb would have cancelled as a "host cancellation", including penalties.

As-a-host-what-penalties-apply-if-i-cancel-a-reservation-for-a-stay

This is what the Airbnb rep did now after checking the facts and decided the reservation had a "travel issue", granting the guest a full refund.

[Lee353]

This is news to me?  If the host agrees to grant a full refund to the guest, why wouldn't the guest get the refund from Airbnb if they canceled?  

What about the blacked out calendar with a guest checking in today?  Is that supposed to happen?

[Mark116]

@Lee353  Didn't you wonder why they moved the furniture?  Not to excuse mouse droppings, but its a little weird.  

Airbnb may have cancelled your guest who is supposed to check in, reach out to them and try to find out.

I'm guessing you will need some kind of document from the exterminator to state the cabin is pest free, and then you will have to plead your case about getting the host cancellation reversed, which will open the calendar.

The moral of the story is:  don't rush your cleaners and don't let guests push for early check in.  I'm sorry, I imagine this is going to take a significant amount of time to clear up with Airbnb.

[Lee353]

It is a bit strange that they moved the furniture, but guests always do things that surprise me.  And I didn't rush the cleaners--the guest did.  They just stood at the front door 30 minutes early and waited for them to leave, so the cleaners hurried to get out of their way.  

Airbnb has not deplatformed me--they just said I MAY be deplatformed, but no one will message me back to tell me what this means.

In my mind, I did everything possible to keep this guest happy, including up to a full refund, so I am just very confused by the the long messaged from the airbnb rep telling me that I canceled the reservation (when the guest actually canceled it last night) and that I MIGHT be deplatformed.  

I'm assuming it's just an uninformed customer service rep?  Very disappointing as a host who has gone all in with airbnb.  I've never even been tempted by VRBO, but now I'm wondering if I should explore dual listings in case this escalates and no one from airbnb will respond.

[Lisa723]

@Lee353 I'm afraid you have run afoul of the "dangerous vermin" clause:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/544/canceling-during-your-stay

[Lee353]

I know, and I'm mortified--but with a cabin in the mountains, it was bound to happen I suppose!  But I did everything the article said--I offered to send cleaners back and a partial refund or a full refund if they just wanted to leave.  They opted for the full refund, which I'm totally fine with!  

But where in this policy does it state that this counts as a host cancellation?  It just guarantees the guest a refund, which I never disputed. 

And why would a customer service rep say that I might be deplatformed and then just not respond to any messages?  So perplexing.  

[Bob297]

@Lee353 
Do you mention in your description that due to the location of your cabin it's inevitable that spiders, mosquitoes, mice, etc can enter the cabin. But that you have regular pest control to minimize the nuisance for the guests?

My listing is in the Caribbean and after a guest left early because he notices small roaches I've put this standard in my description.

The guest's wife was born in the Caribbean!

[Mark116]

@Lee353  They probably won't deplatform you...which means just what it sounds like...that you're listing will be taken off of Airbnb permanently.  I don't know what your $$ situation is, but if you rely on the Airbnb income then it would be a good idea, aside from this disaster, to also list on V....O.  In my opinion.

I'm not sure it should have counted as a host cancellation.  Read the relevant sections very carefully and see what kind of 'out' there is, or if, as is very, very possible, the CS rep made a mistake.  Good luck.

[Lee353]

I'm not even looking for an "out" per se.  I totally respect the guest wanting to leave, but the airbnb rep canceled it by host without consulting me, and the threat of deplatforming seems extreme given that I addressed the issue immediately and kept the guest happy.  

At this point though, the rep still is not replying to my responses, so I don't if I should just let it go or what.  I worry that at this point I could be removed at any moment given that I don't know what airbnb would have had me do differently.