Superhost Just Cancelled A Booking And Relisted At Escalated Price

[Dorothy226]

I woke up this morning to a text telling me that a property I booked back in June for a 10-day Christmas holiday in Honolulu has been cancelled. The Superhost will not respond to my texts and the property has subsequently been re-listed on AirBnB for the same dates as my trip at an escalated price that is a daily rate FOUR times more than what I paid. In fact, I had just made the final payment on the reservation only last week.

What can I expect in terms of help from AirBnB in terms of helping me book a property at a comparable price? And why is this Superhost allowed to re-list the property on the site with the same dates they cancelled on me with a higher rate?

So far I am not getting much help from AirBnB other than saying they are sorry this is happening to me. They told me hours ago that they will help me out, and now my support ticket has gone completely silent. I am now sitting with non-refundable tickets from Vancouver to Honolulu along with several activity and other bookings, including Covid tests, that I cannot be compensated for. The prices for hotels and other vacation properties are crazy high-- that is why I booked this AirBnB back in June. I am at a loss and don't know what I can expect next. 

[Dorothy226]

@Mark116 Agreed, I am very much seeing things that way now too. The $5K deposit would have been a big red flag and deal breaker for me. I wonder how that is all arranged too-- I would never hand $5k over directly and don't know how Airbnb would arrange for that. Is it triggered by the host? So bizarre.

[Colleen253]

@Dorothy226 “I wonder how that is all arranged too-- I would never hand $5k over directly and don't know how Airbnb would arrange for that.”

It states “…security deposit will be handled through the platform and paid through the resolution center.”

That is normal and how it should be handled, on platform.

[Dorothy226]

@Colleen253  I was actually asking how this is triggered. Is an email sent to the guest? Does the guest initiate? Where on the site is this done? I was genuinely curious as I have never done this via Airbnb and wondered how it was handled specifically.

[Colleen253]

@Dorothy226 The host sends a resolution center request to the guest. Guest accepts or declines.

[Sarah977]

@Dorothy226  "Don't tell it's an Airbnb" should  be a red flag for you and you should never book a listing that says that. It means it's an illegal listing or the neighbors are belligerent about having an Airbnb there, both of which situations can result in a really bad scene for the guest.

It's often a tenant who has listed on Airbnb in contravention of the "no subletting" clause in their lease, meaning the landlord can show up and evict you when they find out. 

If the neighbors hate the Airbnb, guests can find themselves in a situation where they find nasty notes on the door, neighbors telling them to go away, etc. I've read posts where that happened to guests. 

[Dorothy226]

@Sarah977 yes, you are probably right on that, but as I said, it is very common in cities like Honolulu and Vancouver with strict strata rules etc... and in places I have stayed with no issues.  You are correct that this can cause big issues for the guest if they make themselves conspicuous. That wasn't a red flag for me as the reviews are solid on the condo etc... What is a red flag is that crazy deposit. This was put on the listing months after I booked and paid my deposit. Keeping 5k for up to 15 days past a check-out date is crazy.

[Sarah977]

@Dorothy226  Yes, the deposit rule is over the top. One thing to be aware of is that anything a host changes on their listing only applies to future bookings. Reservations already made are subject only to what was written at the time you booked. 

If a host changes their check-in time to 4 pm a week after you book, but it said 2 pm when you booked, they have to honor the 2pm check-in. Those were the conditions you booked under. So it's a good iddea to screenshot the listing info when you book, in case the host claims it never said 2pm, or that a $5000 deposit was always there. You want to be able to prove how things appeared when you booked.

As far as booking places that are operating illegally, while you might not have issues while staying there, you are condoning and supporting illegal activity if you book them. And it isn't really fair to the rest of the hosts who pay for the appropriate licensing, don't lie to their landlords, etc. 

As a home owner, I would be furious if a tenant lied to me, acting as if they were going to live there, then turned around and listed it on Airbnb. Nor is it fair to neighbors who may have good reasons for not wanting an illegal Airbnb next door.