extenuation cancelation policy - Corona Virus

[Asher25]

Due to the outbreak of CoronaVirus I have some huge concerns as a host regarding the "extenuation cancelation policy" as I see guests can obtain a full refund on bookings if they are unwell, injured and cannot travel, cancelled flight (not rescheduled), or advice not to travel provided by WHO.
This raises some concerns and questions.
1. All of these issues are covered for the guest by travel insurance and are impossible for a host to get insurance for. Why are we as hosts asked to refund the bookings in full! Late cancelations means a loss of revenue!!
2. As a host we cannot enforce our cancelation policy if there is deemed to be an "extenuating circumstance"!.
3. There is nothing to stop a guest claiming from AirBnB hosts and at the same time from their travel insurance! Surely they should be advised initially to claim on their travel insurance.
4. Can this policy be altered to ask guests to ensure they have adequate travel insurance so hosts are not penalised?
5. If the answer to point 4 is no, then under what basis does this seem reasonable that a host covers this loss of income?

Thoughts?

Asher

[Anonymous]

@Asher25  One problem that seems to be occurring more and more is that travel insurance providers insist that guests pursue an Extenuating Circumstances refund from Airbnb and prove that it was denied before fulfilling their claim. So even the responsible guests who took the right precautions get bitten by this policy.

You won't find a host out there who is in favor of it as it is. My position has long been that Airbnb should eliminate it and instead offer an optional, paid trip-cancellation insurance along with each booking, which in the event of a claim would pay out the host according to their cancellation policy. But what incentive do they have to invest in this program, when they can just shift the burden of risk onto hosts?

Especially considering that  Airbnb as a company is currently operating at a net loss, hemorrhaging money just as it plans to go public, and is oversaturated with hosts in its biggest markets. This is not a time when you can expect a new feature that will cost them more.

[Asher25]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your message. I did suggest to AirBnB through the feedback system that perhpas like the Host Liability insurance they offer they could offer a Guest cancelation policy. But as you say a company running at a loss is unlikely to invest in this product. I agree with you they should simply remove the extenuating circumstances policy. Someone breaks a leg or is sick is an easier claim from their insurance if AirBnB do not have this policy but as we are all aware insurers always try to find a route out of paying initially and this policy gives them a easy out!!

[Jacob432]

I am asking guests to cancel, but it appears that they are still going to be charged the cancellation fee.  I do not feel safe or comfortable hosting anyone from a country with even a single confirmed case of corona virus (I rent a room in my home).

But Airbnb has yet to respond to any of my messages!!!

[Anonymous]

@Jacob432  The United States has 35 cases of COVID-19, Canada has 9, most countries in Europe and Asia have had at least 1. Even if a guest comes from a country with zero cases, they will have to pass through a country with several in order to reach your home. So if this is your personal approach to the virus, there is no point in continuing hosting - you might as well pause your listing until you feel safe and comfortable again. 

Airbnb has already made clear what the criteria for penalty-free cancellations related to the virus are; if yours didn't meet these criteria, you're going to have to just accept the penalties. Paranoia is not an "extenuating circumstance."

[Beverley98]

I fully agree with your comments.  It does seem like Airbnb is penalising the hosts and overriding cancellation policies without sufficient consideration for the hosts.

[Sudsrung0]

As usual the host picks up the tab with airbnb, first we had a guest cancel saying his flights had been canceled which was complete B/S I checked but airbnb gave them a refund stating extenuating circumstances complete utter crap there was no travel bans from Mexico to Thailand Im watching this on a daily basis.

Not only the host is losing money but also airbnb yes people have cancelled their flights so it's making the airlines reschedule their flights to another day 

The only flights that are cancelled are the Cheap ass flights that go through China the onward flight is being cancelled but not to Thailand so why was my booking cancelled due to extenuating c=rap.

Most airlines are not giving refunds you cancel your loss until the Embassies issue travel bans to a certain country they will not refund your money.

NO more refunds until the guest prove their flight is canceled by the airline.

Hey airbnb whats up with you? get your act together I think your business in Thailand is down over 50% this year one of my properties as an example is down 80% from last year on airbnb sorry to tell we fully booked from other OTA's

[Ashley588]

Quite agree with Asher 25. It's also a nonsense that Airbnb talk about "fairness" and "burden sharing" which in their warped world means giving travellers 100% refund and us hosts only 25%. At least they have upped to 25% from the previous 0%, but it's shameful that they are still happy to throw us under the bus. We are providers of accommodation, not guarantors or insurers of people's holidays! Our accommodation is still there available for them, it is not our fault they can't travel, so they should, as you say, contact their travel insurance or at least share the burden with us hosts 50/50. Any retard could see that but Airbnb clearly can't. I will delist my properties after the dust has settled.