New strict cancellation policy update

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

New strict cancellation policy update

Hello everyone,

 

The Airbnb team heard feedback from you and the host community about the upcoming change to our Strict cancellation policy. In order to address your concerns, we’re delaying the change until May 1, 2018.

 

Before the change goes into effect, we’ll share more about what we’re doing to address your concerns, particularly around protecting your listing details from being shared with guests who cancel. But for now, we’d like to clear up some confusion and help you better understand the new policy and how it will benefit the whole community:

 

Here’s how the new grace period policy will work—and some of the protections we have in place for hosts:

 

Limited-time refund within 48 hours after booking when the check-in date is at least 14 days away

Guests must cancel within 48 hours after booking and can only cancel if their check-in date is 14+ days away. This means that no matter how far out your guests book, they only have 48 hours from the time they book to cancel for free. We want to make sure that if guests change their mind, you have enough time to get another booking.

 

Three refunds per year per guest

To prevent abuse, guests are limited to three fully refunded cancellations a year.

 

No full refunds for overlapping bookings

To make sure guests are not making multiple bookings and then cancelling, any booking made by a guest when they already have an active booking for those dates will not be covered under our grace period policy.

 

Your hosting success is top of mind for us, and tests of this policy—including among hosts with strict cancellation policies in place—strongly suggest the change will result in increased bookings and successful stays. With this grace period, not only do guests book with more confidence, but they also have the ability to resolve booking mistakes without requiring your valuable time and intervention.

 

We value your feedback, and will follow up shortly with more insight into how your ideas are shaping this policy.

 

Thanks,

Lizzie

 

----------Update April 24th, 2018----------

 

Hello everyone,

 

Just to let you know there is now an update regarding protecting your listing details, as mentioned above. 

 

Here is the link to take a look: An update on the Strict Cancellation Policy

 

Thanks,

Lizzie


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1,325 Replies 1,325

Hi Lizzie, I agree with the decision.

I agree with Ellen, I think 48 Hours is too much as three cancellation for free also. 

I agree with Ellen not with Lizzie. 

My last post I make a mestake.

Regarding the strict cancellation policy--if you have a been a host for any length of time, as I have, then it has probably occured to you that airbnb usually favors the guest over the host. They view their customer base as the guest. Airbnb makes its profit from people who are guests, not the people who are hosts. I have abandoned my strict cancellation policy because it really does not matter. A guest just needs a doctors note to cancel. I do require my guests to have at least 3 reviews, and this has helped. As it appears that people who travel frequently with airbnb understand how airbnb operates. Most of my issues regarding cancellations are with newbies. I have also learned that it is very difficult to document damanges or missing items. Like when a guest took all of my dish towels (all 12 of them). I mean who does that? Airbnb is primarily interested in their own profits, and is generally not interested in supporting hosts. Their cancellation policies reflect that bias. As long as my hosting experiences are positive, I will continue to host. When the balance tips, I just won't expect support from airbnb. A word to the wise should suffice.

Jan-and-Tim0
Level 2
Queenstown, New Zealand

Grace Period is okay but should only be 12 hours long enough to book flights etc.  Medical or other extenuating circumstances should be covered by travel insurance AirBnB recently fully refunded a booking I had for school holidays and have a full refund on Medical grounds I lost a full week which was booked well in advance as are school holidays normally so oh dear poor me I had no say and it should all have been covered by travel insurance perhaps AirBnb should offer travel insurance for cancellations so we your clients do not miss out.  Other Booking Companies are simply no refunds. 

The more AirBnB tries to force their hosts to do certain things, the worse it is for your hosts who are making a lot of money for AirBnB. Make it an option if you want, but don't force me. I don't want any cancellation at all. It is mentioned up front that there is no cancellation, so what is the problem? Why force us? During the busy time of year, many may go to other online sites to get bookings because they may lose guests based on this.

 

If a person has a good reason for cancelling, they ask me, and I've refunded their money, but we do not want guests booking and then cancelling when they see a better property to rent. That is not fair to the hosts. If you must do this, there should at least be a small deposit that goes to the hosts as the potential then exists to lose a booking. It also takes time and money for us to get our placed booked and then have it cancelled. When this happens it negatively affects the calendars of property managers and cleaners who have booked a time to clean, maybe missing another opportunity, and then have to cancel. It then puts pressure on the hosts to keep good cleaners.

Hi Liz, 

 

How are you ?

 

I have read the Cancellation Policy under "Strict" but under special circumstance , as per the below article:

 

https://www.airbnb.com.au/help/article/1320/what-if-i-need-to-cancel-because-of-an-emergency-or-unav...

 

The guest can cancel without any fee. The host does get paid even if it is last minute. I understand things good go wrong but it neither partied fault. So Airbnb should bare this cost rather than walking away. They can have some kind of insurance or so get it covered. I am hoping this is really a small % and platform would be able to support it.

 

Please let me know you thoughts ?

 

Thanks,

Ani

I completely agree 

Concerned about the fact that guest can book multiple places  for the same dates for the first 48 hours.  There should be a cap on the number of multiple booking that can be made during those 48 hours.  Imagine someone who books 5-6 different properties, thereby tying up multiple hosts from renting to others and then that person cancels all their initial bookings before the 48 hours has elapsed. 

 

 

Not a good change

Airbnb. Has to understand sometime that we are their customers

They can not continue to ignore us and abuse us

What was unclear to me until this week, is that AirBnB is giving preferential treatment to agents that have six or more properties. The 2 week cancellation window does not apply. This provides agents with a competitive advantage and goes against the very core of what they purport to support - communities and micro-enterprises which are the backbone of sustainable tourism. 

I would urge you to reconsider this policy 

 

My cancelation policy allows guests to get a refund only if I find a replacement because my guests book 3 months in advance but. Airbnb has such a horrible cancellation policy selection  How can I possibly think that it's okay to let a guy cancel just 14 days before occupancy and get any refund when that holds up the dates during my whole selling season?

This cancelation policy at the end of the day will backfire on Airbnb...

 

It's a great way to allow guests and hosts to "communicate and make deals outside the plattform". If it was not for the fact that Airbnb exposes our private data and put our safety at risk, I would laugh at it!!! But this is so serious and so potentially risky for us hosts. Rethink this insane policy, PLEASE.

 

For YOU Airbnb, the guests always come before the hosts, because they are the ones bringing money to your bank accounts, but  what about us, hosts? Are we just money making machines? Our homes and our safety don't count?    

 

How can you guys behind this idea be so naive?

Airbnb is so concerned about people communicating outside the plattform,  but suddenly puts this deal on the table!!! 

 

The guests just need to do a booking! They know they can cancel it at anytime, within 24 hours and get a full refund.

 

In the meantime, (as they have the name, address and phone number of the host),  they can call or send a message (on Whatsapp for example) offering a private deal to skip the Airbnb fees for both sides: Offer to book directly,  to  pay cash, PayPal or bank transfer. Easy!!! If the host accepts it's just to cancel the Airbnb booking!  

 

No rocket science!!! 

 

I honestly cannot understand this lousy policy... besides risking our safety, exposing our private information, Airbnb is contradicting themselves and warmly encouraging contact between guests and hosts outside the plattform! 

Sorry for the late reply.  I would prefer the following strict policy:

- No booking without a 50% deposit. (Dates not blocked until deposit is paid.)

- 100% refund up to 30 days before arrival date. (30 days is sufficient to get a new booking.)

- remaining 50% deposit due 30 days before arrival. (100% of booking fee must be paid by 30 days before arrival.)

- 50% refund up to 14 days before arrival date. (0% refund after 14 days. It is difficult to fill vacancies with less than 14 days.)

- no booking overlaps.

 

This has worked very well for me on other sites.

This make sense to me. We must have a balance to the host and guest alike.  We also need Airbnb to allow us to cancel destructive guest. Some guest will damage properties and get another person to re-book on their behalf.  When host finds this information, we should be able to cancel such reservation without penalties.