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

Dear Airbnb 

 

i disagree with your desition to amend the cancelation policy . 

 

Gest had a choice on what place to book and the various levels of cancelation policy’s 

 

 

I choose strict cancelation policy for a reason and now Airbnb are taking away my ( host) rights to choose my choice / rights as a host . I’m not happy about this and most strongly object 

Hello everyone!

 

well but why is it not possible to choose an option. So add strict with x and than people have their 48 hours and strict strict we keep it as it was and can accept that guests choose the other option. 

 

I prefer less but as soon as i plan when i have someone i want to be certain, especially if i have travelplans. Or we have the option to send an ok for the guest to cancel 

Like a hostoffer....

have a nice day

 

This is a crazy world,

I always worry about guests who cancel coming to my home and trying to hurt us because they're angry they didn't get their money back. Especially since we have young kids in our home. When I have guests coming, I have a guests check in message I created which I send 12 hours before their arrival time with the codes to the locks, so it prevents guests who canceled 24 hours prior from getting information on how to get in my home. I believe 24 hours before their arrival time is when they should get our personal information. 48 hours after booking is just too long. And also I think they should have not more than 24 hours to cancel with out penalty after booking. Thanks Airbnb for considering, and trying to protect.

Airbnb WILL ALWAYS favour the guests rather than the host . Always.  Guests complaints are always accepted as being verbatim and true even when the complaint is a blatant lie. I no longer accept any bookings from Airbnb that don't have the following.  

 

A clear up to date profile picture .

Verifiable I.d. and contact number.  

Complete travel details 

I have a " no hikers, hill walkers policy " on account of many such guests mark the wallpaper and paint with oversized back packs and the smell of dirty boots damp weather gear amongst other issues.  

 

Airbnb is fine until hosts have a problem and then you literally on your own .

It's worth noting that the CEO of Airbnb in Ireland is a host and is not a superhost and the fee for a guest in her place is above  the average recommended price in the area by 72% . 

 

If the CEO can't attain superhost and is charging in excess of the average rate that speaks volumes.  

 

I am always wary of a communication that starts with " heard " instead of listened. Subtle but huge difference . 

 

It's time for hosts to take back control of their relationship with Airbnb for without hosts there would be no Airbnb.  

 

I for one will from today no longer refund any cancellations 

 

I have to be honest, I have only just twigged that AirBNB changed its policy. It seems I can no longer impose the super strict cancellation policy, requiring at least 30 days. Seven days is not long enough for me to rebook my property. It may mean I need to leave AirBNB. Am I right that I can no longer impose the cancellation policy that I want?

I have a seasonal vacation property and the only reason I choose Airbnb is that I could choose the strict policy.     The definition of strict was NO Cancellation refund.    That is a choice Hosts should have. 

I  should be able to deal with serious people and not people who end up booking all over to hold dates.

I dealt with the indecisive people booking all over the place for over 20 years and I can tell you ever since I placed my strict cancellation policy I have never had an issue losing any bookings because of that.

But I can tell you If this rule changes I will lose money and more importantly, my serious clients.

 

I truly hope you reconsider

 

 

Hi Dara,

I agree totally with all you say, but at the end of the day  we have no say in the matter....airBnB will just give the refund. The only option is to go to Bookings.Com or some other who allow guests a strict policy. Its a real shame, I know, but one day when the number of Hosts decline it may force AirBnB to amend this unfair change in their policy.

Janice16
Level 2
Bideford, United Kingdom

I just got a booking for a saturday night I'd already blocked I thought,,  the booking came through and instantly I said I couldn't full fill it,  yet air bnb has charged me 50 dollars,,,  I realy feel that is bad when,, especially as I cannot turn instant book off on my phone,,  and I contacted the people booking with in ten minutes,, to say I was fully booked! !

I have found several times that dates that I specifically blocked, get mysteriously unblocked.I now check periodically to make sure dates have not become unblocked because  it is a real nuisance when an instant booker books and cannot be accommodated.

@ Jani   yes AirBNB is now running your business for you... enjoy!!   I have had more cancellations this year than the rest of the time combined. Even had one person openly admitting they had reserved two places whilst they decided which to use and then they were going to cancel the other one.      Bluntiy AirBNB no longer care about you at a small host .. they are after the hotel chains because that's where the money is ... so they think!     When all the hosts leave (as I am doing) then they lose their usp .... oops !! 

@ chris   Its one reason why I do not link all the booking sites together ... that way one organisation messing around can't mess up all the other ones...

 

@Adrian255  I never realized that was even possible! Thats a good reason never to link them though ...thanks for that tip

Changing the cancellation policy is a pretty big deal.  As with other changes, here again Airbnb does not notify hosts.  Why is that?  I found out only because I visited the community.

 

Also,  giving guests a 50% refund if they cancel  at least seven days before start of reservation, is not at also "strict."   Hosts who are not in top tourist areas will not be able to book again at such short notice.

 

If Airbnb believes this new approach will result in more bookings, why not let hosts decide for themselves by choosing a different cancellation method?

 

Airbnb is  making it less attractive to be a host through your platform.

 

Birgit

Natalie379
Level 2
Cape Town, South Africa

I do understand the need to give a guest time to cancel, should they have made a mistake on their reservation and I do not dispute a 48hr time period as per the 14 days booking period notification, but I am mainly concerned with providing guests the address prior the 48hrs.  I know that they can cancel at any other time with cancellation fees applying but are less likely to do so and more likely to work with what they have booked in light of loosing 50%.

 

I have not had any cancellations to date within the 48hrs since the policy changes but can imagine that it will effect people in a busy city with lots of airbnb properties as they can shop around by booking and cancelling until they find what they are after.

 

However, as a guest I feel that I would like the option to cancel a booking with a full refund because people can make mistakes,  and as a host with a strict policy, I would like the option to cancel a guest's booking within 48hrs too with no effect on my ratings or profile status, should I need to do so for any reason.