Best cancellation option for hosts

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

A guest just enquired about cancelling a booking late in August, almost 6 months away.

Who knows what the situation will be then? So with this probably being the first of many, what do other hosts think the best way to handle this is?

Obvious options:

- Don't be daft, we've no idea what that far in the future will hold.

- We have a strict policy. You can agree to pay 50% and then you can cancel.

- I'll check with Airbnb to see if they will include it in their 'Covid-19, made up dates' policy for you so that you get 100% refund.

- Go ahead and cancel and we'll flip a coin on whether the strict policy actually sticks.

- If you're uncomfortable, we'll let you rebook dates later in the year.

Does anybody have any favourite plan of action, and can help me with mine?

[Tommy150]

I would simply say that that's too far in the future and right now your current policy is in place if they choose to cancel. If they want to wait it out and see how things are and if Airbnb initiates different policies then that's fine.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Tommy150 

Thats a viable option. The down side is as @Kitty-and-Creek0 touched on, their current mindset may well influence them during their later stay. If they were a direct customer with a direct contract or one where we did not rely so heavily on their review, then just waiting for things to pan-out may well just lead to a later cancellation and the loss of a peak period booking should the guest just decide so. Booking peak period for us normally would need a three month lead time.

[Kathy899]

The problem with airbnb's strict policy is that it isn't strict at all.  The guest can wait until 8 days before check-in to cancel, leaving us with only 50% revenue and no way to refill those nights (especially rough on hosts who have long term stays (a week or more) in remote locations (air travel needed to reach).   

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Kathy899 

Exactly.

[J-Renato0]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

To put it simple :

You can cancel, you pay only 50% and I lose 50%. (Strict cancelation policy).

Alternatevely I offer you the opportunity to rebook dates later this year.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@J-Renato0 

You can cancel, you pay only 50% and I lose 50%.

I like that approach !

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 I'd just let them cancel, relieve them of their anxiety, and you of yours. Just my way of dealing with it, I don't want edgy guests, I want  them thrilled to be here. btw, this is one reason I don't take reservations more than 3 months ahead. Too many things can happen. When August happens, and if you are open for guests, the right people will show up.   I've had cancellations from guests with 6 months out reservations in past years, whose plans changed for whatever reason. @Kathy899  said it well - I am not keen on holding a date for months only to have a cancellation a couple weeks out. Who knows, I might want to change my own plans 6 months from now, or one of us might have a medical or family reason, which would inconvenience the guests, or us. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 

I pretty much agree with everything you say, including the anxiety part (because I don'y normally do that). It is brought on like stress.. Those maverick things you have no control of influencing your life, such is Airbnb.

I would pretty much just like them to cancel. However, after going through this recently, a guest who requested to cancel outside of Covid-19 (as this guest is) is now blocking dates unnecessarily which I would want to avoid, but Airbnb make it so difficult to do just the simple things.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

For now...... if it was me..... (1) Don't be daft, we've no idea what that far in the future will hold. Followed with (2) We have a strict policy. You can agree to pay 50% and then you can cancel (NOW..... if that's what you want.) and then (3) Also, you (=guests) could wait and IF/WHEN August dates are included in the covid-19 EC cancellation scope get a full refund from Airbnb directly at a later time. 

I would also make it very very clear, the host has no say and no influence on how Airbnb decides to handle the cancellation or how much is actually refunded in what currency (cash/Airbnb credit) AND the guest does not need the host to agree to or approve a cancellation, EVER. The guest has expressed they want to cancel. Host understands and greatly appreciates the heads up. But the actual cancellation and refund procedures are all between the guest and Airbnb only, not involving the host in anyway except for the obvious...... once the cancellation is complete the host will be notified of the cancellation. 

EDIT to add: Would also tell the guest that hosts aren't paid a dime until the check in date of the booking so the guest needs to understand I (=host) have received no payment of any sort from Airbnb with regards to the guest's booking and that Airbnb is the one holding your (=guest's) money. Therefore technically I (=host) have nothing to refund. And Airbnb does not need host's permission to issue refunds of money that hasn't even been paid to the host in the first place. 

So in the end, it is up to the guest to decide when and what they want to do, and as a host I'm fine with whatever they decide. And again, this is... if it was me~~

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 for me...

"Of course you can cancel, please go through airbnb."

There is no need for you to discuss the refund with them - that's airbnb's job, surely?

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Mike-And-Helen0 

There is no need for you to discuss the refund with them - that's airbnb's job, surely?

If Airbnb had an even handed treatment for guests and hosts then, that would be an easy option and fair assumption. But we all know better, don't we?

Amid the Covid-19 influenced cancellations with the '25% of your regular cancellation policy payments' amount, the time where a host would benefit in this situation by a real 25% rather than only the 12.5% is not the time that Airbnb are telling guests to cancel by. Faced with an option like that would you let Airbnb handle it for you?

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 I would, simply because if the guest doesn't like your resolution, they'll go to airbnb who will end up handling it for you anyway...then you'll have had the work for nothing.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Mike-And-Helen0 

We know that many guests never read everything, but I'll tell you the recent guests I've communicated with seem to have had theirs eyes sharpened when faced with the possibility of losing 50% of their booking fee.

With the possible repetition of cancellations, I'm thinking of making up a saved reply and just customising it for each guest. Not too much work, but might retain an extra 12.5% - or double that which it might have been.

[Susan17]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

I'm getting endless reports of Airbnb guests trying to cancel right up until the end of the year Ian, invariably requesting/demanding the 100% refunds that they all now seem to feel they're automatically entitled to. It appears that the damage has well and truly been done, and forever more - for whatever reasons they choose to come up with - Airbnb guests will still feel entitled to their full 100% refunds. It's embedded in their consciousness now that Airbnb will happily screw their hosts over by refunding in full, as long as it means keeping their guests happy, and onside. The balance of power was always heavily skewed in the guests' favour anyway - now they're going to be riding roughshod all over us, every chance they get. 

Regardless of the COVID situation, or any other situation, it's crystal clear that there are no guarantees anymore - with any Airbnb booking - that you'll ever get paid a penny... even for guests who have already completed their stays (Huma's recent experiences being just one example, of many). If I were you, I'd give these guests the option of cancelling for their 50% refund first, and if they don't go for that, I'd give them their 100% back, bid them a cheerful farewell, and wait to pick up a replacement booking elsewhere. You have a beautiful location, a fantastic property, and even if international travel hasn't picked up again by then, you should have no problems at all picking up bookings from guests travelling within the UK. It's just not worth the stress and tension anymore, trying to hold on to Airbnb bookings. They know they have us over a barrel now. There are better options.