Extenuating circumstances covid clause

[Adele369]

Does anyone have more specifics on the COVID clause and what proof Airbnb requires to give a full refund?  

I had a 2 month rental being able to cancel with Airbnb with a full refund 6 days before check-in.  He was not able to provide me with the proof of COVID.  He claims someone in his family had it.  Originally he just wanted to sublet the rental.  

[Fred13]

That could mean he intended to rent for one price and sublet at a profit; when he didn't get a 'buyer' he cancelled using a bogus reason and got away with it.

And there lies the quandary relying on Airbnb, they are unpredictable. As I understood it, they said last month they will not pre-empt cancellation policies for personal reasons after January 20th of this year. Which of course begs the question now, what is a personal reason and isn't.

[Debra300]

@Fred13,

Does the new EC policy apply to reservations made prior to January 21?  If not, then guests who made bookings before this date will be able to cancel under the previous policy.  However, there is no evidence yet that Airbnb will honor their word about host managed cancellation policies, either.

[Fred13]

As I read it, their new position was that they will not so 'automatically' accept Covid-19 to allow guests to cancel (aka get away with murder at the expense of hosts for the last year). I too no longer believe what they say or promise to do. 

[Adele369]

This is all I can find on which reservations it applies to "

Reservations made after March 14, 2020

[Adele369]

I called them and the person on the phone was not able to answer me.  They said they would get back to me.  And their response was a link to the policy with no details to answer my question.

[Inna22]

@Adele369 so frustrating! I thought the new reservations after March 14 could not have Covid as an excuse. 

[Adele369]

They can it seems and even more so than before.  I have been back and forth with Airbnb support for a whole day and they wont tell me anything.  My guest did not have COVID and their policy says "except where the guest or host is currently sick with COVID-19".  Any advice from more experienced host as to what to do here?

[Fred13]

@Adele369 There is a new nutty 'idea' being entertained among political circles that workers who 'feel' they may contract Covid-19 do not have to show up for work and still collect unemployment.  Of course, this is an invitation to lie (and steal).

   Very analogous to what many guests are still pulling on hosts with Airbnb helping them.  Solution? I don't think there is none, its a 'cultural' problem of how they see the world; except perhaps shift away from dependence on Airbnb as much as possible.