Superhosts still cannot cancel a reservation under Airbnb's COVID-10 policy without being penalized?

[Silas22]

I am a Superhost in Provincetown, Massachusetts. We currently have a travel ban and a stay-at-home order in place from our governor Charlie Baker.

Currently, if I cancel a reservation due to the stay-at-home/travel ban/forbidding short term rentals policy in place I will lost my SuperHost status.

This is not fair or rationale. With Airbnb's current COVID-19 policy you are asking my to either illegal host a guest or damage my Superhost status.

At this time unprecedented time Superhosts in general should be able to cancel their reservations without any penally.

[Leslie----Tony0]

That is it

[Norene1]

Exactly. I am uncertain  how to proceed. Thusfar non of my guests have cancelled. I think people on both sides of the issue i.e. guest and host, are waiting with baited breath to see how to best to come to an equitable agreement on the consequences of cancelling. I understand Airbnb may be coming out with an adjusted standard to help rectify the situation. 

[Huma0]

I host mostly long term guests and have had existing guests and the next few ones cancel, which equals 7.5 months of lost bookings. The next guest is supposed to be coming in a couple of months and I am pretty sure, given the current situation, that she is going to end up cancelling. She is (just) within the current COVID-19 EC policy, so will get a full refund, but she has decided to wait in the hope she can still come. Okay. The only other booking I have is for mid-July and I have not reached out to that guest yet.

The reasons I am not being proactive with cancelling those bookings is:

1. There is so much confusion and misinformation and mistakes/shady dealings going on right now with Airbnb's handling of cancellations, that I would rather wait and see if any of these issues get resolved, both to benefit the guests and myself.

2. Airbnb messed up every single cancellation I have had so far (most did not fall within COVID-19 EC) and I have spent days and days over the course of weeks trying to get these resolved. I see people on here complaining about not getting a resolution within two or three days. Try two or three weeks.

So, for now, I am just waiting. Waiting to see whether Airbnb wlll sort some of this nonsense out.

[Kaylee18]

If a guest booked with you BEFORE March 14/2020 you CAN cancel without it effecting your Superhost status. Below is the link with all the information. Hope that helps! 🙂 

Reservations made on or before March 14, 2020

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date between March 14, 2020 and May 31, 2020, may be cancelled before check-in. This means that guests who cancel will receive, at their option, travel credit or a full cash refund, hosts can cancel without charge or impact to their Superhost status, and Airbnb will either refund, or issue travel credit in an amount that includes, all service fees.

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid19

[Nicci-and-David0]

This policy only permits hosts to cancel guests with check in dates only up to Sept 30.  Any check in date after that is not covered by the extenuating circumstance.  Sadly, i had to cancel a December guest, the only guest i have ever cancelled, because i had to take on a tenant to help cover the bills.  I couldn't wait for December.  I needed money now.  So, I still have the extenuating circumstance, but Airbnb is not protecting me.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Silas22 

The actual policy (see below) is clear that for a near term stay booked before March 14 you will not lose your Superhost status. Was the booking made post March 14?

Reservations made on or before 14 March 2020

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before 14 March 2020, with a check-in date between 14 March 2020 and 31 May 2020, may be cancelled before check-in. This means that guests who cancel will receive, at their option, travel credit or a full cash refund, hosts can cancel without charge or impact on their Superhost status, and Airbnb will either refund or issue travel credit in an amount that includes all service fees.

[Nicci-and-David0]

Due to all of our cancelled bookings, and financial strain, we were forced to take on a tenant from July 2020 thru Feb 2021.  I had to cancel one remaining guest who had booked before March 13, and was to come during Christmastime.  It broke my heart to cancel this guest, and he is the only person i have ever had to cancel.   Now my superhost status is in jeopardy, and it shows that i cancel 6% of the time!  At first I shrugged my shoulders and thought oh well.  Now, i feel it's really rude not to be able to say why a host is cancelling.  Airbnb makes more problems than they solve.