Can you cancel on guest that you feel uncomfortable with?

[Clarabelle0]

Hi, We are new to Airbnb hosting. We had guests, a couple that came to our house only briefly so far but one of them were not very friendly and may not be familiar with Airbnb. We didn't use instant book. They don't have the keys yet and would come back later. Would there be a reasonable way to cancel the booking? (Which is for more than a week) Thank you D.

[Lilian20]

@Clarabelle0  The fact that you didn't use instant booking doesn't matter. 

If you cancel, you will be penalized. 

You can ask the guests to cancel if they don't like you. In which case they may be penalized.

If there is real danger, you need to call airbnb on the phone immediately.

[Clarabelle0]

Thanks for that. We did suggest to them whether they want to cancel but they don't seem to want to do that.

[Helen3]

You don't mention in your post. 

Why do you want to cancel the booking.? Are the guests making you feel unsafe? Have they broken any of your house rules?

You can of course cancel the booking as long as you are happy to accep the penalties BNB will impose on you.

How would you feel if you were in a strange country (presuming this is the case) and your hosts decided to cancel your booking leaving you with nowhere to stay upon your return?

Not being terribly friendly or unfamiliar with BNB is not a crime 🙂

[Clarabelle0]

Hi Helen, Thank you for your response. You are quite right, I wouldn't want to leave a guest stranded (although there are plenty of options in London - just more expensive). One part of the couple is actually living in London. I knew that they were unfamiliar with Airbnb. The issue with that is that they probably expected to have booked a hotel. The guests do make us feel a bit unsafe in the way they they talk to us. But it's borderline. Not sure whether the next week or so will be a pleasant experience for either of us. D.

[Amy38]

You say one of them is not friendly...is it a couple...maybe they are in the middle of a tiff and one is in a bad mood.  He/she is under no obligation to be friendly, but they are in your home.

i would simply ask them if they have a problem with your place and proceed from there. 

They can request to change reservation and you can agree...lower right of their reservation confirmation page...and they can move on, no penalty to either of you.

Do Not Cancel yourself unless you have. a real reason like breaking house rules. You are really penalized by Abnb.

[Amy38]

Actually, I think that Guest makes me uncomfortable is valid reason for cancelling with no penalty...look on Abnb rules.

[Clarabelle0]

Hi Amy, That is really useful, thank you. The "I’m uncomfortable with the guest’s behavior" seems to be under the "For Instant Book hosts only" section which I haven't enabled (perhaps a reason to do enable it). We are usually quite easy to get on with. I guess we will see whether we can find an agreable way to live together in the house for the next day once they come back in the evening. Thanks D.

[Linda108]

@Clarabelle0  It seems this is your first Air BNB guest as I do not see other reviews.  Perhaps some of the discomfort is on your part and unless you feel unsafe, don't try to cancel.  Both you and the guest are new and you both will learn a great deal about this type of hosting and this type of travel.  You have already discussed that the guest might want to cancel and they don't.  Take it day by day and see how you can be the best host and on your way to being a Super Host!!

[Clarabelle0]

Thank you Linda, you make it sound like a challenge worth dealing with. I guess we will see how it goes. It is true that this is one of our first Air BnB guest. We actually have another guest at the same time who is quite pleasant. We have been guests ourselves a fair amount (under a different account) with always good experience.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

While I hate to say it, guests are under no obligation to be nice, friendly, or even a step above civil to you as their hosts.  We all love it when they are friendly, warm and happy, but just because they aren't, isn't grounds to cancel them without penalty (which is what that "I don't feel comfortable" option is for, btw).  You CAN cancel, but there are big penalties for doing so.  If you feel that's your only option, you should take a good long look at if you are cut out to be hosts at all, because, trust me, being rude is only scratching the surface of what you will have to deal with regarding customer behavior in the future.  Read some of the posts in these forums - it will get way more difficult than terse conversation, rolled eyes, and crossed arms.  Just saying.... hosting on Airbnb is not for everyone.  

That being said, take into consideration your own anxiety with being a new host.  This is stressful stuff.  You may be more sensitive at this moment because you want everything to go smoothly and perfect and, well, smart.  It's hard when the guest is sort of ruining what you expected to be an easy thing to do.  Take a deep breath and recognize that they don't want a crappy experience either and that they may just be having a rough day.  

Good luck.