Guest said they can cancel up to 48 hours no penalty

[Annie262]

Our guests have blocked a room for 4 nights during the busiest week of the year $$. The dates are in 5 days from today and they just messaged stating they may cancel and they "know" they have 48 hours. I have a strict cancel policy so that's not suppose to be allowed. Where might they be reading they can cancel even within 24 hours when the booking dates are so close? 

[Marzena4]

@Annie262 Check these:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/43/what-happens-if-my-guest-cancels

Maybe they want to use one of the extenuating circumstances:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1320/what-is-airbnb-s-extenuating-circumstances-policy

[Marit-Anne0]

@Annie262

Was the strict cancellation policy in place at the time of booking ?

[Lyndsey2]

My listing now says

"Free cancellation

Cancel within 48 hours of booking to get a full refund."

I didn't put it there and there doesn't seem to be any way to remove it. It seems to have been added by Airbnb. I have wondered if it would override my own cancellation policy if a guest creates a booking close to the check-in date. I certainly don't like that changes to the cancellation policy have been made without even informing hosts.

[Maggie93]

I have a Moderate cancellation policy for just this reason.

[David126]

So does mine.

It is common for changes to be made without informing Hosts.

You can not rely on AirBnB upholding your cancellation terms anyway.

[Donovan0]

The 48 hours grace period only applies to bookings that are 14 days away. If they book 5 days in advance, it does not apply