Host Cancellations

[Miguel1438]

It seems that as guests we are bound by strict cancellation policies these days,  but they do not seem to apply to hosts. Some of us were and are counting on reservations we made well in advance, made plans and spent money around them, only to have hosts cancel last minute.  This puts guests in a very difficult position; the chances of finding last minute accommodations, particularly at reasonable prices, are very low. So we ended up with cancelled plans that bring about other unforeseen complications (depending on  person's situation) or paying a fortune for new accommodations. Hosts should be penalized as well or be made to honor the reservation.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

Oooh @Miguel1438 - This post will upset a lot of hosts.

Hosts have had their strict cancellation policies overridden from March 15th to mid June and, if things continue its likely to be extended beyond then.

in an attempt to save some hosts homes (or health) Airbnb allowed them to cancel for the rest of the year so that they could either close down or switch to long term rentals.

I guess you have been hit by either the latter OR the fact that it is illegal to host in some jurisdictions around the World.

What were your particular circumstances I wonder....

[Sarah977]

@Miguel1438 These are unprecedented circumstances- we're in the midst of a pandemic. Many hosts are not allowed to host right now by order of their govts. Many guests are not allowed to travel- they are supposed to be following self-isolation orders. Many borders are closed. Hosts with shared-home listings don't want to host at all right now- it's not safe to have a stranger enter and stay in one's home. 

I can assure you that hosts having to cancel reservations, and all the guests who have cancelled due to COVID has been an ENORMOUS penalty for hosts, who depend on that income.

And under normal circumstances, a host who cancels on a guest does receive quite severe penalties- we are charged a $50 fine, the dates of the cancellation are blocked so they can't be rebooked, the host gets "Host cancelled this reservation XX number of days before check-in" pasted on their review page, so guests may be wary of booking with them, and if the host has Superhost status, they lose that status and aren't eligible to gain it back for one year.

[Robbie54]

Exactly this. I have a guest who was due to travel mid July but has asked me, the host, to cancel her booking on her behalf, (she doesn't want to travel because of the virus). She told me that other hosts in England have done this for her for her July bookings, but that had to be nonsense. I explained that I cannot because I'd be penalised for it, but I'd ask Airbnb on her behalf if she can cancel due to the virus (at the time I wasn't sure how long the extenuating policy was valid for). I'm still waiting for a reply from Airbnb, however I'm guessing they'll say any cancellation for that time will be down to my policy, so in this case shell receive 50% back. Now this is an issue for me as I don't know where to draw the line. Her check in date is over 2 months away, so I'm well within my rights to say my cancellation policy still stands, but morally am I doing the right thing? I cannot do this for every future guest who wants to cancel saying they cannot travel because of the virus, even though the government has yet to say they cannot travel. I've lost enough money already. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Robbie54 My line will be drawn dependent on a) when the UK Government allows leisure travel again - Boris was implying 1 July this evening (contingent on all being well) and b) where they are coming from. I would expect EC to apply if they were flying in from abroad and the UK had a 2 week quarantine in place which would rather ruin anyones holidays.

[Robbie54]

The only thing I can do is wait, however the guest want their booking cancelled. Not sure what to do...

[Emilia42]

@Miguel1438 

As a host, I wish I haven't had 37 reservations canceled on me within the last two months. It put me in a very difficult situation. So I ended up with a canceled business that brings about A TON of other unforeseen complications AND still paying a fortune for all the bills.

Unfortunately, that's the new world we live in.

[Mark116]

@Miguel1438  Really?  I'd love a little more detail, because from what I understand hotels are about 80% below normal occupancy, so I would be shocked that they jacked up the prices.