Host asking for cash outside the app

[Liam1503]

Hi there,

I was just wondering what kind of punishment would a host receive from Airbnb for asking a guest to cancel a reservation and pay them directly instead of using the app? I am having some ongoing issues with a refund and the host is encouraging us to cancel (losing 50%) and paying him in person the other 50% in the future, instead of allowing us to reschedule using the Airbnb platform. 

I am hoping Airbnb will penalize this host and void his cancellation policy and we receive our money back. 

All the messages are on the Airbnb platform, I have the evidence.  

[Gordon0]

I'd be reporting this host, @Liam1503. Stick with the app or (potentially) loose out when they change their mind. Very dodge.

[Helen3]

Hello @Liam1503 

I agree @Gordon0  don't deal with the host directly on this.

If the host wants to cancel, then they need to do the cancellation not you.

If the host won't cancel, call Airbnb and explain the situation. Do not cancel the booking yourself or pay the host anything.

[Liam1503]

Thank you for the replies. I don't want to cancel as I'll lose my rights and 50% of the reservation. I'm hoping they void his cancellation policies because he broke the rules.

[Anonymous]

@Liam1503   If you requested a date change, the host was well within his rights to refuse. If you're not able to travel on the dates you booked, your only "rights" are to the 50% refund granted by the cancellation policy.

On the other hand, if the host doesn't intend to fulfill the booking on the dates you originally chose, he should be the one to cancel it.

It sounds like you're trying to create a third option by threatening your host with an accusation of "rule breaking" as a way to weasel out of the cancellation fee. I truly hope I'm wrong about this, because that would be a despicable thing to do.

[Liam1503]

You should read my reply below!

[Linda108]

It is unclear to me what prompted the cancellation, @Liam1503 .  With 89 reviews as a guest, you probably have more guest experienc than most of us and are very Air BNB savvy.  Did the host want to cancel?  Was the desire to cancel for either of you related to the pandemic? What experience have you had with customer service, especially if you have all messaging on the system?  Thank you for helping us understand your situation more clearly.

[Liam1503]

I have been traveling the world for the past three years full-time and have used Airbnb almost everyday. It's a real shame that I am having such a bad time with Airbnb, all those great experiences over the past three years have been ruined and they will lose all my future business. It's a long story, I'll try to condense it. 

I booked a family vacation for 11 people back in February, check in was August 1st.

The pandemic was announced in March. Three of the guests are front-line, essential workers (Police & Hospital workers) that are needed  in work and unable to take the time off, they would also need to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival home.  

I asked the host if he would waiver his 50% back cancellation policy, he agreed. I spoke with Airbnb and they said they had to reach out to the host for a mutual cancellation. They said he disagreed, even though he clearly said he agreed in our messages. 

I have been back and forth with Airbnb and the host for 5 weeks now. The latest message I received from the host, he asked me to cancel the booking so he would receive 50% right away ($2000) and we could come to the apartment next year with the other 50% ($2000) in cash to pay him. I asked him if we could do it through the Airbnb app instead and he got angry and withdrew his 'solution'.

We don't trust this host at all, he clearly lied from the beginning, but Airbnb are siding with him and not helping us at all. If Airbnb pay him the 50% and leave us down $2000 we will never step foot inside another Airbnb again! 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

Hi @Liam1503 

As I see it, in your situation at this moment in time, if your host agreed to your cancellation, he would be penalised by Airbnb in accepting your cancellation.

For this reason he declined. By not agreeing to your "Issue Full Refund" cancellation request, he is not penalised and your booking will remain active until check-in date which will still remain vulnerable to any Airbnb policy change or Extenuating Circumstances.

Airbnb do allow rescheduling, but it is not mandatory for the host to accept.

You, actually ARE cancelling. You put in a cancellation request. For that reason, the hosts cancellation policy will stand. Your friends who cannot make it because they are working has no bearing. Thats a loss you will need to stand. Your travel insurance might cover this for you / them?

If there is some government notification of restricted travel or borders are closed, then you might get some Extenuating Circumstances cancellation which you would need to back up with evidence.

Have you paid in full or only part already?

[Pierre1779]

Wow it sounded like that you’re an experienced and valuable guest  and with such you should have had full support from both the host and Airbnb they failed you badly and I understand you frustration . My apologies my friend   .Pierre

[Lou87]

If you have travel insurance, which I guess you do as a world wide traveller, and you booked before it was classified as a pandemic you will be covered.

Have you looked in to this?

Its always best to check the cancellation policies of any host. If you are unhappy with their terms then you should not book.

Bear in mind that of your total payment, airbnb will take off 20%. Maybe they should offer travellers insurance as an option.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Liam1503 As I said earlier today on another post you made: It looks like the host is just trying to provide a credit for a future stay rather than you losing 50%. Is this such a bad thing?

[Niklas24]

Based on your description, I think the hosts action is only in violation of the AirBnB terms of service, if he messaged that cancellation and pay cash suggestion through the platform. AirBnB cannot regulate what kind of deal-making hosts and guests engage in outside their platform. My guess is also that AirBnB doesn't necessarily punish hosts if they do the occasional minor breach of the ToS.

[Sarah977]

@Liam1503  You and your party are the ones who want to cancel the reservation. There is no reason for the host to, it should be initiated from the guest's side. If the host agreed to refund you 100% and then reneged on that, that's unfortunate, that he's not to be trusted to be true to his word. But it's for you to work out with Airbnb to try to convince them to give you a 100% refund based on your reason for cancelling.

Unfortunately, they are hard to get a response from presently. All I can suggest is persistance.

The host hasn't violated the TOS by refusing to waive his cancellation policy. That's his right. But what he is trying to convince you to do, cancel so he receives the 50% now, and pay him cash for the other half if you rebook, seems like shady behavior. 

[Anonymous]

@Liam1503 I can see how you might have assumed that the host's response to your request for a waiver constituted a binding agreement. But no part of a booking change becomes binding until you've passed the confirmation screen. Until then, the terms of the original agreement stand. The confirmation policy that you agreed to at the time of booking is the one that the host is abiding by. He was not obliged to offer you a half-priced stay off the books at an unspecified date next year - he would have been well within his rights to offer nothing at all. Based on your reaction, that probably would have been the wiser decision for him.

Under some conditions, the Extenuating Circumstances loopholes might have applied, but I think you'd have to show that without the attendance of the three frontline workers in your group, it would be impossible for any of the remaining eight of you to travel to the destination. If those eight happened to all be children under 18, for example, you'd have a straightforward case for a refund. But based on your description, it sounds some of you could still go, but it's just a matter of preference that you'd rather make this trip when the full group can attend. That would generally not qualify as an emergency that lets you void the contract. It would have been more reasonable all around to request that the group size be reduced, and the per-person fees adjusted accordingly.

If this experience puts you off booking another Airbnb, so be it - but alternatively, you can always consider the cancellation policy in place before you book, and choose a listing that offers a degree of flexibility that you're more comfortable with. You can't lose sight of the fact that this entire dispute started because you didn't want to abide by the terms that you had agreed to when you booked.