Natural disaster during a guest's stay

[Wade0]

Hi Everyone,

I recently had to evacuate guests from our house due to a fire on the mountain that we live on due to a mandatory evacuation called for by the local authorities. 

I had to check our guests into a hotel for the night. 

Do I have grounds to claim a refund from Airbnb's Insurance cover for the cost of the hotel for the night, citing Natural Disaster or Extenuating Circumstances?

Any advice would be appreciated as I couldn't seem to find any guidance in Airbnb's Help Center.

Thanks!

Wade

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

That's not how the Extenuating Circumstances policy works, nor what the "insurance" is for.  

First, call Airbnb right now.  Tell them what you did and why.  In the future, you need to call them immediately.  You may or may not be reimbursed by Airbnb for the hotel.  They get to decide.  

Second, if there is a natural disaster, you need to CANCEL.  The Extenuating Circumstances policy is a policy to allow the cancellation without penalty.  Again, Airbnb will get to decide if the Extenuating Circumstances are actually in play - you agreed to let them have the final say for this. To be reimursed, you will likely have to prove the emergency.  

Third, the Host Guarantee is for damage to you, your property, or your guests while they are on your physical property. Imagine a guest slips in the shower, breaking the handle off the shower on their way down, causing water to spray uncontrollably all over the bath which results in damage to the drywall and floor and since the guest is now passed out from the blood and broken nose they suffered,  it is an umbrella policy for you from the guest suing you for not having a slipguard in the bath. 

You need to get Airbnb involved.   

[David126]

I agree you have misconstrued extenuating circumstances, it is a way of cancelling where the guests gets all their money back and you are not penalised.

So in this case the guest cancels due to the fire, they book and pay for other accomodation.

There is no insurance to cover hotel costs.

[Kristen38]

I am weighing in with a hands-on experience recently here in south Texas. We just went thought the "arctic vortex" storm and lost power and water for up to a week. Water pipes busted at several homes. Temperatures dropped to 9 degrees, leaving guests to scramble for hotels that still had power. 

Because of all this, water pipes busted at many homes, leaving the house uninhabitable for up to a week or two until a plumber became available and the power restored, causing the guests to have to stay in hotels longer. Airbnb informed me and the guest they would be refunding the guest 50% for each night they stayed in a hotel, however, that 50% came out of the hosts payout. 

Later, they backpedaled and told the guest they get NO compensation for nights stayed in a hotel and the host would now, not be penalized, as this was the cause of a "natural disaster". 

Not fair to the guest in my opinion. 

[Sarah977]

@Kristen38  You always have the option to refund a guest in full if you want to.