Hello @Jaco6,
It's definitely a host's responsibility to keep their calendar up to date.
I would refuse to cancel.
You can
- reply to her message saying that you will not cancel or
- send her a cancellation request
If she accepts or ignores, i.e. neither accepts nor declines the request, then she'll be deemed to have cancelled and you'll get a full refund
If she declines the request then the reservation stays in place.
Either way you should contact Airbnb support to advise them of the situation.
Did she contact you on the Airbnb message system when asking you to cancel? If yes that's good as Airbnb can see the request. You should contact Airbnb support to advise them of the situation as soona s possible. They may be able to intervene and get you a full refund or help find suitable alternative accommodation.
To send a cancellation request go to your trips and select the one in question. Click on "Change or cancel" and then on "Next" for "Cancel reservation". In the "Please select a reason" box select "My host needs to cancel" and continue from there.
Type "contact airbnb" in the "Search the community" box on these forum pages where you posted your question. Scroll down a little in the list of suggestions that appears and click on the "Contact Airbnb: A Community Help Guide[UPDATED]" one. That lists phone numbers and ways to contact them via Twitter or Facebook.
Steve.
