[Updated: March 13th] Coronavirus outbreak: Information on Airbnb’s extenuating circumstances policy coverage

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[Updated: March 13th] Coronavirus outbreak: Information on Airbnb’s extenuating circumstances policy coverage

Last updated: March 13th, 2020

 

As more information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak becomes available, Airbnb continues to prioritize the safety and well-being of our community of hosts, guests and employees around the world. 

 

As this situation evolves, we strongly urge you to review your local government’s travel guidance and health advisories and take necessary precautions to protect yourself and your guests when hosting or traveling. 

 

Following governmental and health authorities guidance and recommendations, Airbnb is offering impacted hosts and guests with eligible reservations the option to cancel their reservations without charges through our extenuating circumstances policy. We’ll continue to evaluate and update this policy in line with official guidance. 

 

Airbnb understands that you may have concerns, and we’d like to encourage impacted hosts and guests to reach out to our customer support team (https://www.airbnb.com/help/home) with questions or to get help with canceling reservations.


More details about our extenuating circumstances policy can be found here

 

Read the FAQs here: Answers to your hosting questions about coronavirus

306 Replies 306
Aaron648
Level 2
Vancouver, Canada

How is Airbnb helping hosts of cancellations due to the virus? They retroactively change their cancellation policy which penalizes hosts. Can someone explain how this is legal? 

Hi Aaron,

I had a SHOCKING experience recently regarding this.  I made a cancellation following extenuating circumstances policy. Actually I phoned Airbnb, got the  information about extenuating circumstances policy, and Airbnb agreed and cancelled a reservation for me on behalf of me. Hovewer, a day later of my cancellation, I received an incredibly rude and shocking email from Airbnb, accusing me with discriminating a guest on basis of their Nationality and country? ???????????

Elvan5
Level 2
London, GB

Hi @Lizzie   I have made a cancellation following extenuating circumstances policy. Actually I phoned Airbnb, got the  information about extenuating circumstances policy, and Airbnb agreed and cancelled a reservation for me on behalf of me. Hovewer, a day later of my cancellation, I received an incredibly rude and shocking email from Airbnb, accusing me with discriminating a guest on basis of their Nationality and country? ???????????

May be 2 cancellations I had to make over in 5-6 years!

Now I am so scared to cancel, however I also need to follow on advice and suggestions of UK government about health and safety.

AIRBNB has a little respect for us, the home owners/hosts and giving priority to profit.

Elvan, I agree with you 100%. The profit motive is too high for Airbnb to NOT allow cancellations without penalties even as the coronavirus is spreading rapidly like wildfire. As Korea and Japan infection numbers are doubling weekly and closing in on 1000 each (today is only 2/25/2020), Airbnb is not willing to cancel the booking of 2 Japanese tourists from Tokyo for me without severe penalty, thereby endangering my family and 3 other groups of guests from 2/28 and on. So I told Daniel, the supervisor, I will hold Airbnb responsible if anything catastrophic happens as a result. He just said “NO Airbnb will not be responsible and you are responsible because you accept the original booking request!”  Can you believe the arrogance and irresponsibility of the Airbnb corporate attitude/culture is?

 

Hi Adam, the behaviour you received from Airbnb is not acceptable and not right. Your first priority is your health and safety. Coronavirus out break is an international concern. It is highly infectious, and it is a very dangerous situation that spreads rapidly. Airbnb should allow you to cancel bookings under extenuating circumstances, without any penalty. The risk is getting higher and higher everyday, it is not getting any better at all. I think who handles your cancellation request is also very important, any person (from Airbnb) with a sound mind would understand your request and cancel it. In Europe it started in Italy a week ago, I know many other hosts are not accepting any bookings and also cancelling bookings from Italy.

Airbnb should take more responsibility and agree with cancellations - health and safety first.

 

AirBnB is clearly failing to recognize that travel history (not nationality or citizenship) constitute a risk factor for COVID-19 transmission.

 

I do not discount that we may see in the immediate future a spread of the disease to the general population through AirBnB hosting as much as through hotels.

 

I would certainly respond to AirBnB's accusation email. It sounds negligent and unfair.

 

Best of luck.

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Adam1161 , @Elvan5 and @Gina136 ,  

 

I am sorry to hear Elvan you received an email you were upset with, I obviously can't comment on this as I don't know the specifics. But,  I would recommend contacting our Support Team to find out more.

 

Obviously this is a really challenging time across the whole world and the news around the virus is changing all the time (for all the relevant Airbnb updates/links, take a look here). This makes it very tricky for all of our community and Airbnb to make sure that they policies are reflective of the changing conditions and so this is why it is very reliant upon the recommendations of the World Health Organisation and experts to guide these. 

 

This being said, there are still many areas around the world which are given the all clear to travel and so understandably these bookings have to run under the normal conditions. 

 

Hopefully this will get better soon, but in the mean time we will keep you as updated as possible here in the CC. 

 

Thanks,

Lizzie


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

I have cancelled the booking I made for my aunt due to travel ban to Taiwan raised by the Philippines government yesterday. O have cancelled the booking but the computation is not full refund. I believe I should get a full refund since the reason for cancellation falls under extenuating/unavoidable circumstances. Please assist. Thank you.

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Raymond301,

 

Just to check did you speak directly with Airbnb about this or cancel via the site?


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

@Airbnb Lizzie can Airbnb update their policy please, some of it talks about what happens if guests books before 1 Feb and we are now at the 12th Feb. What about guests that have booked after 1 Feb?

 

Can you ask the policy team to review as a matter of urgency please?

@Airbnb @Lizzy0 

 

I agree with @Helen3 , the policy should be updated... it covers reservations with check-in date up to February 29th, and that's less than 2 weeks from now. What about reservations in March and later?

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Thanks @Helen3  and @Branka-and-Silvia0, sorry I missed this before. Just to let you know, my @ mention is Lizzie without any numbers, hopefully you can find me ok. 🙂 

 

I'm going to highlight this with the team, I wonder if this is currently still in date (I see the date goes for bookings made on or before Feb 1st, but the check-in date goes up to April 1st), as it's based on when bookings were created to those impacted areas, I'm no expert on this this though, so I'll look into this further. 

 

Is this different to what you are seeing? 

 

Thanks again. 

 

Lizzie


--------------------


Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Nana158
Level 2
Irvine, CA

Hi @Lizzie & all,

Looks like everyone has similar concerns but is Airbnb doing anything or updating their terms on the coronavirus outbreak based on CDC levels? Japan and Korea has recently bumped up to level 2 warning now with anticipation of it getting much worse. I had to cancel my Japan trip as we are traveling with an infant & toddler who cannot wear masks. My sister (who booked the reservation) contacted the host as soon as the CDC level was updated, but the host refused to provide a full refund. Their reason was they have no reservations in March due to the outbreak and they need to sustain their property fees somehow. I understand their sentiment, but how is that a valid reason to not provide a full refund? We asked the host at least 11 days before, just outside the 14 day policy window. 

 

AIRBNB - Please, please - safety must be the most important issue - not money!

 

Please, as more and more countries are affected - at least BAN all bookings from Chinese guests! Am I going to be punished as discriminating in case I cancel a booking from a guest from China???

 

I think hosts must have the right to cancel ANY booking from a guest from China - with 10% from the value the host will have earned - still going to his account and the service of Airbnb must not be returned as I think these guests are just trying to excape the danger in their country and might spread the infection elsewhere. I think you could write this as a RULE /the manner as we have House Rules/  and any host who thinks money is most important than safety could allow his Chinese guest in his home on his own risk.