reservation deposit

Adrian8
Level 1
Leeds, United Kingdom

reservation deposit

When somebody books can I ask for a reservation deposit? - not to cover damages, but so that if they cancel I am not out of pocket

2 Replies 2
Clare0
Level 10
Templeton, CA

The short answer is no.  Why? Because when you accept a reservation request the guest pays for their entire stay right at that moment and the dates requested are blocked for the guest on your calendar. There is no need for a deposit to secure a future reservation.  

If you cancel a confirmed reservation (without extenuating circumstances) you are penalized and the guest is allowed to re-book elsewhere or receive a refund.  You do not want to do this.  Read about it here: 

 

www.airbnb.com/help/article/170/what-to-do-if-your-host-cancels

 

www.airbnb.com/help/search?q=host+cancellation+penalties

 

www.airbnb.com/help/article/849/extenuating-circumstances-for-host-cancellations

 

www.airbnb.com/help/article/990/how-do-the-cancellation-penalties-work

 

Happy reading!

Wendy-and-Markus0
Level 10
United States

@Adrian8-

 

What you can do is change your cancellation policy to strict. I noticed one of your listings is at flexible and the other at moderate. However being that you are a new host, you may want to have more reviews before going strict.

 

This is what strict policy offers:

https://www.airbnb.com/home/cancellation_policies#strict