2nd round of hurricane for my listing, has anything changed?

[Joi0]

I am a superhost with a beautiful (hopefully still) place on Topsail Island. Last September Hurricane Matthew came through and several bookings were cancelled and I gave them a full refund. Airbnb did not, however, refund me the host fees. I am in the position again and I was wondering if anything changed. I would like to think that airbnb would be more generous and refund all associated costs when there is a catastropich event.  

I may or may not have a house left at this point so any positive news would be welcome.

[Letti0]

@Joi0  You should not have been charged any penalty fee's it was extinuating circumstances. You needed to call them to get the cancellation penalty free. 

What if I need to cancel because of an emergency or unavoidable circumstance?

We may be able to give you a refund or waive the penalties if you have to cancel because of an unexpected circumstance that’s out of your control. Below is a list of circumstances covered by our Extenuating Circumstances Policy. Before you cancel, check that your circumstance is included in the list below and that you can provide the required documentation.

Circumstances that require documentation

Death of a host, guest, or their immediate family member. You’ll be asked to provide one of these documents:

• Death certificate
• Obituary
• News article naming the deceased

Serious illness of a host, guest, or any member of the traveling party. You’ll be asked to provide a general statement from a physician confirming that the person can't travel. The statement must be dated after the reservation was booked.

Government-mandated obligations including jury duty, travel restrictions, court appearances, and military deployment. You'll be asked to provide a copy of the official notice dated after the reservation was booked, including the name of the person fulfilling the obligation.

Severe damage to the home that makes it unsafe to host guests, or that prevents guests from accessing basic amenities like running water. This doesn’t include planned renovations. You’ll be asked to provide all of the following documents:

• Proof that the issue is being fixed
• An estimate of when it will be fixed
• An invoice for the repairs being done
• Photos of the damage

Airport and road closures that make it impossible to travel to your destination. This includes closures caused by natural disasters like earthquakes or severe storms. You’ll be asked to provide a notice of the road closure, or notice of the airport closure and proof that the flight was canceled.

Circumstances that require special review

There’s no required documentation for these circumstances, but our specialized team will review each case to confirm that you’re directly affected.

Severe security advisories for political or civil unrest in the area that the guest is traveling from, traveling to, or that the host’s home is located in. Examples include:

• Violence
• Increased military presence
• Severe damage to the area’s infrastructure

Changes to visa or passport requirements that make it impossible to travel to the destination. This doesn’t include lost or expired travel documents.

Natural disasters that prevent the guest from traveling to or from the destination, or that make it unsafe to host guests. Examples include:

• Severe storms
• Earthquakes
• Flooding
• Tornados
• Tsunamis
• Wildfires
• Blizzards or severe winter storms

Endemic disease or illness that suddenly affects a region or an entire group of people. This doesn’t include existing diseases that are associated with an area, for example Malaria in Thailand or Dengue Fever in Hawaii. Examples of endemic disease include:

• Ebola
• Zika
• Chagas disease

What to do next

If you’ve confirmed your circumstance meets the requirements above, first cancel your reservation and then contact us to file a claim. We’ll walk you through the next steps, which will include submitting any required documentation and waiting for our team to review your case. Claims must be submitted within 14 days of the extenuating circumstance.

[Joi0]

I was not charged fees. Airbnb  KEPT their share of the guests service fees and made me refund mine. So for all the cancellations Airbnb lost nothing

[Letti0]

@Joi0  If the guest cancelled via extinuating circumstances or you did they should have recieved all money back fee's included. Did you or they not contact AirBnB?

[Kristen21]

I cancelled a reservation this past weekend, because we thought we were getting hit by Florence. I messaged AirBnB, and they refunded the money back to the guest. I didn't lose any money, because the fees are taken out of the payout for that reservation that I receive on the second day of their stay. Since the cancellation was done before they arrived, I never got any payout and they were just refunded the money that AirBnB was holding for their reservation. Did you get paid out before their arrival or were your guests evacuated? I don't think I understand how you were charged for fees, since I've never been paid out before the guests were on property.

That being said, I would message AirBnB and ask them to work with you. They were very accomodating and quick to respond when I contacted them about the hurricane.

[Ana1136]

@Kristen21 they deduct the price of the fee of the next guests payout.

[Kristen21]

Because I contacted AirBnB to do the cancellation, they did not deduct anything from my next guests. I'd suggest the OP contact ABNB to resolve this, as they were very accomodating to anyone in the line of the storms.