Airbnb charged me cancellation fee x4 of £36 when death in the family

[Karen61]

Hi Community,

I had to cancel 4 bookings due to extenuating circumstances and was charged £36 by Airbnb per cancellation. I think this is dispicable! Any advice.

Thanks

Karen

[Dave-and-Deb0]

Hi @Karen61,

What was the extenuating circumstance and did let Airbnb know why you were cancelling.  Usually for extenuating circumstances, you need to contact Airbnb since they don't have a crystal ball.  They will also want documentation that it was an extenuating circumstance.  Here are the penalties for cancelling on a guest:

Here are what are considered "extenuating circumstances":

[Karen61]

I did mention it was extenuating circumstances in the drop down menu which included death in the family.

Is there anything else I can do to rectify the situation? I have effectively
been penalised/paid Airbnb for a family bereavement of £144.

Just disgusted by this. Do I need to provide a death certificate?

[Dave-and-Deb0]

Hi @Karen61,

They may require you to provide a death certificate.  You should contact Airbnb directly.

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Tips-Tricks/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165#M728

I know this is a difficult time for you and you are "disgusted by this" but Airbnb can't just have people cancelling on guests for any reason so they want verification.  It could also be that you cancelled 60, 69, 73, 120 and 136 days before their arrival.

Good luck and let us know if they were able to help you out!

[Karen61]

Thanks for your help.

Will contact Airbnb.

Just frustrating and very disappointing considering when a guest cancelled on me I was not compensated at all.

[Danny9]

You may want to change your cancellation policy from moderate to strict. 

People change their minds very often, in particular if there is no penalty involved. I personally doubt that moderate policy makes much sense at all. Guests can cancel up to 5 days before their arrival and you stand there with empty hands. The chances that someone else will book in the meantime may be rather slim. 

I am very much in favor of the strict cancellation policy. If they cancel up to 7 days before arrival, you will receive 50% of the full payout. If they cancel less than 7 days before their arrival, you'll receive full payout. 

I had a booking for a week during the high season last year. The guests reported reaching the airport with one of their passports expired. They were refused boarding, and decided to stay home. I would have lost a substantial amount of money if it were not for my strict cancellation policy. 

Sure, I felt sorry for the guests. Everyone can forget to renew his/her passport. So, I offered them a 10% discount on their next booking. But I would not have wanted any loss for what in the end was their tardiness and their responsibility. 

Danny