Can you have a flexible cancel policy on your listing & request strict for specific dates?

[Erin178]

We are still fairly new at this, so please forgive us if this was answered elsewhere and we didn't see it. 

We prefer to have a flexible cancellation policy on our listing as a general rule but wanted to know if it was an option to request a strict cancellation policy for specific dates? 

[Farah1]

Hi @Erin178 not that I know of. My best suggestion is to contact the customer service directly.

[Erin178]

Thank for your response.  I appreciate it!

[Clare0]

@Erin178. I can tell you that is not possible under Airbnb's current system.  But what you can do is re-set your cancellation policy for all future reservations.  If a guest books then wants to cancel, you can always give them a refund.  Here's how: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/165/how-do-i-refund-my-guest

[Erin178]

Thank you so much for the help.  Great info!  I really appreciate it! 

[Erin178]

Good Morning @Clare0...Do you think switching to a strict cancellation policy will have an impact on our bookings?  How do hosts typically protect themselves when guests book a year in advance for a community event that brings almost 100,000 to our small town.  While that is a large number; even still, cancelling on short notice can impact the amount  of money we could have earned.  Thank you in advance for your insights. 

[Clare0]

@Erin178 Well I have tried both Strict and Moderate cancellation policies and haven't seen any changes in my bookings.  I changed from Strict to Moderate since I'm more inclined to give refunds anyway, but other hosts in other situations might have a different point of view, so hopefully others will chime in here. 

With a Strict Cancellation policy, guests will think twice about cancelling for frivolous reasons.  In order to get a full refund from Airbnb the guest would have to have some Extenuating Circumstances or have a complaint under Airbnb's Guest Refund Policy. 

Once guests have booked for the special event in your area, you can always change your cancellation policy to Flexible or Moderate. 

Whichever policy is in effect at the time a guest books is the one that will apply to that particular reservation so you may change it for future reservations.  

Here are some links which may be helpful: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1320/what-is-airbnb-s-extenuating-circumstances-policy

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/544/what-is-airbnb-s-guest-refund-policy

What you can do is search for the dates of the event for listings similar to yours and see what kind of cancellation policy other hosts have.  At least you will know what your competition is doing!

Hope this helps!

Clare