Cancelling a reservation

[Daniel1192]

Hi guys, I'm new to Airbnb, and have a question.  I have a guest that has stated she they would like to cancel their reservation, but have not done so; therefore, noone else can book these dates.  In addition, I do not want to cancel their reservation becuase I fear that this may make me look bad as a host.  Does anyone have any advice for me? Thanks in advance, Daniel.

[Alexandra316]

@Daniel1192 You are absolutely doing the right thing by not cancelling for your guest: if you cancel on their behalf, you will be charged penalties and not be elligable for Superhost. This is probably the most important thing you need to know about hosting: NEVER EVER EVER cancel a reservation. If you absolutely have to for some reason, do it through Airbnb to minimize penalties. If you have Instant Book turned on, you can cancel without penalty under certain circumstances, but always contact Airbnb and get them to do it.

You can let the guest know that they should go ahead and cancel, if that's what they wish to do. They will be subject to whatever cancellation policy is in place on your listing, as well as Airbnb's policy.

If they decline to cancel, contact Airbnb about the reservation and explain what's happening. They will contact the guest and get the cancellation completed.

[Matthew285]

@Daniel1192, yes, as @Alexandra316 has emphasized, you are very much doing the right thing by not doing a host cancellation.

It is guest's responsibility to cancel in this circumstance.

If you have not already done so, tell the guest in no uncertain terms that if the guest wants to cancel, the guest has to do the cancellation and that you will not do the cancellation for them under any circumstance.