Guests asked for cancellation due to War in Ukraine

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Guests asked for cancellation due to War in Ukraine

A few moments ago we cancelled 2 reservations as per guests requests. We have a strict cancellation policy and a 5-night minimum stay. We host on airbnb to  supplement of our family income. Our listing is a summer 3-bedroom house in Cyprus so hosting for us is a seasonal activity. 

 

Both guests' lives have been directly and severely impacted by the ongoing War in Ukraine: 

The first family (from Ukraine/Kiev) had booked for 8/6-22/6 and have fled their home due to fighting/bombings etc. 

The second (from Russia) had booked for 18/7-1/8 and flight restrictions as well as economic consequences of sanctions make it impossible for them to have summer holidays as planned. 

 

Our understanding is that the War in Ukraine and the related sanctions against Russia are events clearly covered by the Extenuating Circumstances Policy. We expect Airbnb to acknowledge that these are circumstances where there are no adverse consequences to canceling.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2022/can-a-host-cancel-a-reservation-without-adverse-consequence... 

 

But even if Airbnb does not apply their own policy and choose to penalize us as hosts, we will be at peace with our hearts since so many things are so much more important than some extra euros of income.  

 

We pray for these people and their families in these difficult times. 

 

#peace #endwarnow 

 

1 Best Answer
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Maria-and-Yiannos0  You went about this in the wrong way. You are going to be penalized for cancelling unless you can convince Airbnb that it should be an EC. 

 

When you want to cancel under the EC, you need to contact Airbnb to make the cancellation, you can't just cancel yourself. Their computers just register it as a host cancellation- the computer bot doesn't know the reason for cancelling and will automatically apply penalties.

 

When guests need to cancel, they need to cancel themselves- the host does not initiate the cancellation.

 

It doesn't matter what your cancellation policy is- if the guests are not due a refund because of your policy, and Airbnb doesn't agree that it is covered under the EC, you can authorize them to be fully refunded.

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7 Replies 7
Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Maria-and-Yiannos0 I hope you agreed with Airbnb that these were extenuating circumstance cancellations. If not you will be fined and the dates blocked in your calendar. If you didn't then you need to call/message them. Interestingly the Ukrainians should get their money back - The Russians may have to wait until their banking sanctions are relaxed.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Maria-and-Yiannos0  You went about this in the wrong way. You are going to be penalized for cancelling unless you can convince Airbnb that it should be an EC. 

 

When you want to cancel under the EC, you need to contact Airbnb to make the cancellation, you can't just cancel yourself. Their computers just register it as a host cancellation- the computer bot doesn't know the reason for cancelling and will automatically apply penalties.

 

When guests need to cancel, they need to cancel themselves- the host does not initiate the cancellation.

 

It doesn't matter what your cancellation policy is- if the guests are not due a refund because of your policy, and Airbnb doesn't agree that it is covered under the EC, you can authorize them to be fully refunded.

@Sarah977 The last scenario you mentioned - if Airbnb doesn’t agree that it is covered under EC, I don’t think they are obligated to refund the guest fee.

@Pat271  That is true. But I was thinking that even if they don't accept it as an EC, seeing as how they seem to have waived all  service fees entirely for listings in the Ukraine, if the guest who cancelled asked for the service fees to be re-imbursed, hopefully they would agree.

 

The Russian guests, I'm not so sure, but I assume they are going to have trouble receiving refunds at all, at least until this is over, and their banking is restored. Maybe Airbnb will issue them travel credits instead. 

Completely agree with @Sarah977 . Bottom line is that if it's the guest who need to cancel, they need to initialize it. Host may process a full refund or ask Airbnb to process full refund after guest cancel, but never ever initiate cancellation no matter what reason guest has. I suggest all hosts draft a sample response to explain the procedure to guests as most of time guests are not familiar with the cancellation process.

We are following up on this to report that we contacted Airbnb Help Centre via the message/text channel, providing the key issues relevant to the cases, asking to speak to a member of the staff.

Within a few hours we received a phone call from the Centre. A very well mannered support officer (Adrian V) informed us that they had looked into the 2 cases, taken into account the specifics etc and announced that Airbnb accepted that those cases are events  covered by the EC Policy. Hence,  the calendar of the listing has been unblocked and no  adverse consequences  will ensue. 

Airbnb decision was swift and fair for both guests and hosts. 

 

The tragic situation in Ukraine has destroyed dreams and lives of so many people. We pray for the people and their families in these difficult times. 

 

#peace #endwarnow 

Dimitar27
Level 10
Sofia, Bulgaria

35,000 refugees here so far. Yesterday I saw a 80+ old lady, almost unable to walk alone, pulling a suitcase, probably heavier than her, to try getting on a bus.
The terms "war" and "refugees" sounds so distant, until you see them with your own eyes on the street.