Host Cancellation Penalties

[Andy48]

Hi-  I've spend some time reviewing the host cancellation policies and want to confirm.  This scenario is for  is a **non-instant book reservation in more than 7 days.  Am I correct of these penalties and a question below?

1.)  Pay $50 USD

2.)  The dates you cancelled may / likely be blocked off your calendar.

3.) You will have a cancel in your stats which would cause most any host to lose SuperHost status..... at the next evaluation date....  criteria is <1% cancels.

4.)  An template review will be posted saying that you cancelled.

Question:  Are there any other penalties that I've missed? 

***** Does this end up figuring into the AirBnb search rankings for listings that my listing would be pushed down because of the "cancel factor"?

[Andy48]

And one follow-up question.  Let's say this cancel is in April 2021, and I don't host again at all until May **2022 (I'm selling the apartment).  Do the Superhost stats "reset" since it's been a year as the evaluation periods are for the past 3-12 months?

[Ann72]

Yes, the stats would reset @Andy48 because the events need to happen over a 12-month period - number of stays or number of nights hosted, etc.  I don't know the answer to your first question, though.

[Sarah977]

@Andy48  The stats would reset, but if you don't have a listing at all for a year, your stats would be back at zero when you do start to host again, so you wouldn't have Superhost anymore. I think that's the way it would work, but I could be wrong.

[Ann72]

That's what I was trying to say @Sarah977 but I didn't cross the finish line lol.

Let me try again:  yes, Andy, your stats would re-set to zero and you would have to wait another 12 months to become Superhost again.  

If you host within the next 12 months, even for a month or two, you could maintain Superhost status if you had the requisite number of stays or nights and stars.

[Sarah977]

@Ann72  Well, they aren't counting stays at this point because of Covid shutdowns, but who knows how long that will go on.

So you think a host would have to wait a year to qualify again if they closed the first listing and put up a new one a year later? Is it just brand new hosts who can make Superhost in the second quarter? I think I got it the second quarter after starting out. 

It was kind of funny, because when I got the Congratulations! You're a Superhost! email, I had never heard of it before, and had no idea what it meant. So when I see new hosts all stressed out about  attaining Superhost, I have to chuckle, since I was completely unaware of it until I found myself with an orange badge pasted over half my face.

[Ann72]

@Sarah977  I read in Help that they look at 12 months.  But honestly I read only about every other word of those articles so I will look again and come back to you.

Lol love that Superhost story!  I knew what they were, kind of, but the reason I chuckle is (a) it seemed ridiculously easy to achieve and (b) it has never seemed to mean as much to guests as it does to hosts!  I have taken, however, to recommending people try to book with Superhosts for one reason: response rate.  It’s horrible to travel and get no response from a host.

[Sarah977]

@Ann72  I've never traveled as a guest, but no or long wait responses would drive me nuts, too. I don't expect instant responses from people, ever, but as long as it's not the middle of the night, a half a day should be doable.

The other thing about booking with a Superhost that I've heard guests mention, is that host cancellations are much less likely.

[Ann72]

@Sarah977  Yes, here it is, emphasis mine - the requirements have to be met within a year.  So if he is gone for more than a year, he would re-set to 0, but he could become a Superhost again in one quarter.  I think.  The confusing part of this is that the 4.8 review average is based on the past 365 days of reviews.  @Emilia42 please help, you always know how to interpret these things.

Note they're still talking about stays and reservations...

"...based on whether or not they hit all the requirements within the last year. If you don’t meet one of the requirements by the assessment date, you will not be eligible for Superhost status."

Superhost requirements

• Completed at least 10 trips OR completed 3 reservations that total at least 100 nights
• Maintained a 90% response rate or higher
• Maintained a 1% percent cancellation rate (1 cancellation per 100 reservations) or lower, with exceptions made for those that fall under our EC policy
• Maintained a 4.8 overall rating (this rating looks at the past 365 days of reviews, based on the date the guest left a review, not the date the guest checked out)

[Sarah977]

@Ann72  Well, that 365 days of a 4.8 rating is obviously not followed when they bestow Superhost on those who have hosted for less than a year, which they do.

[Ann72]

No, I know @Sarah977 - that's why I said it was confusing.  As usual there are vaguenesses and inconsistencies.

[Emilia42]

@Ann72 @Sarah977 

Andy won't be losing his Superhost status because he shuts down his listing, he will lose it because of the cancelation. The cancelation will sit on his record for one year. ((Although side note: when is the last time you all have seen a cancelation notice on a host's profile? I haven't in a long time. I have a host friend who has canceled multiple times in the last year but when citing covid, it is waived. Not sure if that is still happening.))

So the way I see it is @Andy48 will lose its super hosts status in July 2021 (from the April cancelation.) He will begin hosting again in May 2022 with a brand new listing. As long as he hosts 10 stays and has above 4.8 rating by July 2022 he will achieve Superhost status again that quarter. 

[Ann72]

Amazing, @Emilia42!  I knew you would sort it out.  🙂

I haven't seen one of those "Host cancelled" notifications in a long time either, now that you mention it!  That's one benefit of the pandemic...

[Dale711]

Hi @Andy48 

Host cancel a  reservation more than 7 days before the check date, Airbnb penalties apply,

Q 1,2,3, are correct

Q4 Yes

5.if you cancel 3 or more reservations within a year, Airbnb may suspend or deactivate your listing.

6.Hosts can cancel reservations without adverse consequences in the limited circumstances described in this article. Because cancellations disrupt guests' plans and impact confidence in the Airbnb community, hosts should fulfill all confirmed reservations. If a host cannot fulfill a reservation because of an extenuating circumstance or similar conditions beyond their control, it is their responsibility (and not the guest’s) to cancel in a timely manner to allow their guest time to adjust their plan

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

[Sarah977]

@Andy48  If you are wanting to cancel this reservation because you are selling the place and don't want to inconvenience guests by having to cancel them later because a sale gets finalized, you may not get penalized for cancelling at all. You should ask Airbnb if they can do a penalty-free cancellation, saying you could be greedy and just keep the booking so you can wring as much cash out of the place as possible before it actually sells, but if a sale finalizes before the booking date, you don't want to leave your guest in the lurch.