Host wants me to cancel

[Elif-Sila0]

Hi everyone,

 ı am a newbie on Airbnb and i had my first booking and it didnt go well.

ı booked, hıst confirmed and after that she send a message asking me to cancel regarding to i have a kid. I cant see anything in house rules about that however ı am using app not desktop so she was insisted and i checked from laptop and it says not suitable for kids. 
ı understand her position  but if i cancel i will loose money so ı asked her why she confirmed it , she didnt respond.

dont know what to do.

advice please. I have only 2 days left to book somewhere else. It is only a night trip.

[Elaine701]

Hosts want guests who are suited to the accommodation, and whill be happy with it. That's why she's written that it's unsuitable for children in the description. You may have missed it, but it's probably there. 

I suspect the problem for the host is that if there's something that's unsuitable for children, then you're very likely to write a bad review of the host or the property, which can be damaging, while avoidable. 

Furthermore, if >she< cancels your reservation, she will be penalised in several ways. If >you< cancel it, she has no penalty, so that's probably why she's asking you to cancel. 

If you'll lose the money by cancelling, perhaps if you're nice and reasonable, she'll authorise a full refund. Minus airbnb's commission, of course. 

It's always important to fully read what you're booking. 

Good luck... 

[Elif-Sila0]

Hi Elaine ,

I respect that it's her house her rules but she should be more clear and doesn't allow me to book on her property. she can clearly see i have a child before confirming.

also it is little bit airbnb fault as well. when i am using app on my phone i cant see in house rules says no suitable for children . If i look from desktop shows me no suitable.

 I would happily cancel -i dont want stay her house anymore anyway- but her page says no refundable and doesnt allow me to get full refund.

[Robin4]

@Elif-Sila0 

I am so sorry this has happened to you and I understand how hard it is for users who are new to Airbnb.

There are a few points here I would like to make.

1/.....Did you declare when booking that you had a child who would also be a guest?

2/.....Did the hosts booking page let you book for a child?

Both of these things are important because if the host is aware you have a child and the booking page still allows you to book a child with his/her listing then they have no right to ask you to cancel for an oversight on the hosts part. If the host has set their booking section up correctly the option to book for a child should not be offered.

If you did not declare the child when booking and brought it up in the subsequent message stream with the host, then the responsibility for the cancellation rests with you.

The next thing is, there is a 'free reservation cancellation period' of 48 hours of the booking being accepted by the host. If your booking falls in this category then there is no penalty to you....you can cancel within 48 hours of booking and get a full refund.

1. Go to Trips and select the trip you want to cancel
2. Click Show more trip plans, then click Show details
3. Click Change or cancel
4. Click Cancel reservation

Another point to consider is the hosts cancellation policy. If the host has a flexible cancellation policy you can cancel up to 24 hours before the scheduled start of the stay and get a full refund. If the host has a moderate cancellation policy you will not receive a full refund if the stay is cancelled within 5 days of the scheduled start of the stay and if the host has a Strict cancellation policy the host has a right to be paid within 14 days of the stay.

The host is asking you to cancel because if the host cancels a guest reservation they will be penalised by Airbnb. This is one of the reasons the host has thrown the onus of cancellation back on you.

If you are in doubt contact Airbnb service by phone via the help section at the bottom of your message stream with this guest.

All the best, I hope this helps you.

Cheers.........Rob

[Elif-Sila0]

Hi Rob,

I appreciate your message. 

she didn't declare and accept booking later on probably she realized I have a child. also as you said she didn't set up her page properly so it allowed me to book with a child and send me message after and says she doesn't accept kids.

i would not want to she penalised  i respect her house her rules  however her page is says no refundable . when i am trying to cancel doesn't allow me to request full refund. so i am not gonna cancel and loose my money .

i contact with airbnb they will get back to me 24 hours..

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Elif-Sila0 

@Robin4 is right about the 48 hr cancellation period BUT it doesn't apply for near term stays which it sounds like yours is.

If you cancel you will lose everything I fear. I suggest you post the URL of the listing so that we can see if it doesn't allow children.

[Elif-Sila0]

hello,

 yes my booking is for this weekend  and i just booked yesterday. 

I am cancelling without full refund, it is just not fair . i read everything on her page before i booking and on app it is not showing not suitable for kids. only on desktop it shows some reason i dont know how. But i took screenshots if airbnb asks me i can proof.

also i dont understand why she confirmed my booking she can clearly see i have child because booking for 3 people  2adults 1 infant so if she didnt want she should declare it.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Elif-Sila0 Hosts technically cannot reject infants. If this is the problem then call Airbnb and tell them the host is refusing to take your infant and can they please cancel on behalf of the host and return your money. Whilst some hosts hate the fact that infants don't count toward guest counts etc the system still allows them to book.

[Elif-Sila0]

Hi thank you very much Mike i really appreciate it, i will try to contact airbnb again rather than host.