I just rented our home for New Years week. I am new to Airbnb. I read I do not get any moneies until

[James515]

24 hours after guests arrive. This is a very important rental period. How do I know I will be getting any monies if they do not show, or decide they are staying somewhere else. This could be a substantial financial loss, especially this time of year.  What are my guarentees? Does Airbnb already have the monies? Why can I not have 50% of the rental immediately?

[Hilary-And-Ed0]

Hi @James515,

I guess the best answer to your last question is because that is the way Airbnb runs itself.  The system is pretty transparent as long as you do your reasearch ahead of time.  Most likely, the system works this way because it would be very tricky to undo the payments if there were to be cancellations on either side, if the payout had already happened.

I noticed that you have a "strict" cancellation policy.  That means that you will be getting 50% of the money regardless, and 100% if they cancel less than a week before the arrival date, so you should be reassured from that.

Airbnb does have the money.  The guest pays at the time of booking, and then the company pays you 24hours after check in.

[Christian65]

Totally off topic but your house looks amazing! I want to go to there!

But yeah, you'll have to wait and re-book with other people if they cancel but why would they? Many travellers book ahead even though its not in the near future.