My guest is making unreasable demands and I don't feel safe hosting

[Eeva1]

Hi,

What can I do as a new host, when my guest is making unreasable demands, that I can not meet? 

Ex: he is requesting (I'd even say insisting) me to buy a special mattress for him, because he has backpain (which he did not clarify, when he requested to book. I would have not accepted, if I knew of such a demand I can not meet). And that's just one his requests, that I can not meet.

They're due to arrive in 5 days. Can I cancel their booking without Airbnb's sever penalities?

Any help or suggestions on what can I do as a host are welcome.

Best,

Eeva

[Marit-Anne0]

@Eeva1

You must contact airbnb and have them cancel on the grounds that you are not comfortable with this guest and cannot meet his/her ever increasing demands.  Buying a new mattress - ridiculous !

[Eeva1]

Marit, that's exaactly what I wanted to do, but could not find the option in Airbnb to cancel, without getting a penalty. Do you know any other options?

Thanks

[Allison2]

This is something you need Airbnb's intervention on. Airbnb allows you to cancel on your own, but that will incur penalties like blocking your calendar. You'd use this option only when you're the one intiating the cancellation (never because a guest asks!) and you don't qualify for extenuating circumstances.

When you have good cause to cancel a reservation (and this level of demanding guest should qualify), Airbnb needs to review the correspondence to see what you're dealing with. Show them that the guest is being demanding, asking for things your listing never offered - Airbnb should cancel the reservation at no penalty to you. (In fact, you tend to get a bump in your search results when a cancellation by (or because of!) a guest happens)

See this message thread for ways to get in touch with them:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165/highlight/t...

[Marit-Anne0]

@Eeva1

Contacting airbnb and ask them to cancel for you is the ONLY option.