The Guest has requested to only pay the deposit, as a host can I help them?

[Daniel173]

The guest asked if airbnb just take the deposit when they enter their card details and reserve our cottage. I told them I thought that airbnb would just take the depoist and then the balance closer to their hoiday but this did not happen. They took the whole amount and the guest has asked me for help, what should I say?

Any help will be appreicated

Daniel.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

AirBnB takes the entire accommodation payment when someone books. They don't charge the security deposit, this is just an agreement to a maximum charge against their card if there are damages.

So, as you now know, you were incorrect to say they just pay a deposit. There is nothing you can do except apologise to the guest. On the other hand the guest should have also understood the terms and conditions of booking including how much is taken up front, what your cancellation policy means, etc..

[Victoria57]

Hi @Daniel173 I'm afraid you gave them the wrong information initially;  AirBnB charges the guest's card in full when they book. You might have been thinking of the security deposit.  But the guest should also have checked themselves before booking when their card would be charged. There is nothing you can do as any finanacial transaction outside of the AirBnB system is against the rules.

[Andrew90]

What I did in this situation is block the last 4 nights of the requested 7 night stay and offered them shorter stay 3 of 7 nights which they accepted and paid. Then about 45 days prior I unblocked and offered them the last 4.

Caution instant book cannot be on for this to work.

I would only do this for bookings more than six months out. This is one of they key flaws with Airbnb payments. People dont like to commit thousands of dollars many months or a year in advance but are ok with a smaller non-refundable deposit. I'm already confirming a few booking for my place next year (not Airbnb)

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

I guess in this case, to ensure they avoided paying a second set of fees, you just changed the dates of the booking? (However they would still be liable for the full service fee based on total number of nights - which I guess would be the same amount)

This does take a bit of trust on both sides, to ensure the guest is not left without accommodation and the host is not left with empty space.

[Andrew90]

Agreed but letting strangers into your home is all about trust. With strict cancellation if they cancelled 45 days out they would get full refund anyway.