guest last minuet cancellation due to illness

[Bex0]

Hi there,

I am fairly new to Airbnb and find myself in a difficult situation - I wouldappreciate your advice.

I have a moderate cancellation on my apartment. My next guest is due to arrive in 24hrs, They have justed sent me a message saying they will need to cancel due to illness and that his wife will need to go to hospital.

They are asking me to reimburse them.

I want to be fair but also know that renting last minuet in the week during low season isnt going to happen.

Thank you

Bex

[Clare0]

@Bex0 Don't cancel on the system!  Instead, contact Airbnb and explain the situatiion.  Also the guest should contact Airbnb for reimbursement since Airbnb hasn't paid you yet.  The guest, and you, can use the phone number listed on the guest's itinerary.  

[David126]

It has happened to me, they need to contact AirBnB with evidence. That way they do not get charged the fees as well.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

Isn;t this why people have travel insurance?

[Florence-And-Michael0]

This has happened to me.  A guest canceled because their son got sick. I had a strict cancellation rule. I felt bad and gave them thier money back. Plus I didn't want a bad review. Rookie minstake on my part?

[Clare0]

@Florence-And-Michael0 whether or not  to give a full refund is up to each individual host since they are the ones in communication with the guest. 

But, if a guest cancels, they are not able to leave a review.  So if the reason you gave a full refund was to avoid a bad review, well, yes, I guess that's a rookie mistake.  🙂

[Michael118]

Florence, I don't think it's a rookie mistake to give money back to someone you felt sorry for. I had a young lady who stayed for a month due to a job transfer. She had to leave three days early. Although not required, I contacted airbnb and asked them to refund the three days, which they did. Moving is expensive and she needed the money more than I did.

[Amy4]

I've had this kind of request bunches of times, so I worked out a win-win solution that seems workable. I tell the guest that they can contact Airbnb with proof of illness, and Airbnb will handle their cancellation and refund. Knowing some percentage of these folks are not sick, have no proof, and are just looking for a way out of the booking, I have a back pocket offer, too. I don't want to host someone who doesn't want to be here, especially someone who shows up with a negative attitude after I've declined to cancel with a full refund. So I tell those folks that they should go ahead and cancel, and IF I can rebook those dates, I will refund 90% of the amount I'm able to rebook them for. If I'm not able to rebook those dates, I offer them the equivalent value in a future booking (based on availability, of course). Sometimes they use the credits; sometimes they don't. But they seem happier with a compromise offer than a flat "no," and if they do keep their reservation, there's less risk of having resentful people in the house. 

[Eileen4]

The only glitch with offering to let a guest stay at a later date is seasonal pricing. I had a woman who booked in during the low season and cancelled three weeks before her dates. She seemed keen to recoup the booking later--she said a few weeks later--but I realized that the income from her original booking would only cover 2/3rds of what the same number of days would cost those few weeks later, during the high season.

I'm not sure how we recalibrate from an administrative point of view--does the guest have cancel and then rebook? And if they do, is it worth going through all the rigmarole? I did wonder if the guest was trying to pull a fast one on me by cancelling in a low season only to recoup the same number of days, at the same price, in the high. I offered to refund her if I could book the days, but that never happened. Maybe someone out there knows? Is there a credit system in Airbnb?

[Cj0]

Eileen, I think what Amy was suggesting was to reduce the rate by the amount she was already paid.  She mentions "equivalent value".   Then, whatever remaining amount was due, because of higher seasonal rates for example, or more nights, would still be paid by the guest.

I like that idea, Amy.

[Kevin339]

Upon contacting my travel insurance, I learned that it doesn't cover overnight accomidations. Only "common carrier" which means: airfare, long distance train or bus. 

[Becky258]

I had a guest and girlfriend going in August 11 to 17.  I sent a welcome message on August 11.  August 13 Air bnb contacted me and said the guest, Jack, isn't there and needs to cancel as his girlfriend got sick.  I tried rebook but of course no one took it.  Now Air bnb says Jack produced a note and although Air bnb paid me on the 12 I have to refund it all to Jack.  I have $35 cost a day to have the place because of taxes, maintenance, electricity and the cleaner return to the unit to air it out.

Has anyone ever had this happen?  Do I have to give back all the money?  VRBO doesn't work this way.  With VRBO a deal is a deal after I'm paid.  I can't spend air to cover my costs.

[Sandra856]

Hi @Becky258 🙂

It seems like your guests cancelled under the "Extenuating Circumstances" Policy. It means they have to document illness, death etc. and they will then get a full refund. You got the same opportunity to cancel under the "Extenuating Circumstances" Policy if something should happen and you can't host. 

[Sandra856]

@Becky258 I don't understand why airbnb doesn't just give the opportunity for the guests to buy a cancellation insurance when they book. They should of course still provide documents in order to cancel with the insurance. I just rent out a small room, so for me it is not much I loose but for hosts with big houses it is of course another story 🙂 

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Becky258 my understanding is that airbnb takes it out of future earnings.