Cancellations due to SMOKE from fires

[Pamela853]

Hello Fellow Hosts!

Given there must be thousands of us dealing with intense smoke from the wildfires raging in the west, and am guessing not a few of us are dealing with cancellations as a result, am wondering if a discussion around how hosts are handling these cancellations would be useful?

I have a beach house and it is not an inexpensive rental. People come to our rental to enjoy the beach and nature (we are sited within 4000 acres of parklands and dunes)so I feel queasy about enforcing cancellation policies when the experience people are paying for would be severely compromised at no fault of either guest or host. Because of this, I've offered full refunds to guests that wanted to cancel due to degraded air quality, or re-booking at a later date, depending on what the guest wanted.

We are pretty new, so wanting to build a business through a reputation for being considerate hosts. Figured in the long run people will appreciate the consideration and come back (and recommend our rental to friends), but am curious how other hosts are faring and handling the situation. Anyone have a discussion with Airbnb about recommended policy? Feels like when a guest cancels for personal reasons, a cancellation policy would be apt, but in a circumstance where there is significant degradation of environmental quality (if not force majeure), feels a bit harsh???

Looking forward to hearing about other's experiences and thoughts!

[Mary4574]

I booked a place in Tahoe for an annual race - the AQI that weekend was at 400 - hazardous. I asked host if I could change my reservation and rebooked down the road. And again on this week the AQI in Tahoe is above 500. There is no way I can go to this area and feel safe + plus a fire is blocking the one of the roads. I asked if I could shift dates again as it is not safe to be in the area. The host says she is selling and will refund 1/2. It is a lot of money to pay for something I literally can't use. NOAA announced that the air is hazardous in Truckee specifically - where I booked. Host is giving me 1/2 back of what I paid. I feel 1000% unheard and really bothered as once I saw what was happening in regards to fire and smoke issues I asked to move dates in good faith. I wanted to move dates and not cancel. If I had known she was selling her place I would have cancelled when I could have. AIrBnb not responding to my requests and only want to give the partial refund and does not care about the unsafe air quality. It is not safe to be in Tahoe/Truckee. Does not feel fair. 

[Linda108]

@Mary4574   It is very ironic that for another year the fire season has wreaked havoc for California and    you posted on this year-old thread about how hosts deal with natural disasters that negatively impact guest experience to the extent a cancellation is needed by the guest, but at the expense of the host. I hope you read the thread as you will note how generously these hosts reacted by giving refunds to guests. As mentioned by me previously, the host ability to respond to these individual situations varies.  Perhaps that is the case here.

You are obviously an experienced and valued guest for the Air BNB system.  You have chosen many times to use this personal accommodation instead of a hotel/motel chain.  With that choice should come a recognition that there is not the same back up for the Air BNB host as there is with a motel or hotel.  Perhaps travel insurance would be an option you will consider.

If you are seeking to continue as a guest with Air BNB, I wonder if you can obtain a general credit with Air BNB to be used on a future booking. While you might not get the whole amount refunded, it might allow some compensation.  I don't know if you have spoken with a customer service rep or just used the automated system, but it would be worth a try to speak directly if you can.  Good luck!

[Tim3506]

My wife and I were due to go to a

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My wife and I were to have stayed this weekend in a tree house rental in upstate New York. Smack bang in the middle of the most intense smoke from the Canadian forest fires. The host said he doesn’t have the power to offer us a refund; said *the rules are there to protect hosts as well as customers.* I guess there are no rules to protect two asthmatics from avaricious people when there’s an obvious force majeure. Now we have to pay this guy to stay home, when the only thing occupying our rental will be wildfire smoke.

[Pamela853]

@Tim3506 

I would reach out to Airbnb directly as there may be something they can do. Clearly the rental is not occupiable as booked, and Airbnb does have an extenuating circumstances policy: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1320

The smoke from these fires are hazardous to health. You honestly should be able to get a refund. Don't depend on the host to make it right, go directly to Airbnb.

Best of luck!

[Angelee0]

As a frequent renter I just wanted to say thank you for considering your guests' experience. Right now we are battling with a owner that doesn't want to offer a cancellation when there is a active fire 5 km away from the property and the road to access is currently closed. While the property is not on alert yet, the fire is still very active and moving. Air quality is well beyond the unsafe level. I realize this is a crap shoot for both the renter and owner and we both suffer but you are 100% correct that we will not rent from them again.  Vacations are expensive and some renters can only afford 1 per year. It's a real shame to lose a good reputation. 

[Pamela853]

Hi Angelee-

Am so very sorry you are dealing with this. Fire behavior is unpredictable, and a 5km distance can easily turn into a 0km distance in a fire. We lost a beloved cabin in the Caldor fire. Thought we would have time to get to it to clear out things of sentimental value but the fire moved 35 MILES in a single night and we lost everything. So, a host that isn't willing to cancel just because the rental isn't yet on fire seems unreasonable. If the access road is closed it would seem you would get a refund under the extenuating circumstances policy:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Support-with-your-bookings/Does-road-closure-qualify-as-extenuat....

I would definitely recommend taking this up with Airbnb. Much about fast-moving fires in the news (can anyone NOT think about the recent tragedy in Maui?), you should not be forced to take a vacation in an area compromised by the potential for evacuation, and should be entitled to a refund. Yes, the host loses out under the circumstances, but that is part of the cost of doing business. If a host can't offer the experience promised guests when they made a booking, the guest should have the right to cancel, and get a full refund. Period.

Here's hoping Airbnb can sort this out for you-

pamela