Early checkout query.

[Ian58020]

Hi, I’m wondering if someone can offer an opinion or advice.

we have our Air BnB listing in Rosendal, Halland Sweden. We have had it listed since early June and we are pretty much flat out with bookings.

today we had a couple check in around 14.30. Lovely couple here for a car show.

they have just come in at 20.20 and grabbed their things and gone home. Apparently the dog sitter has become ill.

it’s obviously too late to find another guest.

do we have to offer them a refund?

thanks for any help

ian

[Helen3]

Of course not. It's not a hosts fault if a guests dog becomes ill.

you would only offer a refund if your listing wasn't as advertised @Ian58020 

[Emiel1]

@Ian58020 

The guest need to cancel the reservation asap, the cancellation policy attached will calculate the refund (if any) and free up the remaining dates of the reservation on your calendar.

If you want to offer some (more) refund voluntary, you can use the resolution centre for it after cancellation has been processed.

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Ian58020 

No, you do not have to offer a refund simply because the guests chose to leave early due to a personal emergency.

From Airbnb’s perspective, they checked in, had access to the accommodation, and their reservation was being honored. The reason for leaving their dog sitter becoming ill is unfortunate, but it’s not something the host is responsible for.

If they cancel the remaining nights through Airbnb, the refund (if any) will be determined by your cancellation policy unless you voluntarily agree to refund more.

[Dinamarta-Jose0]

Hi Ian,

In my opinion, this falls under the guest’s personal circumstances rather than something related to the accommodation.

If I were in your position, I would express my sympathy for their situation and wish them a safe trip home, but I would not offer a refund. Unfortunately, once the stay has begun, the dates are blocked and it’s usually too late to rebook the nights.

Wishing them a safe journey home is a kind gesture, but I don’t believe hosts should bear the financial loss for unexpected events that are outside their control.

[Greystone0]

Hi @Ian58020  - agree with the good advice given. You aren't obligated as noted.

Our approach for cases like this is a bit different - we have only had a few instances where the guest had to cut short.They did not ask for a refund. But we offered a refund for a portion of the time that was left over. This creates good will and is just how we wish to handle. We get repeat guests and so if it is a group that seemed like we'd like them back, they were respectful of our home and all the good things, then for us it is like a marketing expense. 

We have repeat guests that come back every few years so it isn't readily obvious if this will have an impact for any individual case. 

This summer we just had a 9 night booking from such a case a few years ago.

Nonetheless, we'd do this anyway, we run a business but also we view this like a sales expense.

wishing you much success!