Full Refund for Strict Cancellation Policy (TIPS!)

[Farah1]

I always have a strict cancellation policy since I started hosting on airbnb. Fortunately, it has been working very well for me.

Recently, I noticed there are some hosts in the forum with a dilemma for *not being able* to give a full refund for guest who cancel under the strict cancellation when they want to. To hosts with strict cancellation policy, YOU CAN GIVE a FULL REFUND to your guests with your STRICT CANCELLATION POLICY if you want to. Please note to not cancel any reservations from your end.

There are great penalties that hosts can get from cancelling a reservation.

If the guest is the one who wants to cancel, then let them do it from their end. Please also make sure that you do not accept of guests request to cancel as you will also be penalize for it, please read > https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/BEWARE-of-quot-Guest-requests-that-you-cancel-quot/m-p/4...

*If it is really necessary for you to have a reservation canceled, contact airbnb right away and ask for their assistance to help you cancel it from their end (of course this is depending on what is the reason for you to cancel).

*If you are a host with strict cancellation policy and willing to give 100% refund for guest who cancel the reservation, you can do this! Go to Host > Your Reservations > Issue Refund , that way you can refud the remaining balance of the reservation. Please read > https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/165/how-do-i-refund-my-guest

I hope this post helps new hosts/hosts who do not know that this is possible and have been penalize for trying to help guest to give them a full refund by doing the cancellation.

[Cormac0]

@Farah

If a Guest asked me to cancel THEIR booking, my riposte would be, but I don't want to cancel!

 @Fred110 hit the nail on the head when he questions the veracity of Airbnb’s software allowing such a method exist in the first place, when to acquiesce to such a request carries huge penalties for an unsuspecting Host.

Annette make the point about fleckless Hosts, but surly with the amount of unannounced amendment and addition to Airbnb’s software every Host from time to time could be accused of this.

Eg. Minimum hosting requirement change, Strict cancellation policy change, the continual change to the layout of the software which if I’m not very much mistaken Annette you had issues with?

Airbnb should be an outstanding platform they’ve got scale and significant financial resources, but in my opinion their software is a dog’s dinner and needs a root and branch review, it’s just not professional software, if this software was designed for a large multinational company they’d have it binned years ago. The notion that a novice user could expose the business to significant loss by accepting a cancelation build into the software would just not happen or if it did somebody would be fired I coming at it from the perspective that us hosts are end users.

[Pete27]

I completely agree @Cormac0, their user interface for the hosts changes all the time and is constantly bugged in different ways. One day something works the next day it doesn’t, plus the font is different. What? Seriously what’s going on and why can’t Airbnb’s world class engineers give us a smooth and consistent product. This year a few great features I used to use have gotten inadvertently cut out in random updates, with no explanation. If it’s not broken don’t fix it! 

[Indija0]

'us hosts' are, i suspect, seen by airbnb less as end users more as the cash cow that stands in the middle of an otherwise beautiful relationship. Basically the battery hens that lay the golden eggs. The guests are their consumer public. 

[Cristina860]

I booked a home. The host messaged me a different address as to what was advertised. I cancelled within 7 minutes of booking because the address of the home was not in the area that I expected when I booked.
When a refund was requested, Airbnb claimed the host has a strict cancellation policy and will not refund $470. The host has not answered any messages beyond the initial message that gave instructions to the home. Airbnb Support has stated that the host is entitled to keep the money because of company policy for strict cancellations. I am being charged $470 for a home that I never even stepped foot in.

Anyone else had this experience?

[Liz396]

Yes, I was also put on the hook for a reservation I am cancelling over a month in advance! The host claims to be fine with refunding me, but blames Airbnb. We will see how this gets resolved.

[Letti0]

@Cristina860 This is called Bait and Switch, where you rent one property yet the host places you in a rental you did not book. You need to tell AirBnB this is why you cancelled. It is against AirBnB's rules to do this you should be given a full refund including service fee's. Also go to the listing and flag/report it. Then go to the hosts profile and flag/report her/him also. Next contact AirbnbHelp on twitter with a direct message and explain what the host pulled in complete detail and request a full refund. Add in any messages you got from the host especially the one stating the different address. I am thinking you got the messages on your phone do a screen shot proving this was were she wanted you to stay rather than where you actually booked, since I'm pretty sure she never messaged this on the AirBnB system to you. She needs to have her listings pulled from AirBnB for this behavior. Also if you have been asked to review her please do so. 1* across the board for this behavior and state in your review. You booked one listing and the host tried to put you in another without permission or any advanced notice and why you were forced to cancel the booking upon arrival. 

[Anne1470]

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@Cristina860 wrote:

I booked a home. The host messaged me a different address as to what was advertised. I cancelled within 7 minutes of booking because the address of the home was not in the area that I expected when I booked.
When a refund was requested, Airbnb claimed the host has a strict cancellation policy and will not refund $470. The host has not answered any messages beyond the initial message that gave instructions to the home. Airbnb Support has stated that the host is entitled to keep the money because of company policy for strict cancellations. I am being charged $470 for a home that I never even stepped foot in.

Anyone else had this experience?

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Hi Ms Christina that is why it is recommended to contact the host first before booking, because preparing the place to the guest check in is not an easy job as well and host could no longer look for a new guests with the late cancellations 🙂 although there are hosts who are willing to issue a refund most of them do as it Will free up their calendar. 🙂

[Melissa807]

I am a guest who just yesterday had to cancel my reservations 2 months IN ADVANCE due to loss of employment. The reservation was for June 3-8 and I told the host all about it and he agreed to give me a full refund of 754.00 Well, he told me to cancel it on my end and I did. It stated that I would get 703.00 back. I got an email stating he refunded me 541.00 and then I got another stating I was getting 579.00.. I asked him about it and he said thats all airbnb gave him.  I don't know who to believe and 165.00 is alot of money to lose due to something completely out of my control.. Any suggestions?? 

[Paul154]

@Melissa111 

Your financial agreement is with Airbnb. Call airbnb for details.

Airbnb normally does not refund their fees. However, if you explain your unemployment situation, they may waive these fees for goodwill.

Some details in your posting are suspect and confusing, so I won't comment. Call airbnb for the best results and explanations.

[Alice595 · Accepted solution]

There is alway a way to refund. 

(1) Call Airbnb help to refund

(2) Send Money option in the inbox with the person who ask for refund

(3) Ask the guest to send a Request Money through the InBox

But a rule is a rule. I would suggest that do not break a rule which is set up. If a rule is broken one time, it will have second time and more. The rule is abused. If a host provides an exception to give full refund to a guest, the guest will easily try to do the same in other occations for other hosts. It will cause contention and argument between the other hosts and the guest if the other hosts are reluctant to provide a full refund.

[Anne-and-Rob0]

Alice, you are absolutely correct with "a rule is a rule, broken one time it will have a second time ... "  I've hosted well over 200 guests under my strict cancellation policy without an issue.  Only 2 guests gave me flack about not getting special treatment with changes and cancellations.  They were both fellow Airbnb hosts.  Both devolved into harassing statements such as, "you can do it if you wanted too",  "life happens you know", "too busy to travel now" ....   

[Alejandra413]

Hello, my friend and I booked a one bedroom apartment in New York for our trip coming up in September . Recently we had a couple other friends decide they want to join us on our trip. The maximum number of people listed for the apartment is two.  So my question is if our host has a strict cancellation policy will we be able to get a full refund being that it no longer accommodates our needs? 

[Susan1188]

You made a commitment with your host, and your blocked her apartment.

Now your travel plans have changed, but in the meantime your host has had to refuse other guests that could have taken your place.

Airbnb cancellation policies are very favorable to the guest, compared to most industry standards.  They are clear and obvious on booking, you knew it when you blocked the apartment for yourself.

You can reach out to your host and ask if any refund will be possible, for example if she gets another booking to replace you.  But please accept your own responsibility if the host cannot reimburse you.  

[Nilda19]

Hi! We just had a guest cancel her reservation and now she's asking for refund. AirBnB is sending me reminders to give my answer. Am I required to answer? Can't I just ignore it? I honestly do not want to give the refund because she cancelled 12:26 AM on the date she is supposed to check in (the funds is not with us  yet.) What will happen if I will not respond either to AirBnB or to the guest?

[David4383]

@Nilda19 I spoke with Airbnb (or Homeaway at this point I cannot remember) and they notified me in these situations since it's a last minute cancellation and depending on your cancellation policy you can keep the money regardless of how your renter reacts. The negative in leaving the booking active is they will be allowed to leave you a review after the check-out  and be prepared for a bad review from an angry renter. In my situation I could not afford a bad review as it was my first month so I decided to give a full refund and cancel the reservation.