Guest Cancellation / Owner Payout Deduction

[Alisa485]

Since Airbnb support has become worthless these days hoping the community can help! We had a guest cancel their reservation. Their arrival is in 4 months. We refunded them in full. When we processed the payout, we received a message that the refund amount would be deducted from our next payout. As a host/owner we don't receive any money until the guest arrives. Airbnb holds all collected funds and doesn't pay us until the check-in. How and why are we supposed to be able to pay the guest if we haven't received any money. Very frustrated with Airbnb's lack of help answering the most basic of questions. Thanks community!

[Marie8425]

My cancellation rules are very flexible.  To protect myself though I accept the cancel authorize the 100% refund but then tell the guest Airbnb has the money not me contact them for reimbursement.  I offer flexibility not I will take on work chasing your money.  

[Helen744 · Accepted solution]

@Alisa485 do not refund from your own monies but make sure that the guest has cancelled,within the limits of your terms and conditions , and  then let the guest know that ,as you do not receive any monies until the day after the guest arrives,that the guest will have a refund from Airbnb ,not yourself , unless they had already made a part payment and you were offering a stay longer than 28 days. Refunds would then be coming from your next payment as it were , .this should show up under the reservation ,if part payments and part refunds need to be offered... H

[Alisa485]

Sorry if my post was confusing. I did not refund with my personal monies. We found out that it was a glitch in the Airbnb system telling us that since the guest cancelled and we refunded them we would have $ taken out of our next payout. It is an Airbnb issue, the system did not recognize that the guest cancelled 4 months prior to arrival and we have not received any payouts. Thx for reply!