Host wants me to cancel my booking

[Janet1713]

I’m looking for advice on a situation with an upcoming reservation. A few days ago, someone identifying themselves as a “co-host” texted me asking me to cancel my booking. I responded to the host through the Airbnb app and let her know I prefer to communicate only through the platform. She only said "co-host  is not a scammer."

After that, the co-host emailed me saying the host is retiring, the owner is taking the property off Airbnb, and they want me to cancel and rebook directly with them or on VRBO or on their new AirBnB site that they are having trouble setting up. This would require me to wait for a nearly $7,000 refund from Airbnb to my credit card and then ask for a check, and just stuff I hate doing. Literally do not need this hassle. 

This booking took my family weeks to find and coordinate. We have a large group, a couple of small dogs, and specific needs, so it wasn’t easy to secure a place that worked for everyone. This trip is our annual family reunion, and my dad was just released from the hospital and is now entering hospice, so I really don’t have the bandwidth for added stress.

I also checked the listing calendar, and it appears future bookings are still active, which makes the explanation about “retiring” confusing. From my understanding of Airbnb’s Terms of Service, hosts aren’t supposed to move confirmed bookings off-platform.

What is the best way to handle this? Should I message the host in the app and tell her she needs to either honor the reservation or cancel it herself? Is there any risk of retaliation (like cancellation penalties or other issues) if I refuse to cancel on my end?

I work in the legal field and am very uncomfortable participating in something that appears to violate platform policies. I just want to make sure my family’s plans are secure and handled properly. If I made her keep this reservation I fear she would mess with me somehow. Needless to say, trust is gone. Seems like they want to cancel the listing but don't want to get penalized for it. 

Any guidance would be appreciated.

[Emiel1]

@Janet1713 

"Seems like they want to cancel the listing but don't want to get penalized for it."

Exactly. Do not cancel. Reservation is booked and payed.

"Should I message the host in the app and tell her she needs to either honor the reservation or cancel it herself"

Yes.

Do not hesitate to contact Airbnb is if things move in wrong direction.

[Shelley159]

I'd say this is unacceptable @Janet1713 

If they're an experienced co-host with a good reputation on Airbnb, why would they have "trouble" setting up an Airbnb listing? Plus, they're trying to force a guest to cancel a reservation and trying to take a booking off site (both of which are policy violations).

If there's some complicated situation preventing the host and co-host from honouring your booking, they should've been the ones to contact Airbnb for help before asking a guest to cancel.

For me, first prize would be to find another suitable listing on Airbnb, then contact Airbnb Support to help you move the booking to the other listing. Once that's done, you could report the problem listing.

If you can't find any other suitable place on Airbnb, I can think of two risks if you refuse to cancel. (1) The host or co-host could somehow make your stay unpleasant, and (2) they can leave a bad guest review. So if you're sticking with this booking, keep those two things in mind when you interact with them. 

I agree with @Emiel1 that you need to get Support involved if needed - the situation sounds like Support will almost certainly side with you. 

[Helen3]

What's happened here is a new host is taking over the listing . They should never ask you to cancel.

if they can no longer host you then they have to cancel the booking. They don't want to do this because they will be charged a cancelled fee.

Call Airbnb straight away and tell them what has happened. 

@Janet1713 

[Paula]

Hello @Janet1713, Thank you for posting this in the Airbnb Community.

Three experienced hosts have shared very valuable advice. Are you currently in contact with the support team, or have there been any updates since you posted here?

Please keep us posted on how everything goes.

[Janet1713]

Thanks, this isn't at the top of my list atm, but I will update when I have one. I've just ignored all the texts and emails and my brother is starting to look for another property as a back-up.