We want to share our frustrating experience with Airbnb’s “Major Disruption Policy” and warn others about how the company refuses to honor it, even during an active crisis.
We had a stay planned in Asheville, NC, but as the vast majority of the United States know severe flash flooding and landslides that have claimed lives, cut off roads, disrupted water and electricity, and led the local government to ask people not to travel to the area so they can focus on recovery efforts. Yet, despite these conditions, Airbnb has refused to issue us a refund or credit. Their reasoning? They argue that Fairview (where our stay is) wasn’t affected—ignoring substantial evidence to the contrary.
What makes this worse is that Airbnb’s own policy allegedly covers disruptions that prevent completion of a reservation. Specifically, the policy states that it applies to:
- • Events that prevent completion of the reservation, such as a mandatory evacuation order or
- • Large-scale outages of essential utilities
The situation in Asheville clearly meets these criteria—roads are blocked or completely gone, utilities are down, and local authorities are urging people to stay away. Yet, Airbnb claims this disaster is somehow “foreseeable” Despite this never having happened since the great flood of 1916 (please explain how something that hasn't happened in over a 100 years is foreseeable) and is using that as an excuse to deny our refund, despite the obvious risks to safety and infrastructure, and frankly so is the host Carolina Mornings, who very clearly is concern more with profits that safety (just do a little google search and read the reviews).
This experience has left us shocked and disappointed. If you’re planning travel with Airbnb, please be aware that their policy may not protect you even when conditions make it impossible or unsafe to travel. We recommend exploring alternative booking options or at least having backup plans in case Airbnb fails to support you, as they have with us.
We hope this post encourages others to think twice before relying on Airbnb for travel plans. Maybe consider booking privately or using VRBO who in my research has provided refund to others in the area with this situation.
