Major Disruptive Events Policy used to cancel booking in Cyprus – looking for host advice

[George414]

Hello fellow hosts,

I would appreciate some advice from the community regarding a recent case where Airbnb cancelled a reservation at my property and issued a full refund to the guest under the Major Disruptive Events Policy.

Property location: Pervolia, Larnaca District, Cyprus.

Summary of the situation:

• The guest booked a 2-week stay and informed me they were relocating to Cyprus from Poland.
• One day before arrival, unexpected municipal roadworks began and access to the estate garage was temporarily blocked.
• I informed the guest immediately and suggested free public parking about 300m away.
• I also offered to personally help carry luggage and offered secure storage for their belongings in another nearby property.

The guest replied that walking with suitcases was acceptable, but the real problem was that they were moving to Cyprus and had arranged delivery of 11 heavy boxes and other items (TV, etc.). Because of that, they said it would be difficult to transport everything from the parking area.

Shortly after, they requested cancellation and a refund through Airbnb.

Important points:

• The property itself was fully functional and accessible on foot.
• The guest never entered the property.
• The guest explicitly stated the issue was transporting their moving boxes.
• Airbnb later assisted the guest in finding alternative accommodation in Cyprus.

Despite this, Airbnb cancelled the reservation under the Major Disruptive Events Policy.

When I asked for clarification, support stated that the Larnaca District had been “flagged due to military actions in Cyprus.” However:

• Travel to Cyprus was operating normally.
• No travel restrictions or safety advisories applied to the area.
• The guest successfully travelled to Cyprus and stayed elsewhere.

I repeatedly asked Airbnb to provide the specific advisory or event that triggered this policy for Larnaca District, but no documentation was provided.

Additionally, I requested to speak with a supervisor before the cancellation decision was made, but this never happened.

My concern is that the policy appears to have been applied retroactively to justify a cancellation that was originally based on a local access issue rather than any disruptive event.

Has any other host experienced something similar where the Major Disruptive Events Policy was applied even though the guest’s cancellation reason was unrelated to the event cited?

Any advice on escalation or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
George & Andreas

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[Mike-And-Jane0]

@George414 Whilst they may have used the Iran war as the reason to cancel the reality is that your property did not deliver what was promised when the guest booked. As such if you overturn the disruptive events element the lack of access is still deserving of a cancellation I suspect.

[George414]

Thanks for the input @Mike-And-Jane0 . I clarify that the property is still accessible on foot. The guests agreed that they dont mind walking a distance of 300m from an alternative free public carpark. Their issue was transporting heavy boxes (which was not known at the time booking) for which I offer alternative storage in another property nearby accessible by car. Beside all these, the cancelation was based on the airbnb policy (major disruptive events due a war in Iran) which changes the cancellation policy (and payout) entirely and it is not linked to the guest's complaint. I am interest to know if any other hosts experienced such cancellations in my region, as no travel restictions have been issued.