My dog needs a sudden surgery and we're trying to cancel our reservation.

[Nathan4021]

My wife and I were supposed to go to Hawaii to celebrate her passing her career exam. We booked an airbnb last week and we also noticed that week that our dog has a lump around his neck that isn't like his other fatty tumors.  This was kind of alarming and we took our dog to the vet as soon as we could. He has a bunch of lipomas so we're used to him having bumps but this one felt different.  Our vet recommended we get it biopsied with urgency to ensure it's not malignant. For lymph nodes, this biopsy requires a surgery for the complete removal.

Due to this, we've been going through and trying to cancel all of our reservations.

Flights, hotels, etc. However, when trying to explain this to our host, the host says if Airbnb will allow it, then AirBNB support can give us the full refund. However, the support team is saying that the host is not allowing the refund.  I'm not sure what's going on and could really use some advice.

[Frances3408]

@Nathan4021. Did you purchase travel insurance for your trip? Hosts cant insure against cancellation risk so it does mean any reimbursement is out of their own pocket, unless they can get a replacement booking or they decide to cover it under a more flexible cancellation policy. What cancellation policy did you sign up for?

Lots of articles here about the different cancellation policies and impact on both guests and hosts. Good luck with your dog.

[Helen3]

Hello @Nathan4021 

Sorry to hear about your dog.

You can cancel your booking at any point of course and the cancellation will be processed under the cancellation policy you booked under . 

When you go to cancel it will show you how much of a  refund you would be entitled to. 

As @Frances3408  mentions you can't expect the host to underwrite the cost of your cancellation .

I am sorry that your host isn't being clearer with you around this . If you say booked under a strict or firm policy and you are due to travel soon you may not be due a refund or may only be due a partial refund. 

what the host is saying is you aren't due a refund/may only be due a partial refund under the cancellation policy you booked under - but if Airbnb want to voluntarily refund you from their own pockets they can .  (They won't).

what Airbnb isn't explaining clearly is that it's not the host isn't allowing a refund -it's that you're not entitled to one under the cancellation policy you booked under .  It sounds like you want the host to voluntarily refund you outside of their cancellation policy. 

the best thing for you to do is see if this cancellation is covered by your travel insurance.

you can also ask your host if they get a replacement booking would they be willing to refund the host fee for any days that are rebooked .

[Rebecca]

Hello @Nathan4021, 

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog, I hope the surgery goes well and that he recovers quickly afterwards! I can only imagine how distressing it has been finding this out and managing the admin of cancelling the entire trip you and your wife had planned. 

Helen and Frances shared more insights on how the cancellation policy work on the platform, and how you can proceed here. Please let us know if you have any more questions, and best of luck 🍀😊