Blocking Off Unavailable Dates: A Community Help Guide

[Dave-and-Deb0]

-----------------Update June 5th 2017--------------------

An updated version of this Community Guide is now available, click here to view.

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Many people wish to block off certain dates for several reasons which may include going on vacation or renting out their listing through other websites.  Below are the steps for blocking dates for specific days or a group of consecutive days on your calendar.

Step 1: Select the "Host" tab on the top right hand corner and then choose "Manage Listings".

Step 2: Choose "Manage Listings and Calendar".  You will then be taken to your calendar.

Step 3: On your calendar, select one date by clicking on the date or select consecutive dates by clicking on the first date by dragging (while still clicking) the cursor to the last date you wish to block.  

Step 4: When you select the date/dates you want to set specific pricing for, a box will appear on the right hand side which allows you to input the price for the dates you selected or block.  Select the "Blockd" tab and then review the date range.  If those are the dates you wish to block off, choose "Save Changes".

As you can see below, the dates that were selected have now been blocked off and it will not be possible to book and your listing will not show up in searches for the selected dates.

Cheers

David

[HomeLeaderCrete0]

Hello Dave....i have a big doubt about it

In your example you blocked the date from 4 till 15 April so it means that the day of check out is 15 april and new guest can check in the same day after for example 14:00 ?  

[Paul4]

To understand it better.  We are actually selling nights not days.  The night of the arrival date is blocked and the last night is blocked.  So if a date is blocked off it is actually that night that is not available.  In the example the night of April 15 is blocked. Check in the next day is available.

[Jill4]

I did that and 2016 was totally blocked out until May this year, somehow I still received 4 requests for bookings!

[Alex41]

Same problem, it is really dumb.

[Carmen-and-Kyle0]

The function for blocking off dates does not seem to be working. I've tried half a dozen times, and the changes will not save. I've received booking requests and look like a jerk when I have to say those dates are actually not available. Please correct this issue and advise!

[Carla72]

did you get an answer on this?  

I have the same issue....

[Margaret--and-Andy0]

me too, I had blocked dates over Christmas, but I see they are available again, and we have 'instant booking' turned on! oh dear!!!!

[Cecilia---Jean-Louis---L0]

Dear Dave ?

I have a little problem, i have canceled for 1 reservation that we have due to the date. 

And now the customer agree to change the date, and she like to make a new inquiry and book it but on the system isn't avaiable anymore.

I tried to change on my calender, but its not working either.

Can you help please ?

Thanks

[Dave-and-Deb0]

Hi Lydia,

Because you cancelled on the guest, one of the penalties is that the dates the guest originally booked are blocked off and cannot be booked via Airbnb.

Here is the list of other penalties that you have because you cancelled : https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/990/how-do-host-cancellation-penalties-work

Dave

[Toby27]

Blocking dates has bugs.

I've tried blocking dates -- for example all of May and June -- multiple times.

I get the expected results in the AirBnB user interface.

At some point in the future, AirBnB randomly unblocks a subset of the blocked dates -- and I start getting reservation requests, and then negative points for declining.

Rinse, repeat. Block date range. See dates are blocked. Signout, sign back in, see dates are blocked. Wait 3 weeks. Subset of dates unblocked. Reservation requests start.

Airbnb, this is a bug. Please fix.

Thanks.

[William185]

I fought with the problem for weeks until I finally got some help from a very nice person at AirBnb. Your problem sounds like my issue - the solution that I finally got was in the availability menu, as I recall. There is a box where you select either three months or all future dates. If you have selected the three month option, every day three months hence from 'today' is automatically unblocked. Selecting all future dates fixes the problem. I don't know why AirBnb doesn't publicize this more. (you may have seen this on an earlier post that I sent after getting the hint from Airbnb).

Bill Reinhart

[Jenifer0]

Thanks for the tip of 'sliding' along the date - have been doing it day by day and worn out the fingers.

[Mindy0]

Thanks for this.  Works great!

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

Be aware however that you regularly need to check what dates are blocked. The system (on our account and others in some messages) automtically blocks and unblocks dates - sometimes individual days, other times a few days, July and August seem to be the favourite months for this little glitlch at the moment. So the first rule is don't accept a booking unless you check the dates first.