Long stay guests want a refund !

[Krischan0]

We have a couple staying with us . They booked with us from the 30th of Dec.  until the 10th March. They  want to shorten their stay and stay unitl feb' 26th .I  am guessing  they want a refund. They already  benefitted from  weekly and montly discounts  for their booking . Are they entitled to a refund?

[Joan2709]

@Krischan0 

The are entitled to whatever your long term stay cancellation policy was when they booked. Airbnb may try to get you to refund them after they cancel, but you are NOT required to.

There is a common scam with monthly bookings. Guests will try to get the Host to give them a bigger discount based on a longer stay...say 3 months. They only intend to stay for 1 month, but want the bigger discount for 3 month stay. You tie up your calendar for 3 months for them (sometimes months in advance). However, after one month they want to cancel or shorten the stay and expect a refund for the unused nights. Meanwhile, you weren't able to get bookings for the 3 months they had originally booked. If you don't refund them, some will start making up stuff (not clean, safety issue, bad smells, mold, you discriminated against them...the list goes on). You only get paid by the month for these stays; not paid up front for the entire stay.

Here is a Host Guide for Monthly Stays (scroll down to scams):

Understanding Monthly Stays on Airbnb

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Community-Guides/Monthly-Stays-on-Airbnb-Guide-Revised/td-p/2031...

[Bhumika]

Hi @Krischan0 , thank you for sharing your question with the community! 

@Joan2709 has shared interesting observations and a guide that might be helpful for your situation. Do you have further questions or thoughts that you'd like to discuss with her? I found a similar discussion here that might help with some more insights : 👉Guest demanded full refund after a month long stay👈 

I am also inviting a few experienced hosts to see if they have any kind advice or guidance for us here : @Wilson154 @Debra300 @Leigh625 @Marina481 @Nash-Cottages-LLC0 @Hazel184 @Helen56 . Thank you in advance everyone for your support! 

Kind regards,

Bhumika

[Leigh625]

Hi @Krischan0 ,

I haven't been in this situation with any guests as of yet, so I'm not sure what the outcome would be.

However, in my opinion, your guests reserved a stay where they agreed upon the amount of days. If they decide to leave early, that is on them. 

I compare it to leaving a movie theatre half-way through the film and expecting half the ticket price back—or better yet, patrons of a restaurant thinking they should pay half price if they don't finish their meals.

Either way, I don't think a refund is in order in this case. I hope this helps.

—Leigh

[Debra300]

@Krischan0,

Per the Airbnb long-term cancelation policy, guests who wish to end their reservations early are required to pay for the 30 days after submitting the amendment or to the end of the reservation, if less than 30 days are remaining.  There is no approval required from the host, and the dates are automatically reopened on the listing's calendar.

Please always refer to the Airbnb Help Center for formal information (the link is in my signature).