Guest wants to cancel early

Regulations/Tax Issues
1

Hello! Maybe you’ve heard of this plenty of time, but I don’t find any more help on the Airbnb website or forums.

So I’m in my second reservation, my cancellation policy is Moderate. I got a guest who wanted to stay with us for 8 nights. Now he wants to cancel it to three nights.

According to my policy: “If the guest arrives and decides to leave early, 50% of the accommodation fees for the nights not spent 24 hours after the cancellation occurs are refunded.”

So, I should be receiving the payment for the three nights he spent, plus the cleaning fee plus the 50% of the nights he’s not spending, right?

Because Airbnb wants just to pay me the three nights plus the deposit. This is the breakdown:

$40 x 8 nights = $320 (less 20% per weekly discount) = $256
Cleaning fee: $20
Total: $276

Now the breakdown should be this:

$40 x 3 nights = $120 (Weekly discount does not apply):
Cleaning fee: $20
$20 x 5 nights = $100
Total: $240

Airbnb wants to pay me $140

Is this correct? How can I claim this?

Thanks!

Ps: Airbnb fees are just about $7, so I don’t add them to the breakdown

2

You don’t have to do this calculation and then make a claim. Just tell the guest your cancellation policy is moderate and he can cancel the nights he doesn’t want through the Airbnb site. Airbnb will show him what his refund would be under your policy if he decides to cancel.

I think this is the simplest approach. Air will pay you what you are due on the second day of the stay.

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3

ok reread: it’s calculated automatically once you accept the change. Make sure your guest sends you the request; don’t initiate it on their behalf as it will look like a cancellation on your part.

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4

Don’t accept a request to change the booking to fewer days. Advise the guest they need to cancel the booking with Airbnb who will refund them in line with your cancellation policy.

If you think Airbnb are paying you the incorrect amount, you are best calling them to discuss.

5

I’ve read other posts where this is a tactic to get the weekly discount when they know darned well in advance that they’re not staying a week.

6

I read some other posts, and it looks like he tried to make a change, so he doesn’t have to pay the cancellation. I told him he needed to cancel. At the end he cancel it and I got the 50% for the rest of nights not spend.

Right know I modify my policy to Strict, and I already got one for the rest of the month.

Thanks for your replies!

7

Also consider dropping the discount for longer stays.

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8

Do you think so? I currently have it on 10% weekly 15% monthly. I just started, so I wanted to have the maximum amount of bookings before changing to Strict or dropping discounts.

Anyway, I already got three bookings, so I think I’ll be lowering the discounts before cancel them.

Thanks!

9

IMHO those discounts don’t really help you get more bookings. Folks are not going to extend their stay just to get a booking discount. They already know they will be there X days.

A discount might make a difference if they were deciding between two equal listings; but (again MHO) the quality of your listing description and photos, and the quality of what you offer compared to others in your immediate area and price range is what will convince a guest to book with you rather than the listing down the block.

As a new host, I would not suggest you actively seek out longer term (1 month) bookings. You need many experiences as host to understand what the business is all about. You could have 20 or 30 experiences, and make more money, in the same month you have one guest.

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