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I have put my flat on Airbnb for hosting and made two reservations that I know must cancel.
I fully understand the damage that might have been done to the guests, but there was no other way to resolve the issues I currently have.
For the cancellations of those bookings Airbnb has put a cancellation fee of 150 dollars to the account. In My Transactions I can see that there are two pending payouts of 132 euros (148 dollars). I know have removed my flat from the listings and plan on never hosting again to avoid any financial damage to myself and others.
My question is: Will Airbnb literally fine me and take the money out of the account or will I simply have a penalty for my next AIrbnb operations? I am from the European Union, Eastern Europe.
P.S. I am aware that there was a similar thread created, but the answers provided there still leave me doubting of what further actions will be taken by Airbnb.
The first line of action is to withhold from future booking payouts. If you donāt host for a significant period of time, they can take necessary actions to recover the funds directly from you.
Since they have your payout info, they may be authorized (through acceptance of terms & conditions) to withdraw the funds from your account. I think you must have a good read of the fine print, as I donāt have a definitive answer. They may not take you to court over $300 but if they canāt collect, they may sell your debt to a collection agency.
Itās too bad that you had to cancel but it sounds like you thought it through.
First of all, the first reservation was booked automatically without my intervention, we contacted Airbnb via email and they said that the āāauto-bookāā (or whatever itās called) was on. I definitely removed that option upon the creation of the account and the listing of the flat, but there is no point of arguing with them, since I cannot provide any proof that it was turned off. I contacted the user, explained the situation in full details with the attached emails from Airbnb and requested her to cancel the reservation, which she did and I confirmed it, but Airbnb still imposed a cancellation fee. But they did mention in the email, that āIām forwarding your case onwards to our Trip team, and a dedicated case manager will be in touch soon.ā
For the second reservation, I had a misunderstanding with our landlord and now he does not agree for us to continue renting the Airbnb flat for the summer when my flat mate is away and I can stay at a different place and host the flat. No one is blaming Airbnb for this misunderstanding and I messed up fully on my part, but we cannot workout any other solution for the guest. Informed him with full details as well.
Thank you for your reply. I will contact Airbnb somehow (which is a pain in theā¦) and hopefully we can come to resolution somehow.
If anyone has any other suggestions and insight, please inform me, it would be great to know as much as possible. Absolutely green in this sphere.
Itās likely too late in the process for you, butā¦
For Instant Book hosts only
Hosts who use Instant Book may be able to cancel up to 3 times, penalty-free, if they have concerns about a guestās behavior. Calendar inaccuracy, confusion about pricing or availability, and extenuating circumstances are not covered by this policy.
If youāre an Instant Book host and have concerns about a guestās behavior:
Go to Your Reservations and find the reservation you need to cancel
Click Change or Cancel
Select āIām uncomfortable with the guestās behaviorā
Provide a reason for the cancellation
Iām afraid that you acted against the TOS so youād be extremely lucky if they waived the fees. (Itās not a fine, by the way, itās their fees for providing the service).
As @felixcat said above, you agreed to the terms and conditions when you signed up and listed your place. Hereās the relevant paragraph:
Accordingly, you represent and warrant that any Listing you post and the booking of, or a Guestās stay at, an Accommodation in a Listing you post (i) will not breach any agreements you have entered into with any third parties, such as homeowners association, condominium, lease or rental agreements, and (ii) will (a) be in compliance with all applicable laws (such as zoning laws and laws governing rentals of residential and other properties),
Live and learn. I guess if I were worried about them debiting the account I have linked, I might switch it to PayPal. But I would imagine this is going to go to collections. Remember, they have your social security number so you may find it later as a credit ding.
Bummer. I have wondered how they ācancelā the reservations from hosts they āpurgeā as illegal. I think we will see this more and more as there begins to be major pushback from hosts who abuse Air and list blocks of impersonal lockbox properties in cities where it has been determined as illegal.
