AirBnb Host Cancellation Policies

I feel wronged as an AirBnB host. I am a single female homeowner who rents rooms out on AirBnB. I received a late night booking for a $38/night room at 9:30 pm. The man had no previous postings but he had filled out his school and ob workplace which sounded reasonable. His photo? He looked like Ron Jeremy wearing aviator shades, but who am I to judge people based on appearances. And it’s just for one night. But then I made the mistake of looking him up on Google once his last name appeared with the booking confirmation. His profile was filled with porn. “I Love Pussy. I love Big Boobs. I Love Weed. I Love to Fuck.” A joke video of a French comic humping unsuspecting women from afar. I was revolted. I tried to cancel the reservation. Exactly 15 minutes had gone by since I had accepted it, it was now 9:45pm. He was on his way over. I told him via AirBnB email I was cancelling. Meanwhile, I can’t cancel online with AirBnB. I call them. They tell me that I will be charged a $100 cancellation fee. I am so angry that I suggest the female cs rep hosts him herself. I angrily accuse AirBnB of punishing hosts for cancelling unsavory guests who love porn, are meth addicts and criminals. She said, well you could have screened him. Really? Do I need to ask every guest in adance if they are sleazebags?

That’s a tough situation to be in. I think you made the right choice – it is your home and safety comes first. AirBnb should have been more compassionate though with that specific case. I would speak to that cs rep’s manager to let him/her know about the situation though.

How would I even be able to contact the cs rep’s manager?

Sadly, I suspect Airbnb are becoming more about numbers than they are about truly good service. I spent an age trying to find a way to contact them directly to ask a question about something specific. It’s all FAQ. They might be making more money in the short term but I suspect they will fall soon which is a real shame because I signed a lease that relied on airbnb income to help pay the rent. B

The phone number I have for them is 1-855-424-7262. It took a while to find it.

Strange…when I had a case of the guest from hell wreaking havoc at my house, I contacted them and they called me right back and told me I could cancel at any time. Maybe I did not think it included a cancellation fee. But you have a right to not accept guests that make you uncomfortable even if they have already checked in.
However, actually doing it and telling them to get out is another story. Will they really retaliate? I had to suck it up and count the minutes until they checked out.

I got my $100 cancellation fee for cancelling 15 minutes after the guest booked and half an hour BEFORE the guest arrived. They don’t charge a fee for the FIRST time you do it. But they do it if you do it twice in a…6 month? time span.