I believe if ABB revokes SH status for cancelling a guest, it is for a year, not just a quarter. If anyone knows for sure, please let me know.
Yes, 12 months…. Gotta be nice to those guests!
It says a lot about the character of the person who is asking for a refund. Instead of bereaving for their loved one, all they can think about is themselves and their money. And then they harass the host for a refund. Such guests need to be taken care of in the reviews, if the host has a chance.
That “in the spirit of Airbnb” line is so disgusting. Oh really, well how about in the spirit of Airbnb you refund your service fees? How about in the spirit of Airbnb you stop treating hosts like guests’ de facto travel insurers?
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@muddy @house_plants @JohnF @Lynick4442 @Debthecat @Helsi
Update: I received a nasty long letter from the guest lambasting me for being cold-hearted for asking for a death certificate. Based on the information provided, the alleged death in the family occurred a month before the date of arrival so even if the death certificate takes weeks to be issued, the guest would be able to provide it on a timely basis. Question: how do I block this person from contacting me or booking my place? Should I complain about the nasty message and ask Aibnb to do something? (not that the company would do anything).
Yeah, click on the report flag, or on the app a long press the select “Report”. Choose the option “They’re being offensive”, and click through to confirm.
You may have another option, i.e. blocking them, or it may do it automatically now.
JF
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@JohnF Thank you; I just reported the guest’s nasty message and hope this will be the end of this aggravating matter.
Then they had plenty of time to cancel the trip.
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But with a strict policy, the guest would still lose at least 50% of the rental fee if they booked more than 14 days before they arrived and they cancel more than 48 hours after booking.
I think you should mention that you don’t want to offer a refund to this guest in the message you receive from Airbnb.
I had a guest recently reach out four times to Airbnb for a refund. Each time, I replied back with two words to Airbnb: “No Refund”. Airbnb did not give him a refund. Since death of a family member no longer qualifies for a refund, you can also mention to Airbnb that death in the family does not qualify for a refund, and you won’t be providing any refund to the guest.
I’m sorry to say, and might not be saying this nicely, but isn’t it irrelevant to forfeiting the cancelation penalty. By Airbnb’s own extenuating circumstance policy, death is not an extenuating circumstance.
What is covered, just these five events:
Changes to government travel requirements .
Declared emergencies and epidemics .
Government travel restrictions
Military actions and other hostilities .
Natural disasters
What’s not covered, in Airbnb’s words:
"Everything else "
What am I missing?
Looking or waiting for the death certificate is an irrelevant distraction, right?
The guest could have purchased travel insurance to protect itself. The Host cannot buy insurance that would protect its income if a family member of a guest dies. Who should bear the burden of this loss? The guest who could have done something to avoid the financial loss? Or the Host who could not?
But whether anyone agrees with that, everyone signed up for Airbnb’s rules, which do not cover a death in the family.
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Well, if it’s so in the spirit of Airbnb, why doesn’t Airbnb change its extenuating circumstance policy to include this?? [Not that we want that].
Why not say to Airbnb: “As Hosts we follow the policies that Airbnb sets. If Airbnb feels so strongly about its spirit that death is an extenuating circumstance, then please march this up the chain to amend its policy, which of course I will follow. Meanwhile we all – guests, Hosts, Airbnb – must follow the rules that Airbnb has so thoughtfully [Ha Ha] crafted and so clearly communicated.”
BTW, I don’t understand why the OP lost SH status since they didn’t cancel, the guest did. I suppose that cancellation was another situation.
In fact, doesn’t Airbnb offer travel insurance? Why don’t they simply GIVE free travel insurance for a death in the family? It’s in their spirit, after all.
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Yes through
Supposedly Airbnb sends an article about travel insurance after a booking is made. I haven’t booked lately so I can’t verify this.
The link is buried in the article so I think no one pays attention
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So let be death of a family member provide free cancellation from Airbnb in its spirit of . .
I’ve booked 5 stays in the last two months and I haven’t gotten any such thing. I have the standard your reservation is confirmed emails. I also got an email notifying me the address of one of my stays was now available, it was delayed because it was the only stay with a strict cancellation policy.
Same here, have booked 3 Airbnb’s in the last 60 days and no mention of travel insurance, unless it was buried so deep I didn’t see it
I think it’s there on the site somewhere. When you book the option to click on more info is there. Not unlike Airline flights or concert tickets. However with those there’s still one more click acknowleging the existence of travel insurance and your determination to go without.
We do understand that it is your right to uphold your cancellation policy, but in the spirit of Airbnb we would really appreciate it if you take the time to reconsider your decision
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Wow wow wow “in the spirit of AirBnb”, give us the contents of your bank accounts, the deed to your house and your 401k 
