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I am a host and I have a strict cancelation policy. The current situation of Extenuating circumstances cancelation policy related to Covid was financially devastating for me… I just find this policy unfair to the hosts. These were bookings booked 2-3 months ahead of time. The irony of the policy is that if I request to cancel the future bookings to rent my room for a longer period of the lease I cannot, or I will be charged the cancelation fee.
But, if the travel ban continues beyond the 14th of April, which it will, they will cancel all future reservations with a full refund to the guests. I wonder how other hosts feel about this.
The risk factor of the reservations is equal to both parties and if let’s say financial damages to be 50/50 is too much to ask, should not Airbnb offering some form of protection, or maybe Forced circumstance cancelation insurance purchase option to hosts, or to guests -booking with cancelation insurance purchase option. There must be some way of protecting the hosts, therefore, ensuring our financial safety during such times. I find it egregious that there is nothing, a zero consideration of the hosts in such situations. I wonder if Airbnb will do something about this in the future.
How much of your nightly rate would you be willing to pay for that kind of protection? I’m just curious, because I think if you wanted protection from all extenuating circumstances (including pandemics, war, whatever.), you’d have to pay a lot. I posted on my opinion (excluding pandemics, etc.) here:
Still, that’s beside the point because, as @Debthecat pointed out, it’s just not practical to offer insurance for COVID-19 cancellations now because the risk is so high.
Tons of hosts keep bringing up this point about cancellations being unfair to hosts, and they have a point, but there is a much bigger problem out there that they are failing to see. Airbnb allowed penalty-free cancellations for a month, slightly longer in some areas, but all the info about COVID-19 shows that it’s going to be a problem for 6 months or more. If you are devastated from losing one month of bookings, then your financial safety from cancellations will be irrelevant when you simply have no bookings at all for an additional 5 months or more.
