Guest wants deposit back

@WinsomeLoft I’ve done similar when I felt so disposed. A guest had booked for 5 days last summer and decided to leave after 2. Nothing to do with my listing or my hosting, she just wasn’t prepared for how hot and humid it was here in the summer and wanted to move on to a cooler area. As I rarely get bookings in the summer anyway, I just offered to refund her when she expressed how miserable she was with the weather (she wasn’t blaming me in any way, she took responsiblity for not doing more research). It wasn’t like I’d lost bookings because of the calendar block for her dates, nor do I ever count on $ from summer bookings. But if she’d done that in the middle of my high season, I would probaby have stuck with my cancellation policy, as it would likely have lost me bookings.

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That makes sense, thanks for sharing? How many hosts on here do you think rely on their STR as part of their primary income?

No idea. I’m glad I don’t though. I think it makes for a much more relaxed hosting life if one isn’t dependent or desperate for the money to pay the mortgage or put food on the table.

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I have no way of knowing either. But sometimes it’s not a one-or-the-other situation. For some people, hosting can be about 50% of their income with the remaining 50% being their other work. One great thing about hosting though is that it’s regular income, like having a salary, which is especially useful to people like me whose other work pays wonderfully at some times of the year and terribly at others. Hosting is a constant which is great for those of us who are freelance at our other work.

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This 100 percent. Same now goes for early check ins ect ect ect.

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Sounds like you should just offer flexible cancellation. Mine is strict and it’s not negotiable.