Is this Alteration Request a Way for Guest to Cancel Penalty Free?

1

I think it is not a way to cancel penalty free, but I’d like to make sure.
Strict cancelation policy in effect
Timeline:

8/31Request to book made and accepted for 9/8-13
8/31Guest writes that they must cancel because companion is not coming
9/1 Host writes to contact Airbnb for any cancelation and refund
9/1 Guest makes alteration request for 9/6-9/10, saying guest can come after all if earlier

2

The guest could be juggling an honest personal scheduling issue. However, it may well be an attempt to cancel penalty free since the guest has already inquired about a refund. Approving it will be a gamble. If your place fills up easily you can approve it and keep your fingers crossed. Five days is a lot to lose, but I always trust my gut when making these decisions,

1 Like
3

Thank you.

But under strict cancellation my understanding is that they can cancel penalty free only if:

  1. Within 48 hours of making reservation, AND
  2. 14 days before check-in for a full refund, or 7 days before check-in for 50% refund
    Do I have that right?
    SO, if I accepted the alteration request they would not meet condition 2 (since 9/1 is not 14 days before 9/6) and therefore would get only a 50% refund, correct?

I wonder also if I declined the alteration request after 4 pm today (4 pm is our check-in time) and then they canceled that they would get no refund because the cancelation would occur less than seven days ahead of time IF Airbnb counts the minutes and hours. [I wouldn’t wait for that reason but curious if folks here know how Airbnb calculates things.]

5

Thank you.

I did accept the alteration request. The request, by the way, had in italics “Reservation is nonrefundable.”

The cancelation, if it came, would have been within 48 hours.

What would have given the guest a 50% refund was that the cancelation would have been seven days+ from the check-in date of 9/8.

When the guest changed the check-in date to 9/6, it was no longer seven days+ from the check-in date-- it was under seven days – and therefore became 100% non-refundable.

1 Like