Location Protection for Cancellation Period

[Jacqueline]

NEW FEATURE! Restrict location info within the 48 hour free cancel window.

As you may know, Airbnb rolled out a new feature that allows guests to cancel penalty-free and with a 100% refund of all fees within 48 hours of booking (if booked at least 14 days in advance). Since the system releases the property address upon booking, this left addresses being exposed to guests who may not stay, or had no intention of staying. This was a security concern for some hosts.

Airbnb has added a feature that now lets you specify to NOT release the address until the reservation has been paid for. They actually listened to hosts!

You must activate this manually. The default is to share the address instantly.

On the website version on your PC, go to Listing Details - Location (Edit). Scroll down for the button to click On for this feature.

For some bizarre reason, they have not yet added this option to the app. You must do it in desktop mode. If you are not on your PC, you can use your mobile browser to go the the website. It works that way too.

[konacoconutz]

Why on earth wouldn’t guests want to use this feature to book, get direct info, cancel and ask to book directly?

I turned mine off but what a hassle. I like to get my business all done the minute they book. Now it has to wait 48 hours.

Another feature to benefit guests and not hosts.

[Mike_L]

They actually listened to hosts!

I’m sure it was more about litigation concerns but thanks for the tip.

[Como]

Struck me as meaningless, if you have listed and are worried about such information being out there it is too late. You are in the wrong business.

[KKC]

are worried about such information being out there it is too late. You are in the wrong business.

I’m in agreement. This could be the case with any cancellation including the ones for reservations made weeks in advance and then cancelled weeks later. Or a guest could stay and return weeks or years later to commit a crime.

[konacoconutz]

if you have listed and are worried about such information being out there it is too late. You are in the wrong business.

I really take offense to someone rightly worrying about a policy that doesn’t benefit them being told they are in the “wrong business.” It’s not a one size fits all you know. For some hosts that is a REAL CONCERN!!!

Guests who have not paid a dime will have now access to everything such as codes, entry information, key location and all the rest and you say hosts concerned about it are “in the wrong business.”

and furthermore, they didn’t listen to hosts. No hosts in their right mind would love a 48 hour grace period.

[Como]

I have not come across that the Guest will not be charged until after the 48 hours, could have have missed it, link?

Why would you give somebody you only have a name for all that information, like you say book, get all the data, cancel and then what. Or book, stay for a night, come back later.

I do not mind the 48 hours as I have had people book and I thought it was a mistake and told them if they cancel quickly I would refund. Now it is effectively automated. I can see for others, say time share owners it is a big deal. I would choose 24 or maybe 12 hours if I could.

I am always conscious that my cancellation conditions, Moderate in my case, can and has been overridden.

[konacoconutz]

This could be the case with any cancellation including the ones for reservations made weeks in advance and then cancelled weeks later. Or a guest could stay and return wee

Yes, for flexible or moderate policies. Guests would be less likely to cancel frivolously in the past when they had to eat the service fees. Now, there’s no downside! Book, get the security info, and then cancel! Nothing to lose!!!

[Brandt]

Seems like there are a million listings on Airbnb that are flexible or moderate cancellation policies. I can’t recall a single thread where a burglar booked a place / canceled / ransacked the the place. Just doesn’t seem remotely likely to me. Are the check-in codes sent immediately?

[KKC]

I can’t recall a single thread where a burglar booked a place / canceled / ransacked the the place.

I was robbed by my AirBnb guests, what now?

Hello. I have been renting out my apartment for almost a year, and until last month, I never once had a problem with it. I accepted a request for a 5-day stay from two guys who told me they were out travelling for work, and since they had five different verified forms of ID and already had one review from another stay, I said yes. We wrote back and forth and they seemed nice enough, so I didn’t really worry much. I mean, what could possible happen? I regret that decision now, because it ended u…

My guests robbed me and I have a proof. What do I do?

Hi friends. I am scared and frustrated as I write it. I had a guest who stayed with us for 1 night. She booked for herself and claimed to be here for a conference. After she checked out I came home and as I was going through the listing I found our personal items missing such as: my coat my husband wedding suit and some other stuff I asked the guest and she said she had no clue about these items. I still made a claim of $500 as I was sure these things were in the storage when I checked her i…

Guests rob me and AirBNB offers $164 for 6k in damages

I had a guest stay at my place a few weeks ago. I tried contacting him, and found out he had a google voice number instead of a real phone number. I called customer support to cancel, as I had a bad feeling, and they assured me it was a legit account, and that I had nothing to worry about, and that I would be charged $100 if I cancelled the reservation. Fast forward, I do the return key exchange, and he texts me and says he had to leave at 5am for a family emergency, and left the key in the u…

And there stories in the media as well.

I agree with you in general but you’ve used a poor “evidence” to support your point.

[Brandt]

The complaint by hosts was for people that would be canceling on them. Not actually staying in the unit.

[KKC]

Not actually staying in the unit.

I see your point.

I don’t recall a thread that details that problem either.

[konacoconutz]

Just because there are no threads here about that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen somewhere in the world at some time and place.

My point was only, they were less likely to do it for the info before. There were consequences to cancelling. Now that there is no penalty to cancel within 48 hours, then why the heck not!

I think overall, some hosts’ concerns about security were being dismissed just because “it’s never happened to anyone on the Airhost forum.” Patently ridiculous statement.

I will be curious to see if there is an uptick in security incidents as this 48 grace goes forward. And I bet not one of them will be posted here on the AHF.

[jaquo]

Are the check-in codes sent immediately?

The last thing I do when preparing an apartment ready for guests arriving, is set the check-in code for the keypad. I set it to the last 4 digits of their phone number. They have been told this by me in the Airbnb message system on the day before arrival. So even if a guest twigged that it would be the last four digits of their phone, then cancelled, the code wouldn’t work anyway.

[konacoconutz]

Not everyone has those. Some people just have an old fashioned key under the mat kind of thing.

[jaquo]

That’s what we used to have but got the keypads last year (or possibly the year before). They mean that we can offer 24 hour check-in.

[torohost]

For the past four years I’ve always allowed 24 hours grace period to guests who sent booking request. I never had a a single cancellation because of this offer.

I simply accepted their requests approximately 1~4 hours before expiration and let them know that they could cancel their request if better listing is found.

Nonetheless, now that guests know about 48hrs grace period, many people will try to take advantage of it. Let’s see.

[konacoconutz]

I see what you are trying to do. But I know a lot of my guests are so relieved when I accept the request quickly so they don’t have to worry anymore. I can’t see making them wait 24 for a confirmation. A lot of them need to know ASAP whether I can take their booking because they are coordinating flights and other travel details.