Right, but once you start down this road you might find yourself with a lot of explaining to do.
I say that because then the guest says to ask that Airbnb release their money one day after their original scheduled in date.
You could say ‘yes’ to that. But that leaves you with the possibility that you will not get paid by the re-booking guest if the new booking guest’s check-in date is after the original guest’s check-in date. And you might not get paid for that re-booking guest if, say, the guest has an extenuating circumstance (EC). So there’s that to potentially explain.
So, if you didn’t want to take that risk you’d need to say that you need to wait 24 hours until after the rebooking guest checks in. This, of course, assumes that the cancelled days all fall into one re-booked reservation! The cancelled days could be straddled by two reservations, maybe more. I don’t know if there’s a pithy way to cover that (I know one: “in our sole discretion”).
But even if the guest arrives without an EC, the guest could claim a spurious refund for an untrue condition. And Airbnb might grant it. Of course, we could debate who should take this risk: the cancelling guest or the Host. [I think it would be a short debate with @KenH. But since the Host has honored its cancellation policy why should ANY risk fall on the Host??].
If the Host does want some protection the Host could wait to authorize the refund until 15 days after the re-booking guest checks out because by that time the Host will know whether the Host and Guest have any resolved Host damage claims unresolved at the Resolution Center.
So by checkout+15 days the Host could decide to take itschances by authorizing any refund though the Host is still at risk of a Guest making a claim later (within 60 days).
And then there’s the details of how the refund is calculated. If the original nightly rates were $ 170 each and the new booking rates are $140 and $190, is the refund $140 and $170? Or $330 (a cumulative calculation)? And how are costs for additional guests treated?
So, I’ll stop here. I’m saying that once you start down the road of explanations it could become a long road unless you find a way to shortcut that.
If you say to the cancelling guest:
That could spur a long discussion.
After all, why not pay on the day after check-in?
And if you agree to do that, do you agree to do so even if you don’t receive the monies from Airbnb?
"No? So, then you agree to pay the money on the day after check-in to the extent of the monies received? "
"But no more than the amount for the cancelled days? "
To me it’s easier and shorter to first state that you’ll honor the cancellation policy that you each agreed to but you’re willing to do more.
PAUSE: So, right here, this statement is intended to stop extraneous conversation. You’re not required to pay or authorize Airbnb to pay ANYTHING. So ANY payment you make, WHEN you choose to make it, is a gift. There is no room for negotiation.
If you feel the need to explain why the payment is not made until 15 days after the re-booking guest checks out and not earlier, you can say: “Until the re-booking guest has checked out, plus 14 days, I won’t know whether any claims I have with the re-booking guest are settled through Airbnb’s Resolution Center. In other words, I won’t know how much money I’ve actually received from the re-booked reservation, net of all charges. That’s the amount I need to know because what I am paying you is based on that.”
[That’s a true statement but technically the Host doesn’t even know then because Air Cover might pay some damage claims the Host has made and because the guest could still make claims. It’s even possible, as we have seen in other posts that Airbnb has not paid you for reasons unknown.]
So, note the language: “for what we have received for those dates” addresses that. But so does the language “in our sole discretion.”
So, – and this is the real question on the guest’s mind – I suppose if a guest asked “I need the money on my card back now. Why can’t you make the refund now? Or at least sooner than you’re saying?” I would say (maybe this is the shortcut):
For me to be whole or partially whole from a re-booked reservation, I need to wait until the later of when: a) I get paid for that reservation (the day after check-in) and b) when most claims resulting from that reservation can be resolved (15 days later).
So my new instant reply reads:
All refunds are handled through Airbnb. We honor our cancellation policy.
However, we go further than required by that policy you and I agreed to. To the extent that we are made whole by a re-booked reservation(s) we will pass that on to you.
For me to be whole or partially whole from a re-booked reservation, I need to wait to calculate your refund until the later of when: a) I get paid for that reservation (scheduled to be the day after check-in) and b) when most claims resulting from that reservation can be resolved (15 days later).
So if the property is re-booked for the cancelled days, then in our sole discretion our policy is that we will authorize a refund for what we received for each of those days (net of: price increases, Airbnb fees and any other charges) 15 days after reservation(s) that includes the cancelled days have ended, but no more than your cancellation charge.
I hope you feel that we’re being more than fair and will think of us when you return to the area.
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