Well, legally, I can’t host any more. Fellow Flat owners in the building were going to let me continue till August to honour bookings, but a rowdy booking of lads have spoilt that, I have to cease immediately.
Flat is now up for sale.
options…
1: Cancel the 8 bookings I have, from now till August. Can’t bear the thought of ruinings peoples breaks, and worried about the cancellation fines. Also, no more income from my flat!
2: Find someone who can take my guests…ideally, a new person with no bookings would suddenly have nine. Not sure how the finance side would work.
3: Bury my head in the sand, there’s only a couple of dozen days of visitors between now and August, why spoil peoples holidays?
You can ask them to cancel their bookings, so they have to pay the fee. You can help them to find cheap hotels or find new rooms.
You simply have to call Airbnb and tell them that you are no longer able to host the upcoming guests because you have been shut down. They will help you, and hopefully without penalties. You are not the first host that this has happened to, and you won’t be the last. Lots of hosts are hosting apartments that aren’t necessarily “approved” or “legal” to host, and if Airbnb only allowed “legal” listings it would shut down from lack of revenue. So don’t sweat it, just call them and ask them for help. If you do get a cancellation fee per booking, then you have to accept it and claim it as a tax deduction. You cannot ask the guests to cancel on your behalf, they won’t, and it looks shady. Reach out to Airbnb and take it from there.
Good luck, you’re in a lousy situation and I’m sorry for that.
3 Likes
Spot on! I’d emailed them 2 days ago, and they have just replied that they will rehome all guests, with no penalty to me.
That got me out of a hole, very relieved, very indebted to Airbnb.
Sooooo disappointed I can’t continue 
2 Likes
Sorry for your troubles Barns. This phrase did make me laugh. Love your Brits and secretly wish I was born there so I could have your accents! 
Maybe I’ll be like Madonna and adopt a fake one.
Glad you were able to get resolution from Air and perhaps you can host in your new place. I’m sure your neighbors are in your debt too and you sound like a guy with a heart. Cheers.
1 Like
Hotels, b&bs, etc. have overbookings and cancellations all the time-- it’s the guest’s problems, not yours- in this case. There’s sufficient notice to give guests time to book alternatives (and, it’s not your problem anyway-- so long as the guest doesn’t have to pay a cancellation fee for a non-existent listing). Having to find another place to stay doesn’t spoil anyone’s holiday. It’s a pain, but there’s sufficient notice, so they can plan ahead.
You’ve been legally shut down-- a few dozen days of guests? I would be furious if I were your fellow flat owners who had legally shut down an “illegal” b&n and they kept operating. What’s more, those fellow flat owners could sue you.
Don’t offer to find alternative arrangements for guests. What if they get injured/have a bad experience at another airbnb listing? They could try to hold you liable for injury, costs if other bookings are more expensive, etc. It’s simply not your problem anyway.
Call Airbnb and tell them you’ve been legally shut down. You shouldn’t have to pay cancellation fees, nor should your guests have to pay cancellation fees.
Ah, very good. Too bad about the income loss. Zoning regulations seem to be creeping up on a lot of airbnb users. Some cities fine thousands for violating zoning. Airbnb needs more disclaimers and FAQs about zoning and fines.
Glad airbnb rebooked them.
Perhaps you can find your next home in a place that allows or gives paid permits to bed & breakfast rentals.
1 Like