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My stomach is literally churning after reading a post on another thread about the Strict policies. I have been searching to see when changes came about, but only see topics here from 2016 to 2019.
Our listing is strict and I thought it meant a guest can cancel within 48 hours of booking (which I like), and they get 50% back if cancelled before 30 days, and no refund if cancelled after 30 days.
Now it appears Strict means if they cancel between 7-14 days prior they get 50% refund, and within 7 days no refund. That means that someone could cancel 14+ days prior with ZERO responsibility.
If thatâs true it is a disaster for our situation and Iâm considering canceling any Airbnb listings, though they generate more than VRBO.
Based on the following thread it appears it changed in 2018:
We have the strict policy, and I donât like it either though we havenât been hurt by it (so far). Most of our guests make reservations in good faith.
Weâre not in a hot tourist area, like some Hosts here are. So if a guest canceled 15 days before check-in Iâm not at all confident that weâd be able to rebook.
BUT I hope youâre just venting in suggesting youâd cancel your Airbnb listings. Besides the great inconvenience youâd inflict on those guests youâd be shooting yourself in the foot because when all is said and done Airbnb, for many/most of us, brings in many many bookings and by and large the guests act in good faith. We make money with Airbnb.
I was irritated too when I discovered that strict changed especially when someone blocks my calendar for a long period of time with a booking but like the other person said, it hasnât been too bad.
Thereâs more than one kind of risk. It seems that if this policy has been in effect for 4 years and you didnât even notice in spite of all the upheaveal with covid, itâs not much of a risk. Mayb youâll risk making less money by listing on half as many platforms.
I have two listings. When I set up this listing just last year I was pretty sure that the terms were 30 days, not 14.
I was surprised to see @HostAirbnbVRBO posting from 2018! Maybe it was different in various regions? I was so careful to check the appropriate one.
I know weâll get booked up during ski season even if I cancel my Air listings. People plan their ski vacations about 4-15 months in advance.
The problem is, if I take overseas bookings and something changes due to travel restrictions, I end up being the insurance provider for their change of travel plans. Meanwhile, someone local might have booked that time and has already made plans elsewhere.
Iâm not sure as Iâve always used flexible or moderate. And now that I think of it it seems there was a change more recently than 2018. Regardless, it changed, you havenât suffered yet so consider that when you are making your decisions going forward. If youâre sure youâll get booked up on VRBO then it makes no sense to fool with two platforms.
I just contacted Airbnb and they replied amazingly quickly. Theyâre setting me up with a âsuper strictâ policy that covers cancellations up to 60 days in advance⌠Quite impressed.
I agree. Someone would need to be serious about going through with the booking if they proceed. That may be a good thing. I always get our Rental Policies signed when booking, so in this case I will note on the policies that weâll give a refund for any cancellations that are rebooked.
No, it didnât change in 2018 so that âstrict cancellationâ meant only a 50% refund if the cancellation occurred 7-14 days before check-in? Because thatâs not true.
You might want to amend that to say: âWeâll refund for any cancellations that are rebooked after weâve received full payment, to the extent we do so.â
Because if your policy is worded the way you had it (maybe you just didnât write it all out) then if the days are re-booked but then cancelled, in theory youâd owe the money since the days were re-booked. Also, if the new rebooking guest complained about something and received a refund from Airbnb under your wording youâd still owe the original guest their money back.
I plugged in some random dates to see what came up. It doesnât mention Super Strict at all. It simply gives the facts and encourages the guest to check what they are agreeing to. I like it!
Cancellation policy
Before you book, make sure youâre comfortable with this Hostâs cancellation policy. Keep in mind that Airbnbâs Extenuating Circumstances policy doesnât cover cancellations due to illness or travel disruptions caused by COVID-19.
Cancel by
Jan. 9
Partial refund: Get back 50% of every night. No refund of the service fee.
This policy is invitation-only and available only to certain Hosts under special circumstances.
Guests must cancel at least 30 days before check-in to receive a 50% refund for all nights
If they cancel after that, youâll be paid 100% for all nights"
I have no idea what âspecial circumstancesâ means, or how the âby invitation onlyâ works, but it seems obvious that cancellation policy isnât one that any host is free to choose.
Strict (the standard one that you do not pay a higher fee to get) is:
Cancel within 48 hours of booking AND at least 14 days before arrival to get a full refund. After that, you only get 50% back. But if you cancel 7 days or less before arrival, you get no refund at all.
I donât know how long itâs been like that, but I believe several years.
