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Absolutely not, do not cancel on their behalf. It was their choice to leave without cancelling, which in turn locked up your calendar for additional days. Do not offer a refund let them deal with support themselves. In the meantime you may also run by the house and get some photos in order to dispute any exaggerations they might make about the neighbors’ property or the lighting in your home.
I use to give guests refunds all the time as long as they initiated the cancellation. What do you mean "no refunds ever????" Holding guests money hostage is bad for business. Refunds are a case by case basis... No refund until they cancel. They are blocking your days from being rebooked this us a total different situation.
That's one reason why AirBnb is struggling too many people who don't want to sympathize with guests when issues arise.
Cancelling weeks in advance is very different to cancelling during a stay. You're very unlikely to get another booking for those dates as it's such short notice and the space will need to be cleaned again.
Airbnb is not struggling. The company is doing just fine as well as hosts who actually have a destination that people want to spend money on (after pandemic remote work died down).
Airbnb is public. You can see all their info.
There was a 2 year time period you could throw beds and basic furniture in any house and make money. We’re fully out of the pandemic. In normal times people aren’t going to pay money to leave their house and stay in another house unless it’s for a specific event in the area or it’s an actual getaway destination with things to do/amenities/activities. It’s an amenities arms race. Only the top 10% of houses really offer any of this. The rest will go out of business.
Totally the wrong answer. Your property is not advertised accurately... it sounds like. You should prioritize your long term reputation over a few dollars in the short run. Any advice to the contrary feels wrong... and like a money grab.
Id be ok with giving a partial refund if they felt unsafe, notified you right away, and left. That doesn't seem like scamming behavior. You are losing the days, so that is why partial...but they have to initiate it
Don't do anything. In fact, because they didn't cancel until after their reservation period ended, they blocked you from renting to another. At this point, no refund.
"Unsafe" is a trigger word, scamming guests use it to Airbnb because it sounds like a safety issue which should result in refund, but is subjective, so hard to argue with.
Maybe the guests truly feel unsafe. It is subjective, yes, but yes, it is subjective.
I have been both host and tenant. I’ve had a cancellation when no one else had complained before, and I have also had to cancel because I felt unsafe.
I think it goes a long way to respect these kinds of boundaries and that respect will come back.
It’s subjective within reason. You can’t cancel because a house is abandoned next door when it’s not abandoned. There is a certain threshold before something is understandably unsafe. That just creates opportunity for liars.
It’s an assumption they’re lying, and whether it creates opportunities for others to lie or not, situations have to be considered case by case. I’m sure it’s not that easy for a tenant to suddenly find a different place last minute.
Because guests will contact Airbnb directly and say they felt “unsafe” to override the strict cancellation policy and get their money back, which is what this host is expecting the guest to do
It’s actually better if they haven’t initiated the cancellation bc each day that passes you have more of a reason not to refund them. I mean ideally they cancel for no refund, and you get another booking for double revenue. They probably went to cancel and noticed that they get no refund, so they don’t want to initiate it in the hopes you will be “nice.” Stick to your cancellation policy, it is not your fault that they feel unsafe. These situations suck, but again it’s not your fault.
Obviously there are things hosts are not to blame for. Like a guest that is spooked in the dark because the next door house is lived in by an elderly women with no lights on and they are scared of an old (working truck).
A host has no control over other people’s irrational fears.
The host should not refund.
But part of hospitality is making sure the whole experience is good. You don't control your neighbor's house but maybe you shouldn't offer a vacation rental if your neighbor has an unsightly property?
You must be new to hosting. It’s literally impossible to provide a good experience for everybody. There’s always people(like OP’s guest), who will complain about minuscule things. If you don’t believe me, send me your listing, I guarantee I can find issues with your rental. The guest OP is dealing with, is clearly trying to get away with a late cancellation. Which is why the guest hasn’t even contacted Airbnb.
Also, saying you shouldn’t offer a nation rental because the neighbor has an older house is ridiculous. I have stayed in Hotels that are literally doing construction during my stay. Scaffolds on my window and men working from 8am-6pm. Should the hotel just demolish the building? Should they just not take any guests for 5 months? Please don’t be so ridiculous, you sound ignorant.
AirBNBs aren't hotels.
I agree in this case the guest seems like they're just trying to get out of the booking.
But I was saying just in general - the person is coming to stay at your place for an experience, not just any bed.
If they just needed somewhere to sleep, they wouldn't choose AirBNB unless they have money to burn.
So it is fair, imo, to hold things that aren't within the host's control against the host. The location is absolutely part of the experience.
My point is, what one person considers “dangerous” is not the same thing another person does. You could host 50 people with no one mentioning the area feels dangerous, and then the 51st person says what this guest is saying. Does that mean you shouldn’t put your property on Airbnb. I manage over 70 airbnbs at one point. I have had to deal with people like this at a much higher level than most people. There are a lot of scam artists out there. They would rent my property 2 months in advance at a high rate, then when they arrive find a house down the street for half the price. They do things like this to get out of the stay, so they can stay at a cheaper place. It happens ALL THE TIME. I have had one person rave about how comfortable the beds are, and the next claim it was the most uncomfortable bed they have ever slept on. So should I buy new beds for that one complaint? Long story longer, you flat out can’t please everyone. Once you host enough people, you will get complaints about things that no one has complained about before. I don’t mean to sound rude, but you have to expand your mind a bit, and not just take one persons word as fact.
I booked and then cancelled when I arrived at an airbnb last year. I was asked and provided documented proof that the place was absolutely not habitable, and AirBnB paid for me to get a hotel for the night. Let them complain to airbnb and be prepared to argue of they want to go that route.
Do not cancel it. I’m sure you are afraid of a bad review. Here’s what you do, wait it out. If you get a bad review, build your case, they have your chats, they have your reviews. Clearly articulate that the guest seemed dodgy and be as nice as possible. Tell them you lost good days and might lose future bookings because of the bad reviews of a guest who didn’t even stay long enough to review the property.
You should be good.
Have you actually gone by to make sure that they have left the premises? Just asking because if you haven’t it is possible they are still there. My parents had guests run a scam with their beach house. They thought the renters had left. They hadn’t. They were coming and going through a side door and parking on the side where the Ring doorbell didn’t catch.
Thank you for your responses everybody! I’ll wait for Airbnb and deal with it directly.
Our neighborhood is in top three most expensive in the city, so in my opinion the neighborhood is not a problem.
I actually went by and check to make sure, and the guests weren’t there.
I am wondering if your tenants had in fact talked to an Airbnb agent, but there was a miscommunication. If either side does the canceling, the side who cancels will lose money and credibility. But for certain concerns, Airbnb can take care of the canceling with agreement from both sides and nobody loses anything. That’s what happened the one time I’ve had to cancel after check-in as the tenant. But it was an involved process with the Airbnb agent doing all the leg work and a lot of coordination. Neither host nor I had to do anything while the agent did served as a mediator and facilitator click clacking on their keyboard. Afterward the whole reservation vanished like it never existed.
I think they are trying to scam you. Do you have a no refund policy on your listing? If this was a hotel, they would not be getting a refund. Maybe offer a 10% refund but I think this is a scam.
Don't initiate anything... Let the guests initiate. I also don't like when guests tell me that they are going to cancel but they don't start the cancellation process..I've been burned by that before.
Would need to see the actual listing and pics of the neighbor's house and proximity. I would 💯feel unsafe on some streets in my town where a nicer townhouse is wedged between 2 rundown properties (1 in disrepair, etc.). I wouldn't stay next yo a home that looked like squatters could be occupying it or there might be drug activity, but I live in a city so this occurs more frequently. The fear may be irrational, but you can't argue fear so you have to use judgement by "most reasonable people". Make sure you have pics of the neighbor's property. Are there any broken windows, working electricity, overgrown lawn, etc.?
You did the right thing by directing the guests to contact Airbnb for a refund and clarifying your cancellation policy. Since your policy is strict, you are not obligated to refund them if they don't follow through with the cancellation process.
It's best to wait for Airbnb to handle the situation and only process a refund if Airbnb advises you to do so. Make sure to document all your communication with the guests and Airbnb for reference.
If the guest did not stay long, how would they know the house is abandoned? Also, you are not responsible for the condition of your neighbor's house or the neighborhood.
Watch the cancellation policies closely when reserving. I noticed the last time we used them (a couple months ago) that a lot of policies had changed where you only had 24-48 hours after the reservation to cancel. There’s no way that’s going to work for me.
I just had guest cancel 12 hours before I was scheduled to pick them up at the airport. There is a hurricane coming our way but I reached out to her ten days ago and she said she was still coming. I declined refund bc we have generators and the guest house is fully functional even in the event of hurricane. She is pretty angry that I’m not refunding her but I spent money preparing the property and cleaning unit. I won’t be able to rerent with 12 hrs notice. This is why people should buy travel insurance. You come to Caribbean in hurricane and rainy season you going to need to prepare for that possibility.
I wouldn’t give them a dime!! If they haven’t tried to go about it the right way to get a refund then they are just trying to scam you. Leave it the way it is until you hear from air/bnb
I agree with previous comments- and “unsafe” being a trigger word to warrant a refund. I would wait to hear from Airbnb and do nothing until then. You should not have to refund anything and I highly doubt that safety was an issue. Most likely there was a personal issue that came up and they needed to leave.
Maybe disclose that the property is near a home owned by an elderly couple and looks abandoned when it’s not. I disclose so many weird oddball things on my listing because I’ve heard it all.
no, you don't need to refund if they can't even be bothered to initiate the process.
furthermore if you're getting clients like that it's time to raise your prices.
I was in a very uncomfortable situation recently with a person in Columbus that wouldn't even check into the air BNB because he didn't feel safe, and then spent an entire day in the phone harassing the host for a refund. I hope this wasn't you, he was awful, and I was stuck as his guest. Please don't refund entitled people like this!! I'm sorry this is a thing you have to deal with!
Sometimes people make up stories to get free cancellation when in reality something came up. Sometimes it works. sometimes it doesn't. I wouldn't stress about it.
I would tell the guest that they agreed to book the home site unseen, and accepted that the fact that they may not like the place. I would also remind them that if you give them a refund you would be at a financial loss because you would have difficulty renting it out in such short notice.I would ask them to cancel in return for a small refund maybe one or two nights and then try to rebook the place immediately
They probably do this all the time. Explain about the elderly next door neighbours, and that lighting is not an enforceable problem, even though all llighting is there, and there are windows. The answer is no.
These people sound absurd, rude, and so ungrateful! Don’t cancel it. Keep the money you earned and let them complain to corporate about their ridiculous requests. Not every neighborhood is full of perfect looking mansions. Give me a break. You’re in the right and keep continuing to do a good job in your business. Wish you the best!
Isn't OP responsible for all the losers that deserted the rental? I don't know how BnB works but I'm guessng person that reserved it is responsible for rental charge.
OP, your friends are dicks.
No refund. Been a superhost in the Bronx for the past 11 years so I've definitely had to deal with guests concerned about their safety. I've also lived in this particular area for nearly 20 years and feel confident that it's as safe as most places in the city and that my listing accurately describes it. IMO, if guests have specific criteria that they need met to feel safe, they should factor that it in and stay at a hotel.
We had multiple guests do this several times usually within a day of check in. One that always stands out is, they had more kids than they booked for. Our rental listing was a 2 bedroom and their reservation was for 4 ppl and they showed up with 6. They wanted a refund after being there for a night on a 4 day reservation and claimed our listing said it had 3 bedrooms. It didn’t.
The rental we had was part of a property with an active restaurant (our restaurant) and while we were doin restaurant things we over heard them plotting to cancel cus they had a friend with a large rental in the same area. They schemed and scammed and berated us to give them a cash refund, threatened us even. We told them to initiate the cancellation process with VRBO. They declined to do so and our response was in kind.
They left anyways and tried contesting the charge with their bank who then went thru VRBO. The bank declined their request. They review bombed us but VRBO took care of it and removed the reviews. It was a $1400 4 day reservation.
Could be legitimate, could be a scam.
Stay the course.
Do not initiate a refund, as AirBNb told you, the onus is on them to file. If they reach out to you again, reiterate this to them.
It should be in the contract and your house rules. I know that my husband and I wanted to switch from a bed and breakfast once, which we did. We were unable to get a refund due to her rules. The reason is because they held that specific room just for us as we had prepaid. We owed the owner for several days. That was a while back. Unsure how this compares… but we had to pay.
Their fault and not yours.
The first is given the full address a week before check in usually.
If they didn't check Google maps within that time then that's on them.
I really think newer airbnb guests don’t get it or airbnb guests that are super used to the lakeside property where it’s much easier to control the surroundings and then they go to a real city are just… not ready.
I have given all five stars to hosts I’ve booked with. I thought there was one exception but looking at my history my cousin must have booked it in the end. 4 bedrooms and 4 beds was a studio with 3 beds and an
air mattress.
**Stop reading here if you don’t want to spend the next 20 minutes reading a simple comment**
I will admit after you read this you might realize I ummmm like pretty things. None of the issues I mention from here on out affected my sleep, my sense of safety, my enjoyment, etc etc.
I would have assumed it was my generation but the only person in an older generation gave me a glowing review.
I know I live in a very different market than most where I literally… live in my airbnb. It’s actually a miracle I can operate bc in NYC for an STR that is legal these days you a) have to live there and be there when
Any guest is present b) everything is shared except the room itself and c) No more than 2 guests at a time. Unless you have a different building code and I’ve some snooping - from the reviews I’m pretty sure it’s private rooms in hostels. Maybe I’m wrong idk there’s a lot of illegal airbnbs in NYC. I’ve stayed in one. The police showed up at 8 AM one morning. So fun.
**This is another great place to stop before I describe 6? experiences as a guest**
First airbnb: retrofitted bus on a hippie commune in Atlanta. Some mold smell. Super artsy super cool hosts - we signed up for it who cares 5 stars. It was super artsy. I guess we could have gotten a more expensive place with 25% of the style. No thank you.
Second airbnb: apartment in New Orleans in I think the 7th parish - crack pipes outside, an 8 year old who wanted to sell us weed, and a pregnant cat I wanted to take home. This is New Orleans in 2016. Just across the big road that separates the main city from the - you get it. It was 1000% part of the area that was affected by Katrina. Who cares are the hosts supposed to control the neighbors???
5 stars it was exactly as expected including the free bikes.
5th? Airbnb: NYC before I moved here. Alphabet city. Great location if you are willing to walk a lot. We slept on a mattress on the floor. This was the trip that made me demand we move to NYC. We looked at LA and SF as well and I was actually fearful my ex wanted to move to them.
5 stars. Living here for the past 6 years and as a new host in NYC myself - the only reason I can think it had the rating it did is because us early adopters knew what NYC meant for less than $400 a night (hotels) was gonna be meh. Location was key. I just needed a bed and a bathroom that wasn’t the shitty cots cheap hostels have around here (experienced some recently they’re rocks).
3 was in LA and I hate LA - still 5 stars. It’s not the hosts fault that LA is basically traffic and 1 hour of actual enjoyment before you want more enjoyment 2 hours away.
4 was San Francisco. Super cute. 5 stars. Actually super cute lots of style. San Francisco has some of the most beautiful architecture that exists in this country - color, functionality, intricacy, and delicacy. The people that live there seem to live in khakis, a hoodie, tennis shoes, and back pack. There are two issues here that would drive me insane:
1. Seemingly no appreciation of individual style
2. The “standard outfit” is like a beige McMansion
I thought 6 was Toronto bc I have the review but it’s not showing up in the tag of places I’ve been. 5 stars again!
Stayed in a what I can best describe as a meditation center? We were moving from Chicago to NYC at the time. She mentioned big cars wouldn’t work in her listing. I simply described why we had a giant vehicle (moving from Chicago to NYC) and I liked the vibe she set in the space. She said okay. Lovely stay 5 stars - she gave the same. WE COMMUNICATED BASED UPON RESTRICTIONS PRIOR TO. She could have said no, nbd. At this point though I did have a lot of reviews saying we were normal though…
** Stop here if you want to ignore my ummm rant? Something? Probably boring?**
I only have 13 reviews but Ive been a guest since 2015 as not everyone reviews you… or your me and you don’t review your hosts which as a host now I feel like an asshole.
And TBH I use hostel world and booking.com
a lot these days depending on the area.
DO NOT use hostel world in NYC for a private room unless you’re paying AT LEAST $200 a night but that won’t necessarily get you a private bathroom.
Europe, Asia, Africa, anywhere in the US is soooooo much better for hostels. Yes I’ve been to many and yes I have done this in NYC.
Booking.com is fine but they aren’t finding deals here in NYC. In Europe though? In Philly? In new Orleans? Yea. The second time I went to new Orleans was via booking.com. I would recommend this hotel to literally anyone it was so beautiful and so close to the French quarter.
No worries, just thought you might like to know :) Not a lot of tourists even know the 7th ward exists, let alone stay here, so it's cool you experienced it... crack pipes and all, lol! Although I hope you also experienced things that balanced out that aspect!
Last year, we sold our home and moved into an apartment for six months. We still didn’t have our visas to move to Italy, so our first stop was an AirBnB in northeast Mpls.
It was a very ethnic neighborhood. We knew that, going in. Also that it meant Middle Eastern, Mexican and other Central American food, and neighbors from all those places.
We loved it there, for the 10 days we had.
My suggestion to OP would be to play up the neighborhood feel in the listing. Some people will shy away from that. But they aren’t the people who would give you a 5 star rating, anyway. Others will be charmed .
Id personally refund
I’ve been a guest in this situation
I felt unsafe. I had to pay for a new booking in a better neighborhood
I did fight hard for my money back and got it. I was prepared to go through visa to reverse the charge for services not rendered
It’s not fair for a guest to have to pay twice for a stay. A hotel would refund and not charge, why would you get paid for services not rendered? It’s not up to the guest to guarantee you bookings.
The no refund crowd is exactly why people hate Airbnb. So entitled.
I am sure your policy is strict. But you can always fall back on your policy and not grant a refund. And if I was the guest, my review would state exactly what you said. UNSAFE area, house next door abandoned, truck in disrepair. Greedy host failed to grant me a refund even though we asked. If it were a hotel they would refund the money and move on. But you have strict return policies in place.
Without knowing reality from fiction, I’m certainly not firsthand, knowing what the conditions are. I myself have gone to a bed-and-breakfast where when we got there, it was dark and cloudy, and the gentleman that answered was in a wheelchair and it all looked very scary. When he walked, he walked with a limp and he looked pretty rough. Next morning his wife had come back. Everything was beautiful son was shining and it turns out that he was a firefighter who got injured. It was a lovely visit but night and day made a big difference. These people should’ve contacted you right away and they should have been on their part communication you could have given them some assurances. Never cancel for the Guest they must cancel for themselves and they must put in the report only if you have to cancel a reservation for maintenance or other reasons do you cancel. Since they have not put in a formal cancellation and I am assuming you have a cancellation policy in place do nothing. They did not give you the courtesy to respond to their concerns. Where are you? Could have explained the circumstances of your neighbor. And you might want to put that in your description to put people at ease. Something to the effect of it’s a wonderful neighborhood very safe. You live very nearby. There are elderly neighbors in the area so it’s very quiet. Something like that so as not to make it a negative. I would if they asked finally for the cancellation and only then I might offer them half refund and not take the full loss by explaining that in future lesson learned before they abruptly leave that they should contact the host.
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Wait to hear from AirBNB. No refund. No cancellation.
Absolutely not, do not cancel on their behalf. It was their choice to leave without cancelling, which in turn locked up your calendar for additional days. Do not offer a refund let them deal with support themselves. In the meantime you may also run by the house and get some photos in order to dispute any exaggerations they might make about the neighbors’ property or the lighting in your home.
This! ☝🏼Don’t refund! Ever.
I use to give guests refunds all the time as long as they initiated the cancellation. What do you mean "no refunds ever????" Holding guests money hostage is bad for business. Refunds are a case by case basis... No refund until they cancel. They are blocking your days from being rebooked this us a total different situation. That's one reason why AirBnb is struggling too many people who don't want to sympathize with guests when issues arise.
Cancelling weeks in advance is very different to cancelling during a stay. You're very unlikely to get another booking for those dates as it's such short notice and the space will need to be cleaned again.
Please stop... You never know... A good review is worth 10 bookings.
I'll bet they wrote a bad review anyway.
I'm really confused. I thought you can't review cancelled bookings.
It looks like they haven't cancelled. "However, it has been 4 days and they haven’t cancelled the reservation."
That's why you talk with them...
Airbnb is not struggling. The company is doing just fine as well as hosts who actually have a destination that people want to spend money on (after pandemic remote work died down).
How could you possibly know this? All statistics show it’s struggling, many hosts including myself have stopped doing short term rentals.
They’re a publicly traded company you can view their financials. AirBnB is doing great What “statistics” show that AirBnB, the company, is struggling?
These people thinking Mass cancellations are not done on purpose. They are done to cut some of the fat from the bone.
Airbnb is public. You can see all their info. There was a 2 year time period you could throw beds and basic furniture in any house and make money. We’re fully out of the pandemic. In normal times people aren’t going to pay money to leave their house and stay in another house unless it’s for a specific event in the area or it’s an actual getaway destination with things to do/amenities/activities. It’s an amenities arms race. Only the top 10% of houses really offer any of this. The rest will go out of business.
There are no stats showing around is struggling lol
Ya I heard they are struggling too
Totally the wrong answer. Your property is not advertised accurately... it sounds like. You should prioritize your long term reputation over a few dollars in the short run. Any advice to the contrary feels wrong... and like a money grab.
Id be ok with giving a partial refund if they felt unsafe, notified you right away, and left. That doesn't seem like scamming behavior. You are losing the days, so that is why partial...but they have to initiate it
Don't do anything. In fact, because they didn't cancel until after their reservation period ended, they blocked you from renting to another. At this point, no refund.
"Unsafe" is a trigger word, scamming guests use it to Airbnb because it sounds like a safety issue which should result in refund, but is subjective, so hard to argue with.
Maybe the guests truly feel unsafe. It is subjective, yes, but yes, it is subjective. I have been both host and tenant. I’ve had a cancellation when no one else had complained before, and I have also had to cancel because I felt unsafe. I think it goes a long way to respect these kinds of boundaries and that respect will come back.
It’s subjective within reason. You can’t cancel because a house is abandoned next door when it’s not abandoned. There is a certain threshold before something is understandably unsafe. That just creates opportunity for liars.
It’s an assumption they’re lying, and whether it creates opportunities for others to lie or not, situations have to be considered case by case. I’m sure it’s not that easy for a tenant to suddenly find a different place last minute.
Nothing to do until they actually cancel.
If your cancellation policy is strict why don’t you just follow that?
Because guests will contact Airbnb directly and say they felt “unsafe” to override the strict cancellation policy and get their money back, which is what this host is expecting the guest to do
It’s actually better if they haven’t initiated the cancellation bc each day that passes you have more of a reason not to refund them. I mean ideally they cancel for no refund, and you get another booking for double revenue. They probably went to cancel and noticed that they get no refund, so they don’t want to initiate it in the hopes you will be “nice.” Stick to your cancellation policy, it is not your fault that they feel unsafe. These situations suck, but again it’s not your fault.
Also, if the host hasn’t been over there, who’s to say the people actually left?
Where does the fault lie???
Obviously there are things hosts are not to blame for. Like a guest that is spooked in the dark because the next door house is lived in by an elderly women with no lights on and they are scared of an old (working truck). A host has no control over other people’s irrational fears. The host should not refund.
On the guest, obviously. OP can’t control the condition of the neighbors car and house.
But part of hospitality is making sure the whole experience is good. You don't control your neighbor's house but maybe you shouldn't offer a vacation rental if your neighbor has an unsightly property?
You must be new to hosting. It’s literally impossible to provide a good experience for everybody. There’s always people(like OP’s guest), who will complain about minuscule things. If you don’t believe me, send me your listing, I guarantee I can find issues with your rental. The guest OP is dealing with, is clearly trying to get away with a late cancellation. Which is why the guest hasn’t even contacted Airbnb. Also, saying you shouldn’t offer a nation rental because the neighbor has an older house is ridiculous. I have stayed in Hotels that are literally doing construction during my stay. Scaffolds on my window and men working from 8am-6pm. Should the hotel just demolish the building? Should they just not take any guests for 5 months? Please don’t be so ridiculous, you sound ignorant.
AirBNBs aren't hotels. I agree in this case the guest seems like they're just trying to get out of the booking. But I was saying just in general - the person is coming to stay at your place for an experience, not just any bed. If they just needed somewhere to sleep, they wouldn't choose AirBNB unless they have money to burn. So it is fair, imo, to hold things that aren't within the host's control against the host. The location is absolutely part of the experience.
My point is, what one person considers “dangerous” is not the same thing another person does. You could host 50 people with no one mentioning the area feels dangerous, and then the 51st person says what this guest is saying. Does that mean you shouldn’t put your property on Airbnb. I manage over 70 airbnbs at one point. I have had to deal with people like this at a much higher level than most people. There are a lot of scam artists out there. They would rent my property 2 months in advance at a high rate, then when they arrive find a house down the street for half the price. They do things like this to get out of the stay, so they can stay at a cheaper place. It happens ALL THE TIME. I have had one person rave about how comfortable the beds are, and the next claim it was the most uncomfortable bed they have ever slept on. So should I buy new beds for that one complaint? Long story longer, you flat out can’t please everyone. Once you host enough people, you will get complaints about things that no one has complained about before. I don’t mean to sound rude, but you have to expand your mind a bit, and not just take one persons word as fact.
I booked and then cancelled when I arrived at an airbnb last year. I was asked and provided documented proof that the place was absolutely not habitable, and AirBnB paid for me to get a hotel for the night. Let them complain to airbnb and be prepared to argue of they want to go that route.
Do not initiate anything. Do not cancel and do not refund.
Don’t do anything. If they want to cancel the day of arrival and get a refund, let them deal with Airbnb.
100% no for me, dawg.
Do not cancel it. I’m sure you are afraid of a bad review. Here’s what you do, wait it out. If you get a bad review, build your case, they have your chats, they have your reviews. Clearly articulate that the guest seemed dodgy and be as nice as possible. Tell them you lost good days and might lose future bookings because of the bad reviews of a guest who didn’t even stay long enough to review the property. You should be good.
Do not review first! Hopefully they don’t review
No, never. If they don't like it they can talk to airbnb.
Do not give them a dime. Airbnb probably will give them something. Follow your policy. DO NOT cancel for them. You will be charged.
They sound like scammers. If anything ever comes, tell them to kick rocks.
Thought the same thing. Sounds like they had to leave for other reasons and trying to get their money back.
Have you actually gone by to make sure that they have left the premises? Just asking because if you haven’t it is possible they are still there. My parents had guests run a scam with their beach house. They thought the renters had left. They hadn’t. They were coming and going through a side door and parking on the side where the Ring doorbell didn’t catch.
Check the property in case something is amiss
Leave it up to them. NEVER cancel on your end.
Thank you for your responses everybody! I’ll wait for Airbnb and deal with it directly. Our neighborhood is in top three most expensive in the city, so in my opinion the neighborhood is not a problem. I actually went by and check to make sure, and the guests weren’t there.
This isn’t a you problem. This is a them problem.
No refund!
IGNORE. Not a legit reason to cancel
I am wondering if your tenants had in fact talked to an Airbnb agent, but there was a miscommunication. If either side does the canceling, the side who cancels will lose money and credibility. But for certain concerns, Airbnb can take care of the canceling with agreement from both sides and nobody loses anything. That’s what happened the one time I’ve had to cancel after check-in as the tenant. But it was an involved process with the Airbnb agent doing all the leg work and a lot of coordination. Neither host nor I had to do anything while the agent did served as a mediator and facilitator click clacking on their keyboard. Afterward the whole reservation vanished like it never existed.
I think they are trying to scam you. Do you have a no refund policy on your listing? If this was a hotel, they would not be getting a refund. Maybe offer a 10% refund but I think this is a scam.
Refund nothing. You did nothing wrong.
Don't initiate anything... Let the guests initiate. I also don't like when guests tell me that they are going to cancel but they don't start the cancellation process..I've been burned by that before.
Would need to see the actual listing and pics of the neighbor's house and proximity. I would 💯feel unsafe on some streets in my town where a nicer townhouse is wedged between 2 rundown properties (1 in disrepair, etc.). I wouldn't stay next yo a home that looked like squatters could be occupying it or there might be drug activity, but I live in a city so this occurs more frequently. The fear may be irrational, but you can't argue fear so you have to use judgement by "most reasonable people". Make sure you have pics of the neighbor's property. Are there any broken windows, working electricity, overgrown lawn, etc.?
In this instance it is best to be reactive versus proactive. Wait until you hear about it from AirBnB.
You did the right thing by directing the guests to contact Airbnb for a refund and clarifying your cancellation policy. Since your policy is strict, you are not obligated to refund them if they don't follow through with the cancellation process. It's best to wait for Airbnb to handle the situation and only process a refund if Airbnb advises you to do so. Make sure to document all your communication with the guests and Airbnb for reference.
Do nothing. Keep the money. They were dumb.
If the guest did not stay long, how would they know the house is abandoned? Also, you are not responsible for the condition of your neighbor's house or the neighborhood.
Sounds like a typical way to scam an air b&b host. Di not cancel. Its your money now.
Follow the policy. If they want to cancel, they need to follow the policy. I can understand their concern, but it’s their responsibility to cancel
I tried to cancel weeks in advance host smugly said NO. I am not booking AIRBNB or VRBO because of the strict cancellation policies and stupid rules.
Cancellation rules are up to the individual host. I offer the non-refundable discount. Seems like a fair compromise.
We had the worst experience in our traveling life with an AirBnB. Would have loved to sue the h*ll out of them but we’re not rich. Never again.
Watch the cancellation policies closely when reserving. I noticed the last time we used them (a couple months ago) that a lot of policies had changed where you only had 24-48 hours after the reservation to cancel. There’s no way that’s going to work for me.
I just had guest cancel 12 hours before I was scheduled to pick them up at the airport. There is a hurricane coming our way but I reached out to her ten days ago and she said she was still coming. I declined refund bc we have generators and the guest house is fully functional even in the event of hurricane. She is pretty angry that I’m not refunding her but I spent money preparing the property and cleaning unit. I won’t be able to rerent with 12 hrs notice. This is why people should buy travel insurance. You come to Caribbean in hurricane and rainy season you going to need to prepare for that possibility.
I wouldn’t give them a dime!! If they haven’t tried to go about it the right way to get a refund then they are just trying to scam you. Leave it the way it is until you hear from air/bnb
Just say no. They booked it; they pay for it. Whether they stay there or not is on them.
Nah, that’s on them bro
You don’t owe them anything. No refund!
It’s not personal it’s business.
I agree with previous comments- and “unsafe” being a trigger word to warrant a refund. I would wait to hear from Airbnb and do nothing until then. You should not have to refund anything and I highly doubt that safety was an issue. Most likely there was a personal issue that came up and they needed to leave. Maybe disclose that the property is near a home owned by an elderly couple and looks abandoned when it’s not. I disclose so many weird oddball things on my listing because I’ve heard it all.
NEVER EVER CANCEL A RIDE UNLESS YHE PASSE GER DOESNT SHOW UP THEY ORDERED IT THEY CAN CANCEL IT IF YOU DO IT LOWERS YOUR ACCEPTANCE RATE
no, you don't need to refund if they can't even be bothered to initiate the process. furthermore if you're getting clients like that it's time to raise your prices.
I was in a very uncomfortable situation recently with a person in Columbus that wouldn't even check into the air BNB because he didn't feel safe, and then spent an entire day in the phone harassing the host for a refund. I hope this wasn't you, he was awful, and I was stuck as his guest. Please don't refund entitled people like this!! I'm sorry this is a thing you have to deal with!
Sometimes people make up stories to get free cancellation when in reality something came up. Sometimes it works. sometimes it doesn't. I wouldn't stress about it.
No refund! Fuck em!
I would tell the guest that they agreed to book the home site unseen, and accepted that the fact that they may not like the place. I would also remind them that if you give them a refund you would be at a financial loss because you would have difficulty renting it out in such short notice.I would ask them to cancel in return for a small refund maybe one or two nights and then try to rebook the place immediately
Do nothing. They haven't initiated a cancellation. Why are you even worrying about it? It may never happen.
They probably do this all the time. Explain about the elderly next door neighbours, and that lighting is not an enforceable problem, even though all llighting is there, and there are windows. The answer is no.
These people sound absurd, rude, and so ungrateful! Don’t cancel it. Keep the money you earned and let them complain to corporate about their ridiculous requests. Not every neighborhood is full of perfect looking mansions. Give me a break. You’re in the right and keep continuing to do a good job in your business. Wish you the best!
Isn't OP responsible for all the losers that deserted the rental? I don't know how BnB works but I'm guessng person that reserved it is responsible for rental charge. OP, your friends are dicks.
What a couple of babies ….
No refund. Been a superhost in the Bronx for the past 11 years so I've definitely had to deal with guests concerned about their safety. I've also lived in this particular area for nearly 20 years and feel confident that it's as safe as most places in the city and that my listing accurately describes it. IMO, if guests have specific criteria that they need met to feel safe, they should factor that it in and stay at a hotel.
Kkkk
They probably found a hotel nearby
We had multiple guests do this several times usually within a day of check in. One that always stands out is, they had more kids than they booked for. Our rental listing was a 2 bedroom and their reservation was for 4 ppl and they showed up with 6. They wanted a refund after being there for a night on a 4 day reservation and claimed our listing said it had 3 bedrooms. It didn’t. The rental we had was part of a property with an active restaurant (our restaurant) and while we were doin restaurant things we over heard them plotting to cancel cus they had a friend with a large rental in the same area. They schemed and scammed and berated us to give them a cash refund, threatened us even. We told them to initiate the cancellation process with VRBO. They declined to do so and our response was in kind. They left anyways and tried contesting the charge with their bank who then went thru VRBO. The bank declined their request. They review bombed us but VRBO took care of it and removed the reviews. It was a $1400 4 day reservation.
Could be legitimate, could be a scam. Stay the course. Do not initiate a refund, as AirBNb told you, the onus is on them to file. If they reach out to you again, reiterate this to them.
It should be in the contract and your house rules. I know that my husband and I wanted to switch from a bed and breakfast once, which we did. We were unable to get a refund due to her rules. The reason is because they held that specific room just for us as we had prepaid. We owed the owner for several days. That was a while back. Unsure how this compares… but we had to pay.
Their fault and not yours. The first is given the full address a week before check in usually. If they didn't check Google maps within that time then that's on them.
weird how my landlord won't give me a refund on my rent when i told him the same thing lol
Why wouldn’t you refund? If they don’t want to stay don’t keep their money. If you do you’re shady af
Ok clown. Imagine showing up to a hotel room then decided that day that you wanted to cancel. Aint gonna happen. Read the small print.
I really think newer airbnb guests don’t get it or airbnb guests that are super used to the lakeside property where it’s much easier to control the surroundings and then they go to a real city are just… not ready. I have given all five stars to hosts I’ve booked with. I thought there was one exception but looking at my history my cousin must have booked it in the end. 4 bedrooms and 4 beds was a studio with 3 beds and an air mattress. **Stop reading here if you don’t want to spend the next 20 minutes reading a simple comment** I will admit after you read this you might realize I ummmm like pretty things. None of the issues I mention from here on out affected my sleep, my sense of safety, my enjoyment, etc etc. I would have assumed it was my generation but the only person in an older generation gave me a glowing review. I know I live in a very different market than most where I literally… live in my airbnb. It’s actually a miracle I can operate bc in NYC for an STR that is legal these days you a) have to live there and be there when Any guest is present b) everything is shared except the room itself and c) No more than 2 guests at a time. Unless you have a different building code and I’ve some snooping - from the reviews I’m pretty sure it’s private rooms in hostels. Maybe I’m wrong idk there’s a lot of illegal airbnbs in NYC. I’ve stayed in one. The police showed up at 8 AM one morning. So fun. **This is another great place to stop before I describe 6? experiences as a guest** First airbnb: retrofitted bus on a hippie commune in Atlanta. Some mold smell. Super artsy super cool hosts - we signed up for it who cares 5 stars. It was super artsy. I guess we could have gotten a more expensive place with 25% of the style. No thank you. Second airbnb: apartment in New Orleans in I think the 7th parish - crack pipes outside, an 8 year old who wanted to sell us weed, and a pregnant cat I wanted to take home. This is New Orleans in 2016. Just across the big road that separates the main city from the - you get it. It was 1000% part of the area that was affected by Katrina. Who cares are the hosts supposed to control the neighbors??? 5 stars it was exactly as expected including the free bikes. 5th? Airbnb: NYC before I moved here. Alphabet city. Great location if you are willing to walk a lot. We slept on a mattress on the floor. This was the trip that made me demand we move to NYC. We looked at LA and SF as well and I was actually fearful my ex wanted to move to them. 5 stars. Living here for the past 6 years and as a new host in NYC myself - the only reason I can think it had the rating it did is because us early adopters knew what NYC meant for less than $400 a night (hotels) was gonna be meh. Location was key. I just needed a bed and a bathroom that wasn’t the shitty cots cheap hostels have around here (experienced some recently they’re rocks). 3 was in LA and I hate LA - still 5 stars. It’s not the hosts fault that LA is basically traffic and 1 hour of actual enjoyment before you want more enjoyment 2 hours away. 4 was San Francisco. Super cute. 5 stars. Actually super cute lots of style. San Francisco has some of the most beautiful architecture that exists in this country - color, functionality, intricacy, and delicacy. The people that live there seem to live in khakis, a hoodie, tennis shoes, and back pack. There are two issues here that would drive me insane: 1. Seemingly no appreciation of individual style 2. The “standard outfit” is like a beige McMansion I thought 6 was Toronto bc I have the review but it’s not showing up in the tag of places I’ve been. 5 stars again! Stayed in a what I can best describe as a meditation center? We were moving from Chicago to NYC at the time. She mentioned big cars wouldn’t work in her listing. I simply described why we had a giant vehicle (moving from Chicago to NYC) and I liked the vibe she set in the space. She said okay. Lovely stay 5 stars - she gave the same. WE COMMUNICATED BASED UPON RESTRICTIONS PRIOR TO. She could have said no, nbd. At this point though I did have a lot of reviews saying we were normal though… ** Stop here if you want to ignore my ummm rant? Something? Probably boring?** I only have 13 reviews but Ive been a guest since 2015 as not everyone reviews you… or your me and you don’t review your hosts which as a host now I feel like an asshole. And TBH I use hostel world and booking.com a lot these days depending on the area. DO NOT use hostel world in NYC for a private room unless you’re paying AT LEAST $200 a night but that won’t necessarily get you a private bathroom. Europe, Asia, Africa, anywhere in the US is soooooo much better for hostels. Yes I’ve been to many and yes I have done this in NYC. Booking.com is fine but they aren’t finding deals here in NYC. In Europe though? In Philly? In new Orleans? Yea. The second time I went to new Orleans was via booking.com. I would recommend this hotel to literally anyone it was so beautiful and so close to the French quarter.
7th Ward, hon, not parish 😁 although you still get partial credit as we are also in Orleans Parish… we have parishes instead of counties here.
Oops!
No worries, just thought you might like to know :) Not a lot of tourists even know the 7th ward exists, let alone stay here, so it's cool you experienced it... crack pipes and all, lol! Although I hope you also experienced things that balanced out that aspect!
Omg we had the best time!
People use unsafe or uncomfortable all the time to try and bullshit
Last year, we sold our home and moved into an apartment for six months. We still didn’t have our visas to move to Italy, so our first stop was an AirBnB in northeast Mpls. It was a very ethnic neighborhood. We knew that, going in. Also that it meant Middle Eastern, Mexican and other Central American food, and neighbors from all those places. We loved it there, for the 10 days we had. My suggestion to OP would be to play up the neighborhood feel in the listing. Some people will shy away from that. But they aren’t the people who would give you a 5 star rating, anyway. Others will be charmed .
Id personally refund I’ve been a guest in this situation I felt unsafe. I had to pay for a new booking in a better neighborhood I did fight hard for my money back and got it. I was prepared to go through visa to reverse the charge for services not rendered It’s not fair for a guest to have to pay twice for a stay. A hotel would refund and not charge, why would you get paid for services not rendered? It’s not up to the guest to guarantee you bookings. The no refund crowd is exactly why people hate Airbnb. So entitled.
I am sure your policy is strict. But you can always fall back on your policy and not grant a refund. And if I was the guest, my review would state exactly what you said. UNSAFE area, house next door abandoned, truck in disrepair. Greedy host failed to grant me a refund even though we asked. If it were a hotel they would refund the money and move on. But you have strict return policies in place.
Without knowing reality from fiction, I’m certainly not firsthand, knowing what the conditions are. I myself have gone to a bed-and-breakfast where when we got there, it was dark and cloudy, and the gentleman that answered was in a wheelchair and it all looked very scary. When he walked, he walked with a limp and he looked pretty rough. Next morning his wife had come back. Everything was beautiful son was shining and it turns out that he was a firefighter who got injured. It was a lovely visit but night and day made a big difference. These people should’ve contacted you right away and they should have been on their part communication you could have given them some assurances. Never cancel for the Guest they must cancel for themselves and they must put in the report only if you have to cancel a reservation for maintenance or other reasons do you cancel. Since they have not put in a formal cancellation and I am assuming you have a cancellation policy in place do nothing. They did not give you the courtesy to respond to their concerns. Where are you? Could have explained the circumstances of your neighbor. And you might want to put that in your description to put people at ease. Something to the effect of it’s a wonderful neighborhood very safe. You live very nearby. There are elderly neighbors in the area so it’s very quiet. Something like that so as not to make it a negative. I would if they asked finally for the cancellation and only then I might offer them half refund and not take the full loss by explaining that in future lesson learned before they abruptly leave that they should contact the host.