Staying power: What are your rights if an Airbnb host cancels?

Last updated on December 19th, 2024

You’re one of the lucky ones who secured tickets to a Taylor Swift concert. You’ve even been organised enough to book a reasonably priced Airbnb for the occasion. The excitement level is rising. Then you get a message: the Airbnb host is cancelling your reservation.

You will have to find somewhere else to stay closer to the event when almost everything is booked out or is really expensive. Worse still, you later discover the host has relisted your accommodation for a higher price for the same time.

This is what happened to Melissa, who booked an Airbnb property just 15 minutes from Accor Stadium where Swifties from all over Australia descended for the Eras tour. The Brisbane fan thought she was all sorted for the big event until the host sent her a message via the Airbnb app to say her booking had been cancelled due to a “change in management”.

 

 

She was then horrified to see the property listed again for the same dates at double the original asking price. “It’s not fair on the people who book the accommodation and it’s just an endless money grab from landlords from Airbnb,” she says.

What can you do if something similar happens to you? Airbnb certainly doesn’t make it easy for you to find out what your rights are in this situation. What would you do if your host cancelled an Airbnb? Let’s take a closer look at the service for starters.

How do Airbnb reservations work?

Booking an Airbnb involves a few straightforward steps. You begin by browsing the Airbnb website or app listings, filtering by location, dates, number of guests and desired amenities. You can also use the map view to get a visual sense of available options. Once you’ve found your spot, you can either:

• • Instant book - If the listing has this option, you can confirm and pay for your stay immediately without waiting for the host's approval.
  • Request to book - If Instant book isn't available, you can send a booking request to the host. They have 24 hours to respond and can either accept or decline.

Once you pay for the accommodation your booking is confirmed, and you will receive a notification with details such as the address and check-in instructions.

 

 

What are Airbnb cancellation policies?

Unexpected changes happen, so Airbnb offers different guest cancellation policies, where they may be entitled to a refund. These range from flexible, where you can cancel up to 24 hours before check-in, through to strict, where you can only cancel at least 14 days before check-in. These can change, so it is best to check the website for the full rundown.

Airbnb hosts can cancel your reservation anytime, with or without a valid reason, unless your booking is within 24 hours. While the platform discourages and penalises the latter, the penalties may not be enough to compensate for the inconvenience it creates.

Reasons for Airbnb host cancelling

According to Airbnb, a host may cancel without fees or other adverse consequences if there are unforeseen events, or extenuating circumstances, beyond the host’s control, such as:

• • Changes to the government’s travel requirements
  • Declared emergencies and epidemics
  • Government travel restrictions
  • Military actions and other hostilities
  • Natural disasters

Hosts are also exempt from penalties if they have valid reasons to cancel, such as when:

• • There’s been significant damage to the listing after you booked
  • They need emergency repairs (like a gas leak or a burst pipe)
  • The host has a severe illness that prevents hosting
  • You misrepresented your booking details, like the number of guests or the nature of your stay (e.g. you plan to host a party)
  • You have a history of negative reviews from previous hosts
  • You breach the house rules

 

 

What penalties apply for an Airbnb host cancelling?

If the Airbnb host cancelled your booking for reasons other than those outlined above, they have to pay cancellation fees, depending on the length of time between the cancellation and your check-in date, as well as the cancellation policy chosen by the host.

There is a cancellation fee of 50 percent of the reservation amount if the host cancels 48 hours or less before check-in, or after check-in; 25 percent of the reservation amount if the Airbnb host cancelled between 48 days and 30 days before check-in; and 10 percent of the reservation amount if they cancel more than 30 days before check-in. Note: There is a minimum cancellation fee of $US50, even if 10 percent of the reservation amount is less than $50.

For stays 28 days or longer, the cancellation fees only apply to the part of your booking that you can't get refunded, based on the time left between cancellation and your check-in date. It won't be charged on the whole booking amount.

 

 

Hosts who cancel confirmed bookings without justification may face further consequences, including suspension or removal of listings, account suspension, and loss of Superhost status.

What happens in practice, however, can vary with Melissa’s complaint receiving little response. Given the popularity of Airbnb, with more than 100,000 properties listed in Australia (ACCC) alone, it is important to know your rights as a consumer.

Has your Airbnb host cancelled on you?

If your host cancelled your Airbnb booking without any explanation, or you are not satisfied with their reasons, you can report this to Airbnb, ask for a resolution or submit a complaint.

As with Melissa’s experience, it can sometimes be difficult to get an answer to Airbnb complaints in Australia, so let us help you sort it out. Lodge a complaint with us, and we’ll help you handle it.