Airbnb Host Cancellation Policy

Last updated: July 2025

Guests put a great deal of trust in the owners who use the Airbnb platform. Once a traveler has booked a property, they assume that their travel accommodation has been taken care of. If, for any reason, an Airbnb host decides to cancel, this can lead to an unpleasant experience for the guest and may ultimately result in long-lasting consequences for the host.

Ultimately, Airbnb’s cancellation policy is based on specific rules established by the platform to guide hosts and guests. If you’re thinking of cancelling a reservation, this guide will cover everything you need to know about the Airbnb host cancellation policy.

Disclaimer: Lodgify is an Airbnb Preferred+ Software Partner. This guide, including any claims or statements within, is solely from Lodgify and is not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, authorized, or sponsored by Airbnb in any way.

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Airbnb cancellation options

Airbnb offers a range of options for hosts to choose from for stays of 28 nights or less. For reservations that are 28 days or more, the long-term cancellation policy applies automatically.

Please note that new cancellation policies will take effect on October 1, 2025. We will note them below. Here are the guest cancellation policies you can apply to your Airbnb listing.

Flexible cancellation policy

Flexible cancellation allows guests to cancel their booking free of charge up to 24 hours prior to the local check-in time. If they’re late with the cancellation, they’ll get charged for the first night and the service fee.

Moderate cancellation policy

This option allows guests to cancel five days before check-in for a full refund. If they cancel less than five days before check-in, hosts will be paid for each night they stay, plus one additional night, plus 50% for all other unspent nights.

Limited cancellation policy

The new limited cancellation policy will take effect for reservations booked on or after October 1, 2025. With this policy, guests can cancel up to 14 days before check-in for a full refund. If they cancel between 7 and 14 days prior to check-in, you’ll receive 50% of the total booking amount. For cancellations made less than 7 days before check-in, you’ll be paid 100% of the booking amount.

Firm cancellation policy

The firm cancellation policy allows guests to cancel up to 30 days prior to check-in for a full refund. For cancellations between 7 and 30 days prior to check-in, after the 24-hour cancellation window, you’ll receive 50% of the total booking amount. If guests cancel less than 7 days before check-in, you’ll be paid 100% for all nights.

Strict cancellation policy

If guests cancel 7 or more days before check-in but after the 24-hour cancellation window, you’ll receive 50% of the total booking amount for all nights. For cancellations made less than 7 days before check-in, you’ll be paid 100% of the booking amount for all nights.

This strict cancellation policy is not available for new listings. All existing strict listings will be automatically switched to the Firm policy on October 1, 2025. To avoid this, you must manually opt out before that date.

Long-term cancellation policy

Your long-term cancellation policy applies to reservations of 28 or more consecutive nights. Hosts have the flexibility to choose one of two long-term cancellation options. Note that the original “Super strict 30 days” and “Super strict 60 days” for long-term stays are currently being phased out by Airbnb. 

Firm policy

To qualify for a full refund, guests must cancel their reservation at least 30 days prior to check-in. If a guest cancels after that timeframe, you’ll receive payment for all nights spent, plus an additional 30 nights. If the reservation has fewer than 30 nights remaining at the time of cancellation, you’ll be paid 100% for all remaining nights.

Strict policy

For a full refund, guests must cancel within 48 hours of booking and at least 28 days before check-in. Cancellations made after this will result in the host being paid for all nights already spent and the next 30 nights. If fewer than 30 nights remain on the reservation, hosts will be paid 100% for all of those nights.

Airbnb’s Major Disruptive Events Policy

In general, cancellations and refunds for Airbnb stays are governed by whichever of the above policies you choose to implement. However, there are some situations, which Airbnb refers to as “major disruptive events,” in which your cancellation policy is superseded. These situations include:

• Government-declared public health emergencies and epidemics (not including COVID-19)
• Government travel restrictions
• Military actions and other hostilities
• Large-scale outages of essential utilities
• Natural disasters and other severe weather events that aren’t foreseeable  (earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes)

During the above instances, Airbnb activates its Major Disruptive Events Policy. When this policy is active, guests can cancel their reservations and receive a refund or travel credit regardless of your typical cancellation policy. Additionally, you can cancel reservations without fees or other negative consequences. (However, your listing’s calendar will be blocked for the dates of the cancelled reservation.)

Airbnb hurricane policy: Does Airbnb refund for hurricanes?

The simple answer to this question is: it depends. The Airbnb hurricane cancellation policy states that weather events that are foreseeable—such as hurricanes occurring during Florida’s hurricane season—are only covered when they result in another event covered by their Major Disruptive Events Policy.

For example, if a hurricane during hurricane season resulted in a large-scale power outage or a mandatory evacuation, it would be covered. In short, it depends on the impact and consequences of the hurricane. To be safe, check with Airbnb to see if they’ve activated their Major Disruptive Events Policy for the hurricane affecting you.

Does Airbnb offer hurricane insurance?

Airbnb doesn’t offer insurance specifically for hurricanes. However, Airbnb does offer travel insurance and assistance services for guests who live in the U.S., which guests can purchase either at checkout or after booking.

But be careful—Airbnb’s travel insurance doesn’t always cover hurricanes. While stays impacted by flight cancellations due to weather are covered, events that have already happened or are foreseeable when you book (such as a named hurricane) aren’t covered. Keep in mind, however, that Airbnb refunds for hurricanes regardless of whether you have travel insurance whenever its Major Disruptive Events Policy is active.

How to update your Airbnb cancellation policy

It’s important to be strategic when setting the cancellation policy for your guests. In order to apply or change your cancellation policy, follow these simple steps: 

• Go to Listings and click on the one you would like to edit.
• Select the Listing Editor and click on Your space.
• Choose Cancellation policy.
• Click Edit next to Cancellation Policy.
• Choose one and click Save.

Canceling or changing a reservation as a host

An Airbnb host cancellation occurs when a property owner cancels a booking made by a guest. The steps an owner needs to take to cancel the reservation are quite simple but should only be done if necessary: 

• Log in to the Airbnb website and go to Reservations.
• Click on the reservation that you would like to cancel.
• Answer the prompted questions and select Next.
• Choose to Confirm cancellation.

If your guests are checking in within 24 hours, you will need to contact Airbnb directly to cancel the reservation. If you’re looking to change a reservation during a trip, you can send your guests a request with the following steps: 

• Go to Today, choose the active listing under Reservations.
• Click on Details.
• Press Change Reservation.
• Make the necessary changes.
• Review the changes you have made and hit Send request.

Airbnb host cancellation penalty

Airbnb doesn’t like to see cancellations because of the negative impact that it can have on travelers. Although it is understood that, on rare occasions, some owners may have no other option due to extenuating circumstances.

Airbnb has implemented a cancellation policy that begins at $50 for the host. However, there are occasions where Airbnb will waive this fee. Such occasions may include damage from an unauthorized party, a serious personal illness, or an incident that falls under the Major Disruptive Event category. Below is a summary of the cancellation fee a host may encounter.

• Minimum fee:
  • Hosts are subject to a minimum cancellation fee of $50 USD.
• Fee Calculation:
  • If the reservation is canceled 48 hours or less before check-in or after check-in, the fee is 50% of the reservation amount for the nights not stayed.
  • If the reservation is canceled between 48 hours and 30 days before check-in, the fee is 25% of the reservation amount.
  • If the reservation is canceled more than 30 days before check-in, the fee is 10% of the reservation amount.
• Long-term Reservations (28+ Days):
  • The cancellation fees are calculated as a percentage of the non-refundable portion of the reservation (up to the 30-day period from the cancellation date), rather than the full reservation amount.

Terms and conditions for host cancellations

It will be noted on the host’s profile that they carried through with a cancellation. While these automated reviews remain on the profile permanently, users can write a clarification as needed to explain why this occurred.

Additionally, the calendar used for bookings will have this cancellation period for the property blocked. This means that owners will not be able to rent out the property on the platform for that time period. 

For those hoping to earn their Superhost status, your candidacy may be delayed for one year, starting from the date of the latest cancellation. Last but not least, if a host cancels three or more reservations in a year, their account can be suspended or deactivated.

Exceptions for instant book hosts

Those hosts who use the instant book option for their listing may not have to pay the penalty if they indicate that they are worried about the way people may behave or have other reservation concerns. In order to go through with the cancellation in this circumstance, the owner needs to go to the reservation and click on the change or cancel option, then indicate the reason. Airbnb will then strive to find a replacement guest for this time period.

Refunds

For travelers who have been subject to a cancellation, there may be a few options for their refund. If they wish to reserve another property, then the money will be transferred to this reservation rather than being refunded. In lieu of this, guests can ask for a full refund. If the cancellation took place on a reservation that was four weeks away, then no refund request is needed, as this will be done automatically.

How to avoid cancelling on guests

Life can often get in the way of the success of your business. If you’re manually managing your rental on several listing sites, the chaos of it all can cause you to overbook certain dates. While we can always say “it happens,” the truth is that these mistakes can negatively affect your reputation and drop guest loyalty.

To avoid the cancellation penalty, you can use Airbnb management software to stay on top of your bookings and never miss a detail. With this technology, you can automatically sync your calendars, reservations, and rates from different listing sites onto a single platform. You can even automate guest communication and take your customer service to the next level. 

The more you reduce cancellations, the better reviews you will receive. The next chapter in this guide will focus on the importance of Airbnb reviews, how to write reviews for past guests, and some guidelines to keep you informed.

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