Can I get a Refund from AirBnB?

**Click here for our comprehensive guide to how Airbnb is handling the COVID-19 pandemic**

If you’ve had an issue with AirBnB and your recent or upcoming trip, you might deserve a refund. Perhaps the host cancelled without warning, leaving you without a place to stay, or maybe the house is not what you agreed to. So what does their refund policy entail? Can you get a refund from AirBnB?

Airbnb Guest Refund Policy

Airbnb has a refund policy for guests that covers a handful of eligible issues:

1. You may be eligible for a refund within 24 hours of check-in.
2. You might also be eligible for an issue that comes up during your stay in which case Airbnb asks that you contact them and they can either partially refund you or help rebook you depending on the issue.

Special Circumstances

Right now there are special changes put into effect for refunds because of COVID-19. These fall under the “extenuating circumstances” refund policy.

What qualifies as an eligible travel issue under the normal Airbnb refund policy?

The first is if the host cancels your reservation or they are simply unavailable, they aren’t there to help you when you try to check in. The host might change a reservation to a different listing without your consent or give you the wrong lockbox code and then you can’t get inside.

The second is if the location is not safe or clean when you arrive. This could be an issue of vermin, poisonous insects, fleas, dirty linens, extreme mold, or a severe allergic reaction that poses an immediate health or safety risk.

Another qualifying issue is an inaccurate listing description. If they stipulated the wrong number of rooms or the wrong number beds, they mentioned accessible features that you can’t find, or they listed a carbon monoxide detector and it’s not there, this would count as an inaccurate and critical flaw in the listing.

Similarly, if key amenities that were the focus of the listing aren’t there, like a pool that should have been available in the summer but it’s currently in disrepair and you weren’t told, a kitchen that’s under construction, or a furnace that in the winter time is broken, this would qualify.

How AirBnb Handles Refund Requests

In order to get a refund they ask that you contact Airbnb either via message or phone within 24 hours of noticing the issue.

You have to share videos or photos to document the issue such as an incorrect access code or dirty linens.

Then you have to remain available for them to reach out to you with the following steps. They don’t tell you what those steps are or how long it might take.

What happens if Airbnb refuses to issue the refund I deserve?

In some situations you might not be able to document an allergic reaction especially if that reaction is a respiratory reaction, and maybe Airbnb doesn’t get back to you in a timely fashion and they don’t resolve the issue.

If they don’t issue the refund that you deserve, something that is eligible under their contracts, you can try consumer arbitration. With our service, you get help reaching out to AirBnB and exploring your remaining options for a refund.

Consumer arbitration is a legal option you have laid out in your user agreement and it gives you a way to have an independent party look at the situation and potentially force Airbnb to fix the problem and issue the refund you deserve. We can help.