Community policy
Major Disruptive Events Policy
In this article
- Overview
- What events are covered
- What happens if a reservation is affected by a covered Event
- What is not covered
- How this policy affects hosts
- Other things to be aware of
Overview
In general, cancellations and refunds for Airbnb reservations are governed by the listing’s cancellation policy. In the rare circumstances that large-scale events prevent or legally prohibit completion of a reservation, the Major Disruptive Events Policy (the “Policy”) may apply. When this Policy applies, guests can cancel their reservation and receive a refund, travel credit and/or other consideration regardless of the reservation’s cancellation policy, and hosts can cancel without fees or other adverse consequences although their listing’s calendar will be blocked for the dates of the cancelled reservation.
This Policy applies to reservations for homes, services and experiences and is applicable to reservations that are ongoing or that have a check-in on or after the effective date, except as otherwise notified by Airbnb to users. The Major Disruptive Events Policy is not an insurance policy.
What events are covered
The following events are covered under this Policy if they affect your reservation location, occur after the time of booking and prevent or legally prohibit completion of a future or ongoing reservation (referred to in this Policy as “Events”):
Declared public health emergencies and epidemics.
Government-declared epidemics, pandemics and public health emergencies. This does not include diseases that are endemic (for example, the flu) or commonly associated with an area (for example, malaria in Thailand). COVID-19 is not covered under this Major Disruptive Events Policy.
Government travel restrictions.
Mandatory travel restrictions imposed by a governmental agency, such as an evacuation order or lockdown order. This does not include non-binding travel advisories and similar government guidance.
What happens if a reservation is affected by a covered Event
When a large-scale event occurs, we assess the situation to determine whether the Major Disruptive Events Policy applies. If it does, we activate the Policy for the affected area and timeframe where we anticipate that the Event will prevent or legally prohibit completion of reservations. Reservations outside of the defined area and timeframe may not be eligible although hosts may still be able to cancel without adverse consequences if they are unable to host. We continuously monitor these situations and adjust coverage as needed to reflect changing conditions. If you believe this Policy applies to your reservation, please contact us to enquire about eligibility.
What is not covered
We understand that other circumstances outside of your control may disrupt your plans. In any situations not listed above, your reservation remains subject to the host’s cancellation policy for the listing.
Examples of common events not covered by this policy include:
- Events that affect a guest or their ability to travel, but not the reservation location
- Unexpected injury or illness
- Government obligations like jury duty or court appearances
- Non-binding travel advisories or other government guidance that fall short of a travel ban or prohibition
- Cancellation or rescheduling of an event for which the reservation was made
- Transport disruptions such as airline insolvency, flight cancellations, transport strikes and road closures due to maintenance
- Weather or natural conditions that are common enough to be foreseeable in a given location, such as hurricanes in Florida during hurricane season or winter weather in the northern hemisphere during winter months – unless the event triggers a covered Event that prevents completion of the reservation, such as government-issued mandatory travel restrictions
For reservations not covered by this Policy, we encourage guests and hosts to find a mutually acceptable arrangement, such as a full or partial refund or an alteration of the booking dates. Note that any refunds outside of the reservation’s cancellation policy are at the host’s discretion. Airbnb does not take part in or guarantee such refunds.