Cancellations

Cancellations are an inevitable part of a property rental business. How they are handled depends on your property's cancellation policy and the payment status of the booking. Clear policies and communication are key to managing guest expectations.

Reservation Policy

We highly recommend defining how you handle cancellations in your reservation policy. This policy is displayed to guests before they book and has to be accepted to proceed with the booking. The cancellation policy should clearly define how you handle cancellations and refunds (if applicable).

Processing Cancellations in Guestdoors

When a guest requests to cancel, or if you need to cancel a booking from your end, you have the possibility to manage this from the "Reservations" section of your Guestdoors dashboard. The guest does not have the possiblity to cancel the booking themselves, therefore this process has to be manually handled by the host.

If the booking was already confirmed, you will still have the option to cancel it manually. This will send a notification to the guest and remove the booking from your property's calendar. However, this action will not automatically issue a refund to the guest. If you would like to issue a refund, you will have to do so manually by clicking the "Issue Refund" button.

Issuing refunds allows you to specify the exact amount you would like to refund. Important: the processing fees from Stripe and card providers (e.g. Visa and Mastercard) are not refundable. Setting the refund amount to match the full amount paid by your guest will create a negative balance on your account due to these fees.

Handling Disputes

While clear policies and good communication can prevent most disputes, they can still occasionally occur. A dispute, also known as a chargeback, happens when a guest contacts their bank or card issuer to contest a payment made to you.

The Dispute Process

1. Initiation: The guest files a dispute with their bank.
2. Notification: Stripe will notify you of the dispute and temporarily debit your account for the disputed amount, plus a dispute fee. For more information on how Stripe handles disputes, please refer to their official guide on chargebacks.
3. Response: You have a limited time (usually 7-21 days) to respond by submitting evidence to challenge the dispute through your Stripe Dashboard.

Responding to a Dispute

It's crucial to provide compelling evidence to support your case. Guestdoors helps by keeping records, which you will need to assemble and submit as evidence. Strong evidence includes:

• Your Reservation Policy: A copy of the cancellation policy that the guest agreed to at the time of booking.
• Guest Agreement: All guests are required to accept your policy before they can proceed with the booking, if this policy was defined.
• Communication Trail: Any emails, messages, or records of conversations between you and the guest regarding the booking and cancellation.
• Booking Details: Confirmation of the booking, check-in/check-out dates, and any other relevant details.

Even with a solid cancellation policy, winning a dispute is not guaranteed, as the final decision rests with the guest's bank. The best strategy is always prevention. Maintaining transparent policies and open communication with your guests can significantly reduce the likelihood of facing disputes.

Next Steps

Understanding cancellations is linked to how payments are handled:

Learn about How Guests Pay