What happens if a booking is cancelled? (for the host)

A cancellation can happen, initiated by you or your guest. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, here's what Roomlala provides in each case: what you receive, what you risk, and the procedure to follow.

1. Different types of cancellation

Depending on who cancels and when, the consequences are not the same:

  • The guest withdraws their request before paying: there is no commitment, so no impact on you.
  • The guest cancels after paying: you may receive compensation, depending on your listing's cancellation policy and the number of days before arrival.
  • You cancel a confirmed booking: the guest receives a full refund and a penalty may apply in case of repeated cancellations.
  • You don't respond to a request in time: the request automatically expires and the guest is not charged.

2. When the guest cancels: your compensation

Each listing is associated with a cancellation policy that you chose when creating it. This determines what you receive if the guest cancels after paying.

3. Flexible Policy

  • 2 days or more before arrival: no payment to you
  • Less than 2 days before arrival: full payment of the rent

4. Moderate Policy

  • 14 days or more before arrival: no payment to you
  • Between 14 days and 2 days before arrival: compensation of 30% of the rent
  • Less than 2 days before arrival: full payment of the rent

5. Firm Policy

  • 30 days or more before arrival: no payment to you
  • Between 30 days and 2 days before arrival: compensation of 30% of the rent
  • Less than 2 days before arrival: full payment of the rent

You can modify the cancellation policy of your listings at any time from your account area, in the pricing settings of each listing. The new policy only applies to future bookings.

6. When you cancel a confirmed booking

It can happen that an unforeseen event forces you to cancel a confirmed stay: water damage, emergency repairs, change in personal circumstances. In this case:

  • The guest is refunded 100% of the amount paid, including Roomlala service fees.
  • The dates concerned automatically become available again in your calendar.
  • The guest is informed by email of your cancellation.

Before confirming the cancellation from your account area, Roomlala displays a summary indicating whether a penalty applies to your situation.

7. The penalty for repeated cancellations

Cancellations by a host severely penalise guests. To maintain service quality on the platform, Roomlala applies a retention from a certain threshold:

  • Your first cancellation in the last 6 months triggers no retention.
  • From the 2nd cancellation within the same period, a retention of 20% of the rental amount of the first cancelled instalment may be applied to your next payments.
  • Cases of force majeure (natural disaster, major technical problem with the accommodation, etc.) are examined by our team before any potential retention. If validated, the cancellation is not counted in your history.

8. How to cancel a booking

To cancel, go to My Bookings, open the conversation with the relevant guest, and use the cancellation option. You will first see:

  • The amount that will be refunded to the guest
  • The number of cancellations already recorded over 6 months
  • The estimate of any potential retention

You will need to confirm the action for it to be final. Once validated, the cancellation cannot be undone.

9. Special case: long-term rentals

For a long-term rental with monthly payments, the compensation calculation is based on the amounts actually paid by the guest as of the cancellation date, according to the same policy. Unpaid instalments are cancelled and the dates concerned are freed up in your calendar.

10. Our tips for limiting cancellations

  • Keep your calendar up to date to avoid availability conflicts.
  • Communicate with the guest before confirmation to ensure their plan matches your accommodation.
  • If in doubt about your dates, decline the request rather than accepting and then cancelling: a refusal is not penalising.

Need help?

If you are facing a particular situation (force majeure, unreachable guest, damage observed), contact our team using the contact form in your account before taking any action. We will assist you in finding the best solution.

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