Does Airbnb Give Refunds For Bad Weather Experiences?

Should you go to Key West during hurricane season? What about a trip to Maine in the winter? Obviously, if the conditions are dangerous, you will have to cancel your trip — but will you lose the money you already gave Airbnb for your stay? The truth is, it depends on exactly how bad it is, where you're staying, and if Airbnb deems the situation severe enough to merit a total refund. Airbnb's updated cancellation policy is designed to make it easier for guests to get their money back during storms and natural disasters. These are what they refer to as "Major Disruptive Events" that interfere with travel plans. Unfortunately, depending on where you're staying and what weather event is causing problems, you may still not be covered.

Under Airbnb's policy, disease outbreaks, travel restrictions, major power outages, and natural disasters like dangerous weather events are all reasons for getting a full refund from Airbnb. However, if it's a weather event that is particularly common in the region you're visiting at the time of your trip, it's considered foreseeable, and Airbnb won't give you your money back unless it causes specific issues that disrupt your stay, beyond the weather. While you can absolutely still roll the dice and book, just know that if the weather is so severe that you can't go, or have to leave halfway through, you may end up on the hook for the full price of the trip.

You might be interested in a romantic winter getaway to enjoy the cold weather with your sweetheart, but unfortunately, if the roads are too snowy to reach your pretty lakeside cabin, you might find yourself paying for a roaring fire you never got to enjoy. Following an update in 2024, Airbnb specifically covers weather events that they consider foreseeable, under very specific circumstances. There are still regions and times of year where travelers book at their own risk, unless the weather gets extremely severe and causes other issues. All of the Northern Hemisphere may be excluded from Airbnb's Major Disruptive Events Policy in December, January, and February. In June, July, August, and September, the same rules apply in the Southern Hemisphere.

Winter storms aren't the only ones you may not be able to get coverage for. You might have heard that you might not want to visit the Caribbean during the winter due to the risk of hurricanes, but Airbnb actually won't refund you for Caribbean trips that are disrupted by any kind of tropical storm from June to November. Locations around the world, from New York to the Philippines, have months of time when Airbnb considers storms to be a common and predictable occurrence, so you won't be entitled to a refund.

Even if you booked a trip in hurricane season, if the storm causes serious enough problems, Airbnb's Major Disruptive Events Policy will still cover you for a full refund. While they may not consider these predictable storms enough of a reason to grant a full refund in and of themselves, if it's serious enough to cause one of the other issues that they do cover, you may be able to use that to get a refund. For example, if the storm is severe enough that there are official government travel restrictions for the region — like an evacuation order — you will definitely get your money back. If the weather knocks out power to the entire region, that will also be covered under the policy.

To find out exactly what kind of a safety net you'll have if there are weather issues on your trip, you should definitely check the individual host's cancellation policy. The Major Disruptive Events policy applies to all listings across Airbnb, so you don't need to worry about that, but the host may have their own policies that will help you get a refund. Contacting Airbnb's support can help you, too. For instance, if you've already arrived at your stay and a storm leaves the house you're renting with no lights or heat, it might not fall under their Major Disruptive Events policy, but you can follow the usual procedure for what to do if your Airbnb experience is not up to par and very likely get some or all of your stay refunded anyway.