What if I need to cancel because of an emergency or unavoidable circumstance?

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How it works

We may be able to give you a refund or waive the cancellation penalties if you have to cancel because of an unexpected circumstance that’s out of your control. Below is a list of circumstances covered by our Extenuating Circumstances Policy. Before you cancel, check that your circumstance is included in the list below and that you can provide the required documentation. It’s important to keep in mind that penalty-free cancellations are only available for extenuating circumstances that occur before the official check-in date for your reservation. We reserve the right to change or waive an admin fee of up to £500 fee where extenuating circumstances are met.

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Circumstances that require documentation

Death of a host or their co-host, immediate family member, or caregiver. You’ll be asked to provide one of these documents:

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• Death certificate

• Obituary

• News article naming the deceased

• Police report

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Unexpected serious illness or injury affecting a host or member of the travelling party. You’ll be asked to provide a statement from a physician confirming that the person can't host or travel due to an unexpected, serious illness or injury. The statement must be also dated after the reservation was booked and provided within 14 days of cancellation. At this time, pre-existing conditions known to the user at the time of booking are not covered by our Extenuating Circumstances Policy.

Government-mandated obligations including jury duty, court appearances, and military deployment. You'll be asked to provide a copy of the official notice dated after the reservation was booked, including the name of the person fulfilling the obligation.

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Unforeseen property damage, maintenance, and amenity issues to our Norfolk Beach House listing that makes it unsafe to host guests, or that prevents guests from accessing basic amenities like running water. electric or gas. This doesn’t include planned renovations. We will provide all of the following documents:

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• Proof that the issue is being fixed

• An estimate of when it will be fixed

• An invoice for the repairs being done

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Transportation disruptions that make it impossible to travel to your destination, including road closures and flight cancellations where there are no alternative methods of travel. This includes closures and cancellations caused by natural disasters, such as earthquakes or severe storms. You’ll be asked to provide a notice of the road closure, or documentation from the airline that the flight was cancelled and supporting documentation confirming that it's not possible to travel to your destination.

Train, bus, or ferry cancellations where no alternate trips were available on the same day. You’ll be asked to provide documentation that clearly shows the carrier was not operating on that day, such as a screenshot of the company’s website or a link to an official statement from the carrier.

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Circumstances that require special review

There’s no required documentation for these circumstances, but we review each case to confirm that you’re directly affected.

Natural disasters, terrorist activity, and civil/political unrest that prevent the guest from travelling to or from our houses or that make it unsafe to host guests.

Travel restrictions imposed by a government, law enforcement agency, or military that restrict travel to or from our houses.

Safety and security threat advisories issued for the listing or experience location or the guest party’s departure location.

Essential utility outages that affect the houses.

Changes to visa or passport requirements that make it impossible to travel to the destination. This doesn’t include lost or expired travel documents.

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What to do next

If you’ve confirmed your circumstance meets the requirements above, first make contact with us as soon as possible.

If your reservation falls under a recognised extenuating circumstance, you’ll be notified that your reservation qualifies for a penalty-free cancellation, and you’ll get a full refund if you’re the lead guest.

If your reservation doesn't qualify automatically, continue cancelling your reservation with us and then contact us to file a claim. We’ll walk you through the next steps, which will include submitting any required documentation and waiting for us to review your case. Claims must be submitted within 14 days of cancellation.