Stay calm, check which cancellation policy the booking carries, and reply with what that policy provides, plus any goodwill you choose to offer yourself. Point disputes to Airbnb support instead of arguing. AI can draft the wording from those facts, but it must never decide the refund or promise one.
The reply is the easy part. The hard part is knowing what you are replying to: a guest who never made contact, one who says the code failed, and one who stalled because a flight was cancelled are three different cases with three different answers. As its page lists the protections, AirCover for Hosts does not mention an empty night caused by a no-show, and the guest may have rights of their own under Airbnb's rebooking and refund policy, so check both before you write.
Pin down four facts before you type a word
A refund reply is only as good as the facts under it, and in a no-show dispute they usually sit in four places. Collect them first in a note, because you will paste them into the AI later and into Airbnb's support chat if it comes to that.
- The policy on this reservation. Open the reservation and read the cancellation policy it carries, not the one on your listing today. Airbnb's help page says a policy change applies only to future reservations, so a booking made under Moderate stays Moderate even if you switched to Firm last week. Note the policy name and the booking date.
- The timeline. When did the guest book, when did check-in open, what did you send and when, and what did they say? Screenshots with timestamps beat memory.
- Whether they could get in. A guest who never turned up is one case. A guest who says "the code did not work" is another, because Airbnb's Rebooking and Refund Policy for Homes lists a host failing to provide access as a covered issue. Check the lock log, the message in which you sent the code and whether the code was live at check-in time.
- Anything bigger than the guest. Airbnb's Major Disruptive Events Policy can override your cancellation policy for events that affect the reservation's location, such as a government evacuation or lockdown order, an unforeseeable natural disaster or a prolonged outage of essential utilities. Its page says personal illness and injury, and transport problems such as flight cancellations and road closures, are not covered.
Deciding which case you are in is your job, not the AI's. The AI becomes useful later, once you have chosen the outcome: it puts that outcome into calm words and builds the timeline for Airbnb support.
What the cancellation policies pay you, and what they do not say
Airbnb's Help Centre page on cancellation policies for your home sets out four standard policies for stays of 27 nights or fewer. The table shows each one's terms for a guest who cancels, which is the closest Airbnb comes to describing the money in a no-show.
| Policy | Guest gets a full refund if they cancel | What you are paid after that |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible | Until 24 hours before check-in | If the guest never checks in, the first night; once a stay has begun, the nights stayed plus one extra night |
| Moderate | Until 5 days before check-in | One extra night plus 50% of the unspent nights, plus any nights stayed |
| Limited (booked on or after 1 October 2025) | Until 14 days before check-in | 50% of the nights if cancelled 7 to 14 days out; 100% if cancelled less than 7 days out |
| Firm | Until 30 days before check-in | 50% of the nights if cancelled 7 to 30 days out; 100% if cancelled less than 7 days out |
Airbnb's Resource Centre adds that after the free-cancellation period the cleaning fee is treated as part of the nightly price, and refunds follow your policy. Three limits apply to the table. The figures are for stays of 27 nights or fewer, while long-term stays, the invitation-only policies (Strict and the two Super strict options) and the discounted non-refundable option follow different terms. Some listings may follow different policies altogether, so the reservation's own page decides. And the table describes a guest who cancels: Airbnb's page for a guest who does not show up does not say how the payout is treated. It says only that if the guest is unresponsive you can contact Airbnb to report the no-show and it will help with next steps.
Many hosts reasonably read a no-show as a cancellation at the last moment. Treat that as a reading, not a rule, and ask Airbnb to confirm how it will handle this booking before you promise the guest anything in either direction. Ask at the same time what happens to the remaining nights on your calendar, because the page saying Airbnb releases the dates describes a guest who cancels. Payout timing is worth knowing too: Airbnb's page on a guest who cancels says payouts are sent 24 hours after the scheduled check-in time.
One thing not to add is a charge of your own. A "no-show fee" on top of the cancellation policy is a penalty, and Airbnb's policy on reasonable house rules and requests, which applies to reservations booked from 20 November 2026, says hosts generally may not impose fines or other penalties on guests. Announcing one by message does not help either, because the same policy bars new rules or requests sent after booking. The cancellation policy on the reservation already decides the money, so let it.
AirCover: what protects you and what protects the guest
AirCover for Hosts is the first thing many hosts reach for, so read what its page lists: guest identity verification, reservation screening, damage protection up to $3m, $1m liability insurance and a 24-hour safety line. Income loss appears only as cover for bookings you have to cancel because of guest damage. The page does not mention no-shows, so an unused booking is a matter for your cancellation policy and Airbnb support, not for AirCover.
The guest has protection too, and it is where a refund claim usually comes from. Airbnb's Rebooking and Refund Policy for Homes covers four situations: the host cancels before check-in, the host fails to provide access, the accommodation is not habitable (not reasonably clean and sanitary, or with safety or health hazards), or it is significantly different from the listing. A guest should report within 72 hours after discovering the issue, with evidence such as photos, and where feasible try to resolve it with the host first. Issues caused by the guest or their party are not covered, fraudulent requests breach Airbnb's terms, and a host can dispute a reported issue by contacting Airbnb. If Airbnb does refund the guest under this policy, the same page says the host receives no payout, or a payout reduced by the amount refunded, so a covered issue costs you money whatever you reply.
So a no-show who says only "refund please" has not named any of those situations, while one who says "we couldn't get in" or "it wasn't as described" has. That distinction drives the scripts that follow: for the first you state the policy, and for the second you investigate and hand the question to Airbnb.
Six reply scripts, one for each way a no-show asks for money
Each script below is a starting point with square brackets to fill in. The line before each one says when it applies and what to check first. None of them promises a refund, because the promise is a decision you make separately, and the prompt further down stops the AI from sneaking one in.
1. The silent no-show who asks for a refund afterwards
Use this when the guest never messaged, you tried to reach them, and they now want money back without naming any problem. State the policy plainly, say that you tried to reach them, and show the way to Airbnb. The listing's Things to know section displays the policy to guests before they book, which is why the script can point to it.
Hi [first name], thank you for getting in touch, and I am glad you are safe. We kept the home ready for you from [check-in time] on [check-in date], and I messaged you through Airbnb at [time] to check on your arrival. This booking carries the [policy name] cancellation policy that was shown on the listing when you booked, and I am following that policy for this reservation. If you believe another Airbnb policy applies, for example a problem getting in or a major disruption at the location, please contact Airbnb support directly, because they decide those cases. [your name]
2. Travel disruption or illness
Airbnb's Major Disruptive Events page excludes personal illness and injury, and transport problems such as flight cancellations and road closures, so the policy usually stands. Empathy comes first and the policy second. Goodwill is optional and yours to decide, which is why that sentence sits in its own bracket: delete it unless you have decided on an amount.
Hi [first name], I am sorry to hear your trip fell through, and I hope things are settled soon. The booking falls under the [policy name] cancellation policy, and the policy does not treat this as a free cancellation. [Only if you have decided: As a goodwill gesture I would like to refund $[amount], which I will send through Airbnb today.] If you would like Airbnb to consider anything further, their support team can review the booking. [your name]
3. "We could not get in"
This is the dangerous one, because a host failing to provide access is a covered issue under Airbnb's rebooking and refund policy. Do not reply from memory. Pull the lock log, the message in which you sent the code and the code's start and end times first. Then apologise once for the experience without declaring whose fault it was, ask for specifics, and send the guest to Airbnb. If your records show a fault on your side, say so plainly rather than defending the lock.
Hi [first name], I am sorry you had trouble getting in, and I want to understand exactly what happened. Could you tell me roughly what time you arrived, what you tried, and what the keypad or lock showed? I am checking the lock record and my messages now and will reply by [time]. Please also contact Airbnb support as soon as you can about the access problem, as they review these cases, and I will share my full message history with them. [your name]
4. "It was not as described, so we did not stay"
Here the guest arrived, or looked at the place and left, and the claim sits under the "significantly different from the listing" situation. Resist arguing about adjectives. Ask which statement in the listing did not match, ask for photos, and compare their answer with your listing text line by line. If the listing did overstate something, that is a lesson for the text, and the tutorial on writing the listing with AI from your own facts shows how to stop it recurring.
Hi [first name], thank you for telling me, and I am sorry the home was not what you expected. Could you tell me which part of the listing did not match what you found, and send any photos you took? I will compare it with the listing straight away. Whatever we find, Airbnb is the right place to have a refund request reviewed, so please raise it with them within the time they allow. I will give them my side with the listing and the message record. [your name]
5. The refund request that comes with a review threat
Airbnb's review policy is blunt here. It says hosts and guests may not threaten a negative review as a means to obtain unwarranted compensation, and that reviews may not be provided or withheld in exchange for something of value, naming a discount, a refund or a reciprocal positive review. Do not trade, and do not argue about the review. One neutral sentence in your reply is enough, then report the message to Airbnb support with the thread attached.
Hi [first name], I understand you are upset. I will not link a refund to a review in either direction, and Airbnb's review policy does not allow reviews to be offered or withheld in exchange for money. If you would like the booking looked at again, Airbnb support is the right place, and I will give them the full record. [your name]
6. The goodwill offer, when you decide to refund part
Sometimes the kindest and cheapest outcome is a partial refund. Send it only because you chose to, say what it is and what it is not, and state the amount once. A vague "I will sort something out" invites a negotiation, and a number does not.
Hi [first name], thank you for explaining what happened. The booking carries the [policy name] policy, so the full amount is not refundable. Because you let me know [reason, such as early the next morning], I would like to send $[amount] back as a goodwill gesture. I will send it through Airbnb today. Thank you, and I hope we can host you another time. [your name]
Five tone rules sit behind every script: apologise for the situation at most once, never for the policy; make no accusation about the guest's honesty; keep one fact to a sentence; set no deadlines and make no threats; end with the next step. They are also the rules to give the AI, which is what the next section does.
Let AI draft the words, and keep the decision in your hands
The risk with an AI draft in a dispute is not bad grammar. It is helpfulness: language models like to resolve things, so they offer refunds, invent policy names and soften facts. The prompt below gives the AI the facts, the decision and the tone, and forbids everything else. The field that matters most is DECISION, which only you fill in.
Draft a reply from an Airbnb host to a guest who did not arrive and is asking for a refund.
FACTS (use only these; do not add anything)
- Cancellation policy on this reservation: [policy name]
- What that policy provides, pasted from Airbnb's page: [paste the policy text]
- Booking: [dates, number of nights, total paid, cleaning fee]
- Timeline: [check-in time; what I sent and when; what the guest said and when]
- Guest's message: [paste it]
DECISION (set by the host, do not change it)
[DECLINE, citing the policy] or [PARTIAL: $amount as goodwill] or [REFER TO AIRBNB SUPPORT]
TONE RULES
- Calm, kind and plain British English. Under 120 words. No exclamation marks.
- Apologise for the situation at most once and never for the policy.
- Do not accuse the guest of anything. Do not mention reviews.
- Do not promise, hint at or imply any refund, discount or exception beyond DECISION.
- Do not name any Airbnb policy that is not in FACTS. Do not give legal advice.
- End with the next step for the guest.
After the reply, list every statement of fact you used and where in FACTS it came from.Here is what the rules prevent. Given only "write a reply to a no-show asking for a refund", a model can produce this (illustrative): "Hi [first name], I'm so sorry for the trouble! Per Airbnb's no-show policy, you aren't entitled to a refund, but I'll make an exception and refund you in full once Airbnb confirms. Honestly, I couldn't have done more to reach you. Hope this clears things up!" It has four faults. "Airbnb's no-show policy" is a policy name nobody supplied, and the help page I read describes only how to report a no-show. The full refund contradicts a decision the host never made. "Honestly, I couldn't have done more" is blame dressed as defence. And the exclamation marks read as flippant to someone asking for money back. The FACTS list at the end of the prompt exposes the first two immediately, because the AI cannot point to where "no-show policy" came from.
Before you send anything, run the promise check: read the draft once with one question, "could the guest screenshot this and hold me to it?" The tutorial on catching promises an AI-written email makes without you goes further, and the one on calm replies to Airbnb guest complaints covers the disputes that happen during a stay.
Send a goodwill refund the way Airbnb expects
If you decide to refund part of the booking, do it inside Airbnb, not by bank transfer, so that the record exists if the guest later disputes it. Airbnb's help page on refunding a guest gives two routes. Before check-in, go to Reservations, select the booking and choose Send or request money. After the check-in time has passed, which covers any no-show, use the Resolution Centre: choose Send money, select the guest, pick the reason that fits best, enter the amount, add a message and send. Either way, the page says the refund is processed within 48 hours. Four points from that page matter:
- You type the amount, so any amount is possible, whole or partial.
- Submit refunds within 60 days after checkout.
- Once the money is sent it is final and cannot be reversed.
- Check the Earnings dashboard afterwards, because the page on guest cancellations says refunds can be deducted from future payouts until collected.
The arithmetic: four nights at $150, a Firm policy, a refund ask
Take an illustrative booking: four nights at $150 plus a $60 cleaning fee, so $660 in total before Airbnb's service fee and any tax. The listing carries the Firm policy and the guest booked three weeks ahead. Check-in opens on Friday at 15:00. You message at 17:00 and ring at 19:00 with no reply. On Saturday at 09:00 the guest writes that their flight was cancelled and asks for everything back. No covered issue is named, and flight cancellations are excluded from the major disruption policy. Here are your options, with what you would keep:
| Option | Refund to guest | You keep | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Decline, citing the policy | $0 | $660 | Fits the policy as read; may lead to a support case |
| B. Refund the cleaning fee | $60 | $600 | Cheap and easy to explain |
| C. Refund one night | $150 | $510 | A bigger gesture for a guest who contacted you promptly |
| D. Re-let nights 3 and 4, refund those two nights | $300 | $600 | You re-let both at $120 each, $240; you keep $660 - $300 + $240 |
| E. Full refund | $660 | $0, or $240 if re-let | Costs you $420 to $660 more than option A, depending on re-letting; avoid unless Airbnb decides |
Option D is easy to miss: if the calendar nights can be rebooked, the loss is smaller than the headline figure, and refunding only what you recovered is easy to defend as fair. My own leaning, which is a habit and not a rule, is option A for a silent guest with no covered issue, option B or D for a guest who writes promptly and politely, and never option E unless Airbnb makes that decision. There is also an hours argument. A dispute that takes three hours of messages and support chats costs $75 if you value your time at $25 an hour (an assumption), which is more than the cleaning fee in option B.
Escalate with an evidence pack, and a timeline the AI can build
Airbnb's own advice for a guest who does not respond is to contact Airbnb and report the no-show, and a host can dispute a reported issue the same way. What helps its team is a short, dated, factual record. Gather the reservation code, the policy name and text, screenshots of the thread, the lock log, the check-in message you sent, your cleaner's turnover record showing the home was ready, and the listing text if the claim is "not as described". The tutorial on gathering evidence for an Airbnb claim covers the habits in more depth. AI is good at the last step, turning the thread into a timeline:
Below is a message thread between an Airbnb host and a guest, with timestamps. Write a factual
timeline, one line per event, in this form: date, time, who, what happened. Use only the
thread. Do not add adjectives, opinions or guesses. At the end, list any gaps (times when
nothing is recorded) and any statement that I should verify against the lock log.
[paste the thread; replace the guest's name with "Guest" and remove phone numbers]For the example booking, a good result reads like this (illustrative): "Fri 15:00, check-in opens. Fri 17:00, host messages guest to check arrival. Fri 19:00, host phones the number on the reservation, no answer. Sat 09:00, guest writes that the flight was cancelled and asks for a full refund. Sat 09:40, host replies citing the Firm policy." The gaps list would note that nothing was recorded between 19:00 and 09:00 and that the guest's claim about the flight is unverified. Send that with the screenshots rather than a long narrative.
Keep the whole dispute inside Airbnb's message thread. Two replies are usually enough: the first states your position and the next step, and the second restates the next step if the guest pushes. After that, the thread is evidence, not a conversation, and any further message should go to Airbnb support. For the wider question of answering any customer who demands a refund, see the tutorial on drafting a fair reply to a customer demanding a refund.
Questions hosts ask about no-shows and refunds
Does Airbnb refund a guest who never shows up?
Airbnb's no-show help page tells hosts to contact Airbnb if a guest is unresponsive, and says nothing about money. The cancellation policy pages describe what you are paid when a guest cancels late. Guests can also claim under Airbnb's rebooking and refund policy for listed problems such as no access. Ask Airbnb how your reservation will be treated before you promise anything.
Does AirCover for Hosts pay for a no-show night?
Not as the AirCover for Hosts page lists its protections. It covers damage, liability and income lost when you cancel bookings because of guest damage, and it does not mention no-shows. Do not plan on AirCover to replace an unused booking; your cancellation policy and Airbnb support are the routes.
How long does a guest have to report a problem to Airbnb?
Airbnb's Rebooking and Refund Policy for Homes asks guests to report an issue within 72 hours after discovering it, with supporting evidence, and to try to resolve it with the host first where feasible. If timely reporting was not possible, the guest can explain why and Airbnb may allow a late report.
Can I send a guest part of their money back?
Yes. Before check-in, open the reservation and choose Send or request money. After check-in, use the Resolution Centre and Send money. You enter the amount, so a partial refund is possible, but Airbnb says refunds are final once sent and should be submitted within 60 days after checkout.
Further reads
- How to Respond to Airbnb Reviews With AI: Glowing, Mixed, Bad — Reply to the review that sometimes follows a refund dispute.
- Airbnb House Rules: Write Clear Rules and Check-In Messages With AI — Clear arrival instructions that prevent access disputes.
- How to Reduce No-Shows With AI Reminders and Automatic Rebooking — Reminder routines that cut no-shows in other bookings.
- How to Automate Airbnb Messages: Test the AI Before You Switch It On — Test automated replies before guests see them.
- Airbnb Message Templates: 9 Messages From Booking to Checkout — Where the no-show nudge sits among a stay's nine messages.
- ChatGPT for Short-Term Rentals: 10 Host Jobs and the Prompts to Use — More host jobs ChatGPT can take on.
- Hospitable Airbnb Software: What Each Plan's AI Actually Does — Which Hospitable plan gives you which AI: suggested replies, Message AI Assistant, Inbox AI auto replies and MCP, and what to test on the trial.
- Is HostBuddy AI Worth It for an Airbnb Host? — An independent look at HostBuddy AI for small Airbnb hosts: list prices per property, a trial test script, escalation checks and a pre-commit checklist.
- AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.
Sources: Airbnb Help Centre (when a guest doesn't show up for a reservation; cancellation policies for your home; Rebooking and Refund Policy for Homes; Major Disruptive Events Policy; refund your guest; if your guest cancels), Airbnb Resource Centre (choosing cancellation policies, 27 January 2026), Airbnb AirCover for Hosts page, Airbnb review policy, Airbnb's policy on reasonable house rules and requests (reservations booked from 20 November 2026).