Cancellation Policies

Setting clear cancellation policies helps protect both you and your guests while providing flexibility when needed.

24-Hour Cancellation Grace Period

All bookings on Haven include a 24-hour cancellation grace period. This is a platform-enforced policy that applies to every booking, regardless of the host's chosen cancellation policy.

What it means: Guests can cancel any confirmed booking within 24 hours of making the reservation and receive a refund minus the non-refundable processing fee.
When it applies: The 24-hour window starts from the moment the booking is created, not from check-in.
After 24 hours: Once the grace period expires, the host's chosen cancellation policy takes effect.
For hosts: This policy is automatic and cannot be changed. It is designed to give guests confidence when booking and is standard practice across the vacation rental industry.

Example: A guest books a property at 2:00 PM on Monday. They have until 2:00 PM on Tuesday to cancel and receive their refund (minus the processing fee). After that, the host's cancellation policy (Flexible, Moderate, Strict, or Super Strict) determines the refund amount.

Processing Fee on Refunds

When a payment is processed, Stripe (our payment processor) charges a non-refundable processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. This fee is not returned when a refund is issued.

How It Works

Guest-initiated cancellations: The processing fee is deducted from the guest's refund amount. This ensures the host is not charged for a fee that cannot be recovered.
Host-initiated cancellations: The guest receives a full refund. The host absorbs the processing fee since they initiated the cancellation.

Examples

Booking Amount	Processing Fee	Guest Refund (100% policy)
$500	$14.80	$485.20
$1,000	$29.30	$970.70
$2,000	$58.30	$1,941.70

Why This Matters

For guests: Your refund will be slightly less than the full amount you paid due to the non-refundable processing fee. This is standard across the industry.
For hosts: You will not be charged for the Stripe processing fee on guest-initiated cancellations. The fee is retained from the guest's refund.

Haven offers several cancellation policy options:

Flexible

Full refund if canceled at least 7 days before check-in
50% refund if canceled within 7 days of check-in
Best for: Properties that want to be guest-friendly

Moderate

Full refund if canceled at least 7 days before check-in
50% refund if canceled within 7 days of check-in
Best for: Most properties, balanced approach

Strict

Full refund if canceled at least 30 days before check-in
50% refund if canceled within 30 days of check-in
Best for: Properties with high demand or seasonal bookings

Custom

Set your own cancellation window
Configure refund percentages
Best for: Properties with specific needs

Setting Your Cancellation Policy

Navigate to Cancellation Policy section - In your property edit page, find the Cancellation Policy section
Choose a policy - Select from Flexible, Moderate, Strict, or Custom
Set cancellation window - For custom policies, set the number of days
Save - Save your cancellation policy

Changing Booking Details

Haven does not support modifying existing bookings. If a guest needs to change their reservation (dates, number of guests, etc.), they must:

Cancel the existing booking - Cancel the current reservation
Create a new booking - Book again with the desired dates or details
Refund processed - Original booking refunded according to your cancellation policy
New booking confirmed - New reservation is created with updated details

Important: Guests cannot modify reservations. They must cancel and rebook to change any booking details. This ensures clear pricing and avoids confusion about refunds and charges for changed bookings.

Best Practices

Be clear - Make sure guests understand your policy
Consider your market - More flexible policies can attract more bookings
Protect yourself - Ensure policies protect against last-minute cancellations
Be reasonable - Balance protection with guest-friendly policies

Policy Considerations

When to Use Flexible

High competition area
Want to maximize bookings
Can easily rebook canceled dates

When to Use Moderate

Standard approach
Balanced protection
Works for most situations

When to Use Strict

High-demand periods
Difficult to rebook
Seasonal properties