a cancellation policy for your apartment: rules agreed before the guest cancels
When a guest cancels and the rule wasn't set in advance, every refund becomes a negotiation. In Livvi you choose a cancellation policy per unit, and the guest sees it before booking.
A guest writes to you three weeks before arrival: plans have changed, can they get their money back? If you haven't set the rule in advance, you're now making it up on the spot. And whatever you decide, someone is left unhappy. Either you, because you're refunding a date that freed up late, or the guest, because it seems you only came up with the rule when they needed it.
why a "case by case" arrangement is expensive
Without a clear cancellation policy, every cancellation becomes a negotiation. You spend time on messages, and the decision often depends on how persistent the guest is or how awkward you feel saying no at that moment. There's nothing solid to rely on when a guest says "I didn't know". And the later you reach an agreement, the later you know whether the date is free.
how livvi solves this
In Livvi you set the cancellation policy separately for each accommodation unit and choose between three options:
| Option | How it works | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible | full refund if the guest cancels at least X days before arrival | 7 days |
| Partial | full refund up to X days before arrival, 50% refund up to Y days before arrival | 14 and 7 days |
| No refund | the guest gets no refund regardless of when they cancel | – |
You can adjust the number of days to suit you. An example for the partial option with the default settings: a guest who cancels 20 days before arrival gets a 100% refund, one who cancels 10 days before gets 50%, and one who cancels 3 days before gets nothing.
The key point: the policy is shown to the guest before booking. The rules are known before they click "book", so there are no surprises later on either side. When a guest asks for a refund, you don't have to explain everything from the start, you just refer to what they saw.
Because the policy is set per unit, if you have several apartments, each can have its own rules.
which option to choose?
That's a business decision, not a technical question, and there is no single right answer. The flexible option gives the guest the most security, but you take on the risk of late cancellation. The no-refund option protects your dates, but for some guests it can be a reason to change their mind before booking. Partial is the middle ground between the two.
Alongside the cancellation policy, it's worth looking at the payment policy, which determines when the guest pays: in full at booking, a deposit and then the rest before arrival, or a card authorisation and then payment a few days before arrival. The payment policy is set once for the whole account. Payments in any case go directly to your Stripe account, and Livvi doesn't hold money.
how to switch it on
- Open the accommodation editor.
- In the "Cancellation policy" drop-down, choose one of the three options.
- Adjust the number of days if needed.
- Click Save.
The whole process is in the guide How to set a cancellation policy.
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