Airbnb's new extenuating circumstances policy will apply to reservations with a check-in date of January 20th, 2021 or later.

What is mainly changing?

Airbnb will no longer force it's hosts to refund guests due to sickness, death in the family, travel interruptions, etc. For the most part, hosts will only need to refund guests for government mandated travel bans/restrictions, etc. or abnormal weather events. No more needing to refund the guest who booked during hurricane season since this would not be considered abnormal for the area.

Interpret the weather policy for yourself. Below is an excerpt from Airbnb's website of what will be covered with the new policy:

Changes to government travel requirements. Unexpected changes to visa or passport requirements imposed by a governmental agency that prevent travel to the destination. This doesn’t include lost or expired travel documents or other personal circumstances relating to a guest’s authorization to travel.

Declared emergencies and epidemics. Government declared local or national emergencies, epidemics, pandemics, and public health emergencies. This does not include diseases that are endemic or commonly associated with an area—for example, malaria in Thailand or dengue fever in Hawaii.

Government travel restrictions. Travel restrictions imposed by a governmental agency that prevent or prohibit traveling to, staying at, or returning from the Listing location. This does not include non-binding travel advisories and similar government guidance.

Military actions and other hostilities. Acts of war, hostilities, invasions, civil war, terrorism, explosions, bombings, rebellions, riots, insurrection, civil disorder, and civil unrest.

Natural disasters. Natural disasters, acts of God, large-scale outages of essential utilities, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and other severe and abnormal weather events. This does not include weather or natural conditions that are common enough to be foreseeable in that location—for example, hurricanes occurring during hurricane season in Florida.

Read the full current and new policy on Airbnb.