Our Cancellation Policy

Our community thrives on a foundation of mutual respect between Guests and Hosts.

We understand that plans can change in the theatre industry, and our cancellation policy is designed to be as fair as possible to both parties.

Jump to

• How the deposit works
• Guest initiated Cancellations
• Host initiated Cancellations
• Our fairness policy
• Custom cancellation terms
• Transaction fees
• Complex situations
  
  

How the deposit works

When a Guest submits a booking request, the transaction is processed as an ‘authorisation.’ This is a temporary hold on the funds in the Guest’s PayPal or bank account, rather than an immediate payment. 

Once a Host accepts the booking, this authorised amount is then ‘captured’ as a deposit.

In the event that a Guest cancels the booking, the deposit is offered to the Host as some compensation for the potential loss of income. If the Host cancels, the deposit is returned to the Guest.

If the booking is rejected or expires then the deposit is never captured. Instead it becomes void and the funds are returned via the Guests original payment method. This can take between 7 - 10 days from the time the booking expires or is rejected - depending on the Guest bank's policy.

Guest initiated cancellations

If a Guest cancels a booking, the Host has two options:

1. Refund the Deposit: The Host may choose to return the deposit to the Guest immediately.
    

2. Retain the Deposit: The Host may choose to keep the deposit to cover the vacancy created by the cancellation.

If you’re a Guest and you need to cancel a booking, please see our help article: What if I need to cancel a booking with a Host?

If you’re a Host and a Guest has recently cancelled a booking, please see our help article: What if a Guest cancels a booking?

Host initiated cancellations

On occasion, Hosts do find it necessary to cancel a booking.

The Host is asked to include a reason for cancellation and this is included in the email we send you along with a link to alternative digs matching the criteria of the cancelled booking. 

TheatreDigsBooker will then process a refund directly to the Guest via the original payment method. 

It may take up to 7-10 working days for the funds to settle.

If you require any support finding alternative accommodation, please contact our support team.

If you’re a Host and you need to cancel a booking, please see our help article: What if I need to cancel a Guests booking?

Our fairness policy

If a Host decides to retain the deposit, TheatreDigsBooker holds the funds until the original check-in date. At this point, the Host is sent an email asking them to confirm their decision, and provide appropriate payment details. This allows for any replacement bookings received in the interim to be taken into account.

• Fairness for Guests: If a replacement booking is secured on the TheatreDigsBooker site for the same dates, and the value of that new booking meets or exceeds the original, we may exercise our right to override the Host's decision and return the deposit to the Guest.
   
• Fairness for Hosts: We believe it is unfair to penalise a Guest when the Host has suffered no financial loss. Conversely, we do not penalise Hosts should they ever need to cancel a booking for a Guest.

Note: This "No-Loss" override usually only applies to replacement bookings made through the TheatreDigsBooker platform, as we cannot verify bookings made via external sites or private arrangements.

Custom Cancellation Terms

Hosts are welcome to stipulate their own specific payment, cancellation and refund terms. However, for these to be supported by TheatreDigsBooker:

• Full details of these arrangements must be clearly displayed in the main body of the "Digs Description" at the time the Guest requests the booking.
   
• Any terms involving payment arrangements outside of our standard policy are strictly a private agreement between the Host and the Guest.
   
• TheatreDigsBooker may override a Host’s deposit request following a Guest cancellation if the listing description lacked full disclosure of the deposit terms when the booking was requested.
   

Transaction fees

TheatreDigsBooker retains 0% commission on failed bookings. If a deposit is returned, the amount refunded is usually the original deposit minus the third-party processing fees (typically PayPal’s fee of approximately 1.9%).

These fees are retained by the payment processor and not by TheatreDigsBooker.
 

Complex situations

While our standard policy covers most cancellations, TheatreDigsBooker reserves the right to make the final decision on deposit distribution in complex or exceptional cases.

Should TheatreDigsBooker find that the listing is not as described, we may override a Host requested deposit in favour of the Guest. 

If a Guest chooses to check out on arrival but the evidence provided is deemed insufficient, the Host is not given reasonable opportunity to rectify or does not meet the criteria for a valid refund, TheatreDigsBooker would typically pass the deposit to the Host.

Our priority is always to reach a resolution that is fair to both the Guest and the Host, in line with our Host Code of Conduct and Guest Code of Conduct.