This Host Cancellation and Refund Appendix (“Appendix”) forms an integral part of and is incorporated by reference into the Sofaree Host Terms and Conditions and other applicable Platform Policies.
1. Governing Principles
This Appendix is intended to protect guests against misrepresentation and unfair practices, allocate cancellation risk fairly between hosts and guests, comply with applicable consumer protection laws, and preserve Sofaree’s integrity as a marketplace platform.
2. Cancellation Policy Selection
Each Host must select and publish a cancellation policy for every listing. Published policies govern refunds subject to the exceptions and overrides set forth in this Appendix.
The cancellation policy cannot override consumer protection laws, safety considerations or mandatory Force Majeure rules.
3. Force Majeure
3.1 Definition
“Force Majeure” refers to events beyond the control of the parties that are unforeseeable or unavoidable.
For purposes of this Platform, Force Majeure shall be deemed to exist only upon objective government declaration, including but not limited to:
government weather authority storm signal number 2 or greater, flooding, earthquake or natural calamity advisories or warnings issued for:
the Host property’s location, or
the Guest’s documented point of origin; or
official LGU, national government, or law-enforcement orders:
suspending travel,
mandating evacuation,
or restricting accommodation operations.
3.2 Effect on Cancellations
Where force majeure exists, any cancellation penalties are waived, guests are entitled to a full refund, and hosts shall not be penalized for non-performance.
In the absence of an official government agency declaration, cancellations are treated under normal rules.
3A. Extenuating Circumstances (Guest-Specific Emergencies)
3A.1 Purpose
This section addresses Guest-specific emergencies that fall outside the definition of Force Majeure in Section 3 (which requires an objective government declaration affecting an area or route). Extenuating Circumstances are evaluated individually and require supporting documentation.
3A.2 Qualifying Categories
A Guest may request Extenuating Circumstances treatment where, after the booking was confirmed and before check-in, one of the following occurs:
- Death of the Guest, a co-traveler named on the booking, or an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, or sibling) of the Guest;
- Serious documented illness or injury of the Guest or an immediate family member requiring hospitalization or a physician’s written advice against travel;
- Individual government travel restriction specifically naming or applying to the Guest (e.g., an individual quarantine order, entry ban, or denied visa) that is distinct from an area-wide Force Majeure event;
- Military deployment, jury duty, or comparable legal compulsion requiring the Guest’s presence elsewhere on the check-in dates; or
- Emergency at the Guest’s principal residence (fire, flood, burglary, or similar) requiring the Guest’s immediate presence, evidenced by an official police or fire report.
This list is exhaustive. Circumstances not listed above may still be raised through the Internal Dispute Resolution (Redress Mechanism) under Section 9 of the Guest Terms and Conditions, which retains discretion to address genuine edge cases on a case-by-case basis.
3A.3 Required Documentation
The Guest must submit official supporting documentation (e.g., death certificate, medical certificate or hospital admission record, government notice, or police/fire report) through the Dispute Resolution Center within seven (7) calendar days of the cancellation request. Claims submitted without documentation, or after this window, will be evaluated under the Host’s standard published cancellation policy instead.
3A.4 Effect on Refund
Where a claim is approved under this section:
- the Guest shall receive a full refund of accommodation charges paid to the Host;
- Sofaree’s platform service fee is refunded at Sofaree’s discretion;
- the Host shall not be penalized under Section 6 (Tiered Host Cancellation Penalties), as the cancellation is not attributable to the Host.
3A.4(a) Host Compensation Floor for Late Claims
Where an Extenuating Circumstances claim is approved within seventy-two (72) hours of check-in, Sofaree may, at its discretion, pay the Host a compensation amount of 15% of the accommodation charge from Sofaree’s own service fee for that booking, in recognition that late-stage cancellations leave Hosts with materially less opportunity to re-book the dates. This does not reduce the Guest’s refund under Section 3A.4.
3A.5 Fair Use Limit
To preserve this benefit for genuine emergencies, a Guest account may invoke Extenuating Circumstances treatment no more than twice within any rolling twelve (12) month period. Additional requests will be reviewed under the standard Redress Mechanism without guarantee of the same outcome.
3A.6 Decision and Appeal
Sofaree will notify the Guest and Host of its decision within seven (7) calendar days of receiving complete documentation. A denied claim may be escalated once through the Redress Mechanism under Section 9 of the Guest Terms and Conditions; Sofaree’s decision on escalation is final.
3B. Mid-Stay Interruption
3B.1 Scope
This section applies where a Force Majeure event (Section 3), a qualifying Extenuating Circumstance (Section 3A), or a Guest Protection Override condition (Section 5) arises after check-in and requires the Guest to depart before the end of the booked stay.
3B.2 Pro-Rated Refund
Where the Guest departs early for a qualifying reason under this section, the Guest is entitled to a refund of the accommodation charge for unused nights, calculated from the date of departure. Charges for nights already used, and any platform processing and non-recoverable third-party costs already incurred by the Host on the Guest’s behalf (e.g., pre-purchased activities), are not refundable.
3B.3 Documentation and Notice
The Guest must notify Sofaree and the Host of the early departure and its cause as soon as reasonably possible, and must submit supporting documentation (where applicable under Section 3A.3) within 7 calendar days of departure.
3B.4 No Penalty for Ordinary Early Departure
A Guest who departs early for reasons not falling under Force Majeure, Extenuating Circumstances, or the Habitability Override is not entitled to any refund for unused nights, regardless of the Host’s cancellation tier, unless the Host voluntarily agrees otherwise.
4. Host-Initiated Cancellations
4.1 Full Guest Refund
If a Host cancels a paid, confirmed booking for any reason not attributable to the Guest, the Guest shall receive a 100% refund, including: accommodation charges, service fees, and mandatory processing fees.
4.2 Host Liability for Fees
In such cases, Sofaree may:
recover lost service fees from the Host,
impose penalties as set forth below,
or deduct such amounts from future payouts.
Under no circumstance shall the Guest bear the cost of a Host-initiated cancellation.
4.3 Guest No-Show
Where a Guest is deemed a No-Show under Section 5.4 of the Guest Terms and Conditions, the Host is entitled to retain the full accommodation charge, and no penalty under Section 6 applies.
5. Guest Protection Override
Regardless of the cancellation policy selected, Guests may cancel and receive a full refund if, upon arrival, the property:
lacks running water,
lacks electricity (except for scheduled outages disclosed in advance),
is materially unsafe or unsanitary,
is infested,
or is materially misrepresented compared to the listing.
This override exists to ensure compliance with the Consumer Act of the Philippines and cannot be waived.
6. Tiered Host Cancellation Penalties (Platform Protection)
To protect platform reliability and consumer trust, Sofaree applies the following tiered penalties for Host-initiated cancellations not caused by Force Majeure:
6.1 Penalty Structure
30 days or more before check-in
→ 15% of the booking value as administrative feeBetween 30 days and 48 hours before check-in
→ Penalty of 25% of the booking valueLess than 48 hours before check-in
→ Penalty of 50% of the booking value
→ Automated “Host Canceled” notice displayed on Host profile
6.2 Relocation Duty
Hosts are strongly encouraged to assist Guests in finding a comparable alternative.
If Sofaree secures a replacement booking at a higher price, Sofaree may charge the Host the price difference, subject to reasonable documentation.
6.3 Overbooking and Double-Booking
A Host cancellation caused by the Host accepting a conflicting booking for the same dates through another channel (an “Overbooking“) is treated as a Host-Initiated Cancellation under Section 4, but is subject to the highest applicable penalty tier under Section 6.1 regardless of how far in advance of check-in the cancellation occurs, in recognition that Overbooking is avoidable through reasonable calendar management.
Hosts are required to keep the Sofaree calendar for each listing synchronized with any other channel on which the property is listed. Repeated Overbooking (two or more instances within a 12-month period) may result in delisting under the Host Terms and Conditions.
7. Refund Processing Timelines (DTI-Aligned)
Once a refund is approved:
Sofaree shall process refunds within seven (7) to fourteen (14) business days;
actual crediting may depend on payment processor or bank timelines.
This standard aligns with the Internet Transactions Act of 2023 and DTI expectations for expeditious consumer remedies.
8. No Absolute “No-Refund” Policy
No Host cancellation policy shall be interpreted or enforced as a blanket “No Refund, No Exchange” rule where such enforcement would be unconscionable or unlawful under Philippine law.
9. Dispute Resolution and Venue
All disputes arising from or relating to this Appendix shall be governed by Philippine law.
Any judicial action arising from this Cancellation and Refund Appendix shall be filed exclusively in the proper courts of the City of Calamba, Province of Laguna, to the exclusion of all other venues.
10. Relationship to Other Policies
This Appendix must be read together with:
the Host Terms and Conditions,
the Host Payout Policy,
and other Platform Policies.
In case of conflict, consumer-protective provisions shall prevail as required by law.
