If your place becomes unavailable after a confirmed booking, contact Uniplaces immediately. Do not arrange alternatives directly with the tenant — the UniTrust Guarantee only applies through the platform.
What to do immediately
If your property becomes unavailable after a booking has been confirmed — due to an emergency, unexpected damage or any other reason — contact the Uniplaces support team as your first action.
Do not call or message the tenant directly to explain the situation or suggest alternatives. All communication about cancellation or rebooking must go through Uniplaces to ensure the tenant is protected and that the correct process is followed.
Why not contact the tenant directly?
The UniTrust Guarantee only applies to interactions and arrangements made through the Uniplaces platform. If you contact the tenant directly and arrange an alternative booking or accommodation outside the platform, Uniplaces cannot mediate any problems that arise from that arrangement.
This includes situations where a tenant agrees to move to a different property you own — even that must be arranged through Uniplaces. The platform exists to protect both parties, and bypassing it removes those protections for everyone involved.
What Uniplaces does
Once you contact the support team, Uniplaces takes over the communication with the tenant. The team will:
- Notify the tenant that the original booking cannot proceed
- Help the tenant find an alternative listing as quickly as possible
- Process a full refund for the tenant including the service fee
- If you have another suitable property, Uniplaces can recommend it to the tenant through the platform and set up a new booking correctly
What are the penalties for landlord cancellation?
Cancelling a confirmed booking as a landlord has consequences. Landlord-initiated cancellations result in a financial penalty and a negative impact on your listing’s ranking in search results. The exact penalty depends on how close to the move-in date the cancellation occurs and the circumstances involved.
Repeated cancellations may result in additional restrictions on your account. This is why keeping your availability calendar accurate and only accepting bookings you can commit to is so important.
How to avoid this situation
Most unavailability issues can be prevented with good calendar management:
- Keep your availability calendar updated — block dates as soon as you know they’re unavailable, before any booking requests arrive. See How to Update Your Availability Calendar.
- Use iCal sync — if you manage availability across multiple tools, iCal sync keeps everything in line automatically. See How to Sync Your Listing Calendar with iCal.
- Only accept bookings you can fulfil — if there’s any uncertainty about availability, decline the request and update your calendar before it happens again.
When to contact Uniplaces support
- As soon as you know the property will be unavailable for a confirmed booking period
- If you need help communicating with the tenant about an unavailability situation
- If you believe the penalty applied to your account was incorrect
Frequently asked questions
What if the property becomes unavailable due to damage caused by a previous tenant?
Contact Uniplaces support immediately with details of the damage. Explain the situation clearly — the team will assess whether exceptional circumstances apply and advise on the best course of action. Document the damage with photos as evidence.
Can I transfer the booking to a different property I own?
Not directly — but Uniplaces can recommend your alternative property to the tenant through the platform. Contact the support team and they’ll manage the communication. A new booking must be set up correctly through Uniplaces to maintain all protections.
Will the tenant be fully refunded if I cancel?
Yes — if a landlord cancels a confirmed booking, the tenant receives a full refund including the service fee. This is guaranteed regardless of the listing’s cancellation policy.
How long do I have before the penalty is applied?
Contact Uniplaces support as soon as possible. The earlier you report the unavailability, the more time the team has to help the tenant find an alternative — which is taken into account when the situation is reviewed.
Still need help?
Contact our landlord support team →