Tamburino Talks Law: Coronavirus and Vacation Rental Refunds

The Coronavirus crisis has affected every aspect of our lives including our plans for vacations. Many people have had to cancel their vacations and specifically they’ve had to cancel their paid reservations for short-term rentals with businesses like Airbnb, VRBO, and Direct Rental. So, people are wondering – what, if any, recourse do they have to get a refund?

Click here to watch this: Tamburino Talks Law Topic

In order to answer that we need to look at four issues.

First, look at the individual contracts with the short-term rentals. When you reserve a short-term rental you form a contract with them, and the contract may have provisions for refunds or provisions for refunds due to “acts of God” or “force majeure” which means a superior force (hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods, or pandemics) that cause the rental to be voided. If your contract includes such provisions, you may be eligible for a refund.

Second, look at the provider’s current updates on their websites. For example, Airbnb and VRBO have updated their websites with new information concerning cancellations due to the Covid-19 crisis. Airbnb is giving refunds for reservations on dates between March 14th through May 31st that were cancelled because of the virus. On the other hand, VRBO is strongly encouraging their providers to give vouchers and/or partial refunds for reservations on dates between March 13th and April 30th that were cancelled because of the virus.

Third, look at the executive orders issued in the state where you planned on vacationing. For example, Gov. DeSantis of Florida has issued an executive order which has prohibited short-term rentals until April 30th. He defined short-term rentals to include all rentals that are less than 30 days, which basically covers almost all of Airbnb’s and VRBO’s rentals. Therefore, anyone who rented a place for a couple of weeks in Orlando in April, will have to cancel their plans.

Lastly, review the particular state’s attorney general’s website. Here in Minnesota, our attorney general, Keith Ellison, is accepting emails and comments from citizens who wish to report that a business has treated them unfairly. So, anyone could email our attorney general and submit a complaint regarding their negative experience with a short-term rental provider.

All of this means that you may be eligible for a refund for your cancellation. You should review all of the above to determine what your options are.

Comments

Tamburino Talks Law: George Floyd case and how change of venue request will be determined

All four defendants in the George Floyd murder case have asked the court for a change of venue due to negative media attention, and many people are wondering “what is venue” and what does it mean to change venue. Listen here to my full analysis on Tamburino Talks Law or see my article below. Here’s a quick explanation: Venue means where the crime allegedly happened is where the trial will be held. For example, if a liquor store is robbed in Blaine, MN, the robbery trial will happen in Anoka County because Blaine is located in Anoka County. A change of venue is where a court moves the trial from the original county to some other county because the defendant(s) are not likely to receive a fair trial in the original county due to negative pre-trial publicity. Usually the defense will present evidence to the court such as media studies, polling, and affidavits supporting their contention that the potential jury pool in the original county is prejud...

Tamburino Talks Law: Gov. Walz Issues Statewide Mask Order

Click Here to Listen to Tamburino Talks Law: Governor Walz Issues Statewide Mask Order When the new rule goes into effect July 25th, Minnesota will be the latest of about 30 states who've introduced similar mask-wearing requirements. Gov. Walz makes it mandatory that anyone older than 2 years old wear a mask when they enter any building or structure that is open to the public. Such places would include gas stations, stores, coffee shops, public restrooms and schools. Public and private schools and places of higher-learning are expected to open in some form this fall, and anyone entering those places (students, faculty, staff, or visitors) would need to wear a mask as part of the order. The order would also apply to anyone in daycare and after-school centers, which means that a 4 year old child in preschool up to a twenty-something student in college would need to wear masks when they’re at school. While individuals can face a misdemeanor fine of up to $100 or a busine...

Tamburino Talks Law: Could the Minneapolis Debate over Police Funding Hit a Veto Wall?

The death of George Floyd led to calls to dramatically change how public safety is funded in the City of Minneapolis. Now that debate is reaching a new milestone. The Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey are in a budget battle. They're at odds over a series of cuts to the Police Department budget. The cuts are part of a proposal introduced last month by members of the council which takes $7.7 million from the Police Department's budget to fund other public safety programs and initiatives. Frey is actively considering a budget veto due to the permanent cut to officer capacity. Council members can offer amendments to the budget before voting on the plan Wednesday, December 9th. But that won't be the end of this showdown. Here is my take on how this could all play out in Tamburino Talks Law

Tamburino Talks Law

Search This Blog