Cancellation and changes
This policy applies to direct bookings. Stays booked on Airbnb follow the cancellation policy shown on the Airbnb listing, and Airbnb's own rebooking and refund policy.
Rent is always paid in full in advance. From that moment the home is blocked for you and closed to other guests, and we turn other bookings away, so we follow hotel practice.
| When you cancel | Refund of the stay amount |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more before check-in | 100% |
| 7–13 days before check-in | 50% |
| Less than 7 days before check-in, or no-show | No refund |
Days are calendar days before the check-in date, in India time (IST).
- Security deposit: refunded after any deductions, based on how you behaved and how you left our home (see Deposit, damage, theft and liability).
- Date changes, long stays (28 nights or more): your dates are blocked for you and closed to other guests, so the first night's rent is kept and a change fee applies.
- Date changes, shorter stays: at our discretion, with written approval.
- Same-day cancellations and same-day changes of plan: the home was held for you, so they count as used nights and are not refunded.
- Early departure: unused nights are not refunded, except that 50% of them can be refunded if we receive a new booking for those nights.
- ID verification fails: the booking is voided and not refunded.
- If we have to cancel: you get a full refund, or a comparable Shepherds home if you prefer.
If something is not as promised
These are people's homes, opened to you, and we stand behind them. If something important is not as described, or stops working:
- Tell us straight away, with photos, through the booking platform's messages or +91 8971814740, so we can fix it.
- We get to work on it: what we can fix ourselves, usually within 24 hours (see Complaints and disputes).
- If it can't be put right, we decide a refund case by case, for documented issues only.
No refund is due where the problem was caused by the guest or their visitors, where the home or our team were interfered with, where the house rules were broken, or where a claim is exaggerated or false. For Airbnb bookings, refunds are handled through Airbnb.
- Refunds go back to the original payment method within 7 working days.