Cancellation & Refund Policy - Kundasang Homestay

📋 Refund at a Glance

The refund you receive depends on who cancelled the booking and why. A guest cancellation is always handled between you and your host first: you ask, with a reason, and your host decides. If your host refuses without good reason, or does not reply at all, we step in and decide for them.

The amounts below are published in advance, so you know your figure before you ask. All of them use the same worked example as section 1: a RM 250.00 room for 1 night, so you paid RM 278.50 in total — room price RM 250.00 + 11% service fee RM 27.50 + gateway fee RM 1.00.

What happened	You get back
🟢 Host cancelled The host cancels for any reason not caused by you.	RM 278.50 everything you paid
🔵 Platform cancelled Force majeure — natural disaster, travel ban, and similar.	RM 278.50 everything you paid
🟡 You asked to cancel — long notice You asked your host 14 or more days before check-in, and your host agreed — or we overruled a refusal.	RM 277.50 RM 1.00 deducted
🟠 You asked to cancel — short notice You asked 2 to 13 days before check-in, and your host agreed — or we overruled a refusal.	RM 125.00 50% of room price
🔴 You asked to cancel — very late You asked less than 2 days before check-in, or on/after the arrival date.	RM 0.00 no refund
🟣 You didn't arrive — emergency approved You no-show but send evidence of a genuine emergency, and we approve it.	RM 125.00 50% of room price
⚪ You didn't arrive — no contact You never check in and never contact the host or us within 24 hours.	RM 0.00 no refund

Your actual amounts depend on your booking. The full rules for each path are in sections 1–9 below.

Three things to note. You cannot cancel through the platform — you ask your host, and your host decides. If your host declines and we uphold that decision, no cancellation takes place and you receive nothing back on that booking — unless your reason is an emergency, which we review ourselves (see section 5). And on the short-notice, very-late and no-show paths, the host is still paid, because the room was held for you and could not be resold.

1. Requesting a Cancellation

Cancelling is between you and your host. Guests cannot cancel confirmed bookings through the platform, and there is no cancellation button. You ask your host, you explain why, and your host decides. This protects hosts from last-minute cancellations that leave a room empty and unsellable — and it keeps every cancellation a conversation about a real reason, rather than a button press.

How to cancel, step by step

Step 1 — Contact your host directly. Use the WhatsApp number or email address in your booking confirmation email. Ask as early as you can.
Step 2 — Give your reason. Explain clearly why you need to cancel. Your reason is part of the request: your host weighs it, and it is the first thing we look at if you later ask us to review their decision. If you do not give a reason, your host is entitled to decline, and we will normally uphold that decision.
Step 3 — Wait for your host's decision. We require hosts to reply within 48 hours — or within 6 hours if check-in is within 2 days. A host may accept or decline.
Step 4 — If your host accepts, they cancel the booking from their dashboard, and we process the refund. What you receive is set out below. You will get an email confirming the cancellation and the amount.

What you get back if the cancellation goes ahead

These figures are published, so you know your amount before you ask. They apply whether your host agrees or we overrule a refusal, and no host may pay you less than this. Your tier is fixed by when you first asked your host — not by how long the discussion or our review takes.

🟡 Tier A

You asked 14 or more calendar days before check-in

RM 277.50 back

Everything you paid, less the RM 1.00 refund-processing fee charged by our payment provider. The host is paid nothing — they had time to resell the room.

🟠 Tier B

You asked 2 to 13 calendar days before check-in

RM 125.00 back

Half the room price. The other half is paid to the host, whose room was held for you and is now hard to resell at short notice.

🔴 Tier C

You asked less than 2 calendar days before check-in, or on/after the arrival date

RM 0.00 back

No refund. The room was held for you to the last moment, and the host is paid the full room price.

Across the three tiers the platform retains RM 0.00 net (Tier A), or the 11% service fee plus the RM 1.00 gateway fee — RM 28.50 in this example — in Tiers B and C. At Tier C there is no refund to overrule: the outcome is the same whether or not your host agrees, unless section 5 applies.

If your host declines, or does not reply

Your host decides first, but they do not decide finally. If your request is refused, or simply ignored, you have a path to us:

Give your host at least 48 hours to reply (or 6 hours if check-in is within 2 days).
If there is no reply, or the refusal does not seem fair to you, forward the whole conversation to support@kundasanghomestay.my with the subject line "Cancellation Review — Booking [your booking ID]". Include your reason and any evidence.
A member of our team reviews the case within 3 business days, and within 6 hours if check-in is within 2 days. We contact both you and your host to establish the facts: what reason you gave, whether your host replied, and whether the room could still be resold.
We then either uphold your host's decision — in which case no cancellation takes place and you receive nothing further, unless section 5 applies — or overrule it. If we overrule it, we issue the refund ourselves at the published figure above and settle the amount with your host separately. This is called a platform override.

⚠️ When we overrule a host. Platform overrides are at our discretion, and we use them only where your request is clearly justified — for example, a genuine emergency with evidence, or a host who has been silent for more than 48 hours. Filing a review does not guarantee a refund. Where your host has replied and explained themselves reasonably, we will normally uphold their decision.

How the clock works

Reference day. Every tier is counted in whole calendar days — the number of days between the date you asked and your arrival date (MYT). No clock times are involved: asking at 9 AM or 9 PM on the same day makes no difference.
The timestamp. Your tier is fixed by the day your request was submitted, not the day we read it or the day we reply. Our own processing time never changes your tier, and neither does a host's delay.
The clock is kept only while a request is waiting. If your host declines it, or you withdraw it, and you later ask again, the refund is worked out from that new request. This stops a request made "just in case" from reserving a better tier for a cancellation you decide on weeks later.
Calendar days. "Days" means calendar days, not business days.
Keep your messages. WhatsApp messages and emails to your host are the record. If timing or the reason is ever disputed, we rely on what we can see.
Ask only when you mean it. A request is a genuine request: your host is entitled to treat it as one, and to act on it.

💰 Worked example — RM 250.00 room, 1 night. You paid RM 278.50.

You asked 20 days ahead, host agreed (Tier A): you receive RM 277.50. Deducted: RM 1.00, the refund-processing fee charged by our payment provider. The host receives RM 0.00.
You asked 10 days ahead, host agreed (Tier B): you receive RM 125.00. Deducted: RM 153.50 — of which RM 125.00 is paid to the host and RM 28.50 is retained by the platform.
You asked 1 day ahead, host agreed — or we overruled a refusal (Tier C): you receive RM 0.00. The host is paid RM 250.00 in full.
Your host declined and we upheld it: no cancellation takes place. You receive nothing back, your booking stands as booked, and the host is paid in the normal way once you check in.

✅ Hosts may be more generous — never less.

Your host may agree to refund more than these tiers require — for example, waiving the 11% service fee on a Tier B cancellation, or refunding you in full on a Tier C request. We process it once the host confirms it in their dashboard. A host can never reduce your entitlement below this policy.

🔄 Moving your dates.

If your host agrees to move your booking to different dates at no charge, we process it as a date change: your payment stays on the platform and applies to the new dates, with no refund and no fee. The tier for any later cancellation is recalculated from the new check-in date. If your host does not agree, moving your dates is a cancellation plus a new booking.

Leaving early, or dropping nights. Once you have checked in, the nights you do not use are not refundable — the room was held for you and the host is paid for it. This is Tier C. If you want to cancel only part of a booking — some nights, or one of several rooms — email support@kundasanghomestay.my and we will work it out with you. Our published tiers cover whole bookings, so a partial cancellation is settled case by case.

Our commitments, and our limits. We require your host to reply within 48 hours (6 hours close to check-in), and where a guest tells us a host has not replied, we chase them and review the case ourselves within 3 business days (6 hours close to check-in). Once a cancellation is agreed or overruled, we initiate the refund within 1 business day. We never reduce what this policy says you are owed because of a host's delay. Separately, we may review any account that repeatedly books and cancels; that review does not reduce a refund you are already owed under this policy, but we may decline future bookings from that account.

2. Cancellation by the Host

If the host cancels a confirmed booking for any reason, you receive a full refund — the room price, the service fee, and the gateway fee. The refund is processed via CHIP.
Because you did nothing wrong, Kundasang Homestay absorbs the service fee, the gateway fee, and the RM 1.00 refund-processing fee in this case. The host does not receive any payout for a booking they cancelled.
The refund is initiated automatically once the host's cancellation is recorded. You do not need to ask for it.
The host's listing may be reviewed by our team. Repeated host cancellations may result in suspension of the listing or placement at the bottom of search results.
We will assist you in finding alternative accommodation, but we do not guarantee availability.

3. Platform-Initiated Cancellation (Force Majeure)

In the event of a natural disaster, a landslide, flood or road closure that makes the property unreachable, a government travel ban or movement restriction, or other extraordinary circumstances beyond anyone's control, we may cancel bookings and issue a full refund to guests — the room price, the service fee, and the gateway fee. Kundasang Homestay also bears the RM 1.00 refund-processing fee. Hosts will not receive any payout for such cancellations, because no stay took place.

4. No-Show & Non-Arrival

A "no-show" happens when a guest pays for a booking but never checks in, and never contacts the host or the platform about it.

If a guest does not check in on the arrival date and does not contact the host or the platform within 24 hours of the scheduled check-in time, the booking is treated as a no-show.
On a no-show, the room was held for the guest and could not be resold, so no refund is issued automatically and the host receives the room price in full. Kundasang Homestay retains the service fee and gateway fee.
A cancellation request on file protects you from the no-show rules. If you asked your host to cancel, and where necessary asked us to review their decision, we will not reclassify your booking as a no-show — whatever the outcome of that review. The no-show rules apply only where you never contacted your host or us at all.
If you never arrived for a genuine emergency (medical, family, travel ban) and provide evidence, you may write to support@kundasanghomestay.my. See section 5.

ℹ️ Note: If a guest arrives at the property and the listing does not match what was advertised (missing amenities, wrong location, unsafe conditions), that is not a no-show. See section 6.

5. Emergency Cancellations

If something genuinely prevents your stay — a medical emergency, a death in the family, a government travel ban, or a natural disaster — tell your host when you ask to cancel, and send your evidence to us at the same time. We may apply the emergency outcome: a refund of 50% of the room price, with the other 50% paid to your host.

The emergency path only changes your outcome in Tier C. In Tier A you already receive more, and in Tier B you already receive the same 50%. You cannot stack an emergency refund on top of a tier.
We decide, not the host. Where a host declines a cancellation for a genuine emergency, we review it ourselves — we ask the host for the facts (was the guest in contact; was the night resold) and then apply this policy. The host does not decide the outcome, because the refund is deducted from the host's own payout.
You will usually be asked for evidence — a medical certificate, a death certificate, a flight cancellation notice, or similar. Send it with your request.
On an approved emergency, Kundasang Homestay absorbs the RM 1.00 refund-processing fee and retains its service fee and gateway fee.
We aim to decide emergency requests within 3 business days, and within 6 hours where check-in is within 2 days. This is a courtesy, not a right.

⚠️ Please don't abuse this path. A request doesn't guarantee a refund. Each case is looked at on its own facts.

6. If the Listing Is Not As Described

If the property does not match its listing — missing amenities, the wrong location or unit, unsafe or unclean conditions, or the accommodation is simply not available when you arrive — you are entitled to a full refund of everything you paid, including the service fee and the gateway fee. This applies at any time: before you travel, on arrival, or after you have checked in.

Contact us immediately at support@kundasanghomestay.my with photos or video, and with the booking ID.
Kundasang Homestay investigates and decides the outcome. If you choose to stay despite the discrepancy, we may refund part of your booking rather than all of it — we will tell you our decision and our reasons.
The host's listing is reviewed and may be suspended. Repeat cases may result in removal from the platform.
This path is separate from, and does not reduce, your rights under the Consumer Protection Act 1999.

7. Payment Failure & Retry

If your payment fails, your booking remains in "Pending Payment" status for 15 minutes.
You may retry payment after 5 minutes (a cooldown imposed by CHIP).
If you do not complete payment within 15 minutes, the booking is void and no money is charged.
No refund is needed because no payment was taken.

8. How Refunds Are Processed

Refunds are processed via CHIP back to the original payment source (your bank account).
Refunds typically take 1–7 business days to appear in your account, depending on your bank's processing time.
CHIP charges RM 1.00 for each refund. On Tier A this RM 1.00 is deducted from your refund. On every other path — Tier B, Tier C, host cancellation, platform cancellation, or an approved emergency — Kundasang Homestay pays it for you.
Refunds are initiated by Kundasang Homestay once the cancellation is recorded. You do not need to contact CHIP yourself.
If you encounter any issues, contact us at support@kundasanghomestay.my.

Cancellation path	You Paid	You Get Back	Host Receives	Platform Keeps
🟢 Host cancelled	RM 278.50	RM 278.50	RM 0.00	RM 0.00
🔵 Platform cancelled (force majeure)	RM 278.50	RM 278.50	RM 0.00	RM 0.00
🟡 You asked to cancel — Tier A (14+ days)	RM 278.50	RM 277.50	RM 0.00	RM 1.00 the CHIP refund fee
🟠 You asked to cancel — Tier B (2 to 13 days)	RM 278.50	RM 125.00	RM 125.00	RM 28.50
🔴 You asked to cancel — Tier C (under 2 days / on or after arrival date)	RM 278.50	RM 0.00	RM 250.00	RM 28.50
🟣 No-show — approved emergency	RM 278.50	RM 125.00	RM 125.00	RM 28.50
⚪ No-show — no contact	RM 278.50	RM 0.00	RM 250.00	RM 28.50

Numbers shown for a RM 250.00 room price × 1 night. "Platform keeps" is not all platform revenue: on the host-cancelled, force-majeure and approved-emergency rows the platform also pays the RM 1.00 refund-processing fee on your behalf, and on the Tier A row the RM 1.00 it keeps is passed straight on to our payment provider. On the Tier B, Tier C and no-show rows, RM 125.00–250.00 of what you do not get back is paid to the host. Where your host declines a request and we uphold that decision, no cancellation takes place, so no refund arises at all — the booking stands as booked. Your actual amounts depend on your booking.

9. Your Rights & Governing Law

Nothing in this policy excludes, restricts or limits any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act 1999, the Contracts Act 1950, or any other applicable Malaysian law. Where any term of this policy conflicts with your statutory rights, your statutory rights prevail.

This policy is governed by the laws of Malaysia and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Sabah. This does not affect your right as a consumer to bring a claim before the Tribunal for Consumer Claims (TTPM).

If you are unhappy with a decision we have made under this policy, write to support@kundasanghomestay.my with "Refund Appeal — Booking [your booking ID]" in the subject line. A different reviewer will look at it and reply within 3 business days. Our target is to resolve every dispute within 14 days.

This policy should be read together with our Terms & Conditions, Booking Policy, Payment Disclaimer, Host Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Our Refund Rules