Do I pay the balance due on a holiday?

CheshireDoug

We have a trip to London booked for 1st - 4th May 2020. The accommodation was booked through HomeAway.co.uk and the deposit for the apartment was paid in early February.

 At the moment the HomeAway policy is for landlords to offer a full refund for stays up to & including 30th April. Obviously our trip falls 1 day outside of that window, so, at the moment, we aren't due an automatic refund.

 I was hoping that the government would make some further announcement about the lockdown, which would enable HomeAway to extend their refund dates to cover our trip, but as yet nothing has happened. The events that we had planned in London are cancelled. One of our party is medically vulnerable and the trip (even if the govt says is fine) would be an unacceptable risk. In short, the trip is now pointless and I want to cancel … but also want to hang on for the cancellation policy to change and cover our dates

 The problem I have is that the balance is due on 16th April.

 I’m already out £500 and I really don’t want to spend a further £950 in the current circumstances, on a holiday we no longer want, and with our finances more stretched under the current circumstances.

 I have tried to contact the property owner for a reasonable discussion, but have not had a response to messages or phone calls … although I have had emails to tell me the balance is due!!

 What should I do?

1. Should I pay the balance?
2. If I don’t pay the balance would that impact any cover on our travel insurance? We have an annual policy (taken out 12th July 2019) which covers quarantine, but not government regulation!
3. The deposit was paid on our credit card – are we covered that way?

 Any advice would be welcome.

 Many Thanks

 Doug

Aylesbury_Duck

Broadly speaking, if you don't pay the balance, you have cancelled yourself and will probably lose some or all of your deposit.  Credit card protection won't cover you in that instance because you would have voluntarily cancelled.

Browntoa

Your travel insurance may cover you for cancellation by the supplier.

CheshireDoug

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Broadly speaking, if you don't pay the balance, you have cancelled yourself and will probably lose some or all of your deposit.  Credit card protection won't cover you in that instance because you would have voluntarily cancelled.

That was my worry! Right now I could do without paying out the further £950.

Aylesbury_Duck

CheshireDoug said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Broadly speaking, if you don't pay the balance, you have cancelled yourself and will probably lose some or all of your deposit.  Credit card protection won't cover you in that instance because you would have voluntarily cancelled.

That was my worry! Right now I could do without paying out the further £950.

It's a dilemma hundreds of people on here are facing, some with smaller sums but many much larger sums at stake.  Unfortunately, it comes down to what you feel comfortable doing.  Crystallising a capped loss of £500 or risking a further £950 knowing it may take you some time to get the £1450 back.   

CheshireDoug

Aylesbury_Duck said:

It's a dilemma hundreds of people on here are facing, some with smaller sums but many much larger sums at stake.  Unfortunately, it comes down to what you feel comfortable doing.  Crystallising a capped loss of £500 or risking a further £950 knowing it may take you some time to get the £1450 back.   

Yep. Not easy. It would be nice to speak to the owner, but I've phoned, emailed and texted a number of times over the past week. At least then I could establish their own refund policy (which at the moment is "no refund"), but could change with Homeaway's recommendations (that currently stop at 30th April).