Do NOT cancel, this is the host trying to dodge penalties

This is a classic move and you’re right to be suspicious.

They want you to cancel because if they cancel, Booking hits them with penalties, dings their ranking, and sometimes charges them relocation costs. If you cancel, they walk away clean and can re list at a much higher price because of the event.

Do not cancel no matter how aggressive they get. Keep all communication inside Booking’s messaging system and keep telling Booking that the host is refusing to honor the reservation.

Push Booking to mark it as a “host unable to accommodate” situation. In those cases, Booking is supposed to either relocate you to a comparable property or provide compensation. It takes persistence, but cancelling yourself kills all leverage instantly.

If the host truly sold the apartment, that’s their problem, not yours. Either they cancel or Booking forces it.

You might not get a huge voucher, but you have zero chance of anything if you cancel voluntarily.

Stand your ground.