Declining an Inquiry based on gender?

[Freda1]

Hi,

As a single female who is renting one room of my home, am I allowed to decline male guests solely for being male?  I've hosted men previously and have had absolutley no problems, but now I have a boyfriend and he is very uncomfortable with any men sharing my home even for a short time.  I feel like it's discrimination and I hate to be like that, but I also don't want to cause stress for my boyfriend and he's not completely crazy for not wanting me to have males in a roommate situation.

Help.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

You can state female guests only - or you can just decline which will affect your overall postion in searches, etc

From a financial perspective it obviously halves your potential income.

I assume your new boyfriend has agreed to provide that lost income back to you.

Good luck!

[Tracy0]

It is a bit unfair for your boyfriend to deny you that income - it's not like you are soliciting any other services except a safe place to sleep!  I think once you get a few reservations under your belt you'll be comfortable hosting guys - it's not like they are looking to stay 'and have fun' - in my experience (having been worried as a new host about single guys too) they just want to sleep and get on with their business. My boyfriend got used to it, and I'm sure yours will too 🙂

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

The obvious advice here is "run!". Red flags aside, as long as you are renting out a room in a home you live in, you can restrict rentals based on gender. You'll find lots of others women here with the same guest preferences, so you can read about their experiences as well.

[Mala0]

@Gerry-And-Rashid0 she didnt say he was a new boyfriend  @Tracy0 she didnt say he was worrying about her potentially soliticting herself @Ed-and-Hugh0 why run lol   For all you know her boyfriend may  rightly just be concerned with her safety and the very real danger of abuse etc.

I am single and i host everyone and yes i believe there is a real risk to me and money should not be our governing force here. Safety should.  I have had female guests say they booked with me as they felt more comfortable i was a lone woman!.  I also first used Airbnb and booked with a single woman as i thought best bet.

Not sure what the best safe guards are as once in your home no locks are going to stop a potential "looney Tune".

Even if she says her b.f is jealous that is also normal and she can maybe just show him to trust all will be well after a few experiences.

Mala x

[Tracy0]

@Mala0 if she's wanting to make that decision for herself (feeling safe) that's a very different thing than feeling she has to do something to make her jealous boyfriend content with a way she makes money in her own home - I was exxagerating to make the point. I see it as his problem, not hers, and it's too bad she's taking that on herself in a way that shrinks her potential income.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

You are right, there is the very real danger of abuse : it's there on the streets and everwhere else if you want to be concerned about it. Some of my friends upload a photo of themselves and their bf to make it look like it;s a couple living there. That may help - but she says it;s jealousy not fear of attack.

As for her bf being jealous because she runs an AirBnB service and thinking that is a normal reaction. I would worry long term for any woman who has to prove her fidelity to a bf over something as trivial as renting a room via AirBnB.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Freda1 - As you are in the United States, it is most definitely discrimination.  Airbnb has an anti-discrimination policy which means, you are both in violation of their policy by denying men outright on the basis of sex and you are in volation of the Fair Housing Act.  

What is Airbnb's Anti-Discrimination Policy?

Airbnb is an open marketplace. Through their experiences on Airbnb, we hope that our guests and hosts build meaningful connections with people from all over the globe.

To that end, we prohibit content that promotes discrimination, bigotry, racism, hatred, harassment or harm against any individual or group, and we require all users to comply with local laws and regulations.

Many countries, including the U.S., have laws preventing discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or age. In the U.S., anti-discrimination laws apply to discrimination by any inn, hotel, motel, or other establishment that provides lodging to guests. The two main federal laws in this area are the Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) (FHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of disability, which may include things such as access and service dogs.

In addition, fair housing laws often prohibit discrimination in the selling or renting of such housing based on race, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability.

As a host, you should be familiar with the laws that apply to you and your listing.

If you believe a listing or person on the site is in violation of this position, learn how to report it.

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

@Alice-and-Jeff0 To clarify, while there are laws that prevent discrimination based on race, it's perfectly OK in the US to limit guests to a specific gender, IF they share the house with the owner. While you can't rent an entire house and discriminate based on gender, it's legal for women in the US to only rent rooms in their house to other women. Airbnb also allows this for the comfort of both the host and the guest. While not everyone agrees with this, it's OK for hosts to limit based on gender if they will be sharing the house with their guests.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

 @Ed-and-Hugh0 & @Freda1 - I stand corrected.  This is an exception to the Equality Act because your property falls under the definition of small premises.   My apologies.  

[Mala0]

@Ed-and-Hugh0, thankfully you put the record straight about rights on female on rentals in USA in shared home with owner. If the above post was left these things spread and causes no end of problems!.  Im a ntritionist/holistic therapist but when doing body treatments of various kinds and as a lone female worker i have a right to refuse to  take male clients. (in uk)  i do not exercise my right as i am ok with the risk management and like working with both genders but i believe the options should be there.  @Tracy0 morning!.. Well there is guess work going on and not exasageration. I think best to go on the facts of what she has written.  I also think it would be lovely and right that our partners (if i had one lol) was there to be caring and mindful of our safety if that was the case. I know i neglect mine as i could do much much more to deter any issues that may arise in fact with anyone that comes into my home.. I dont even have a deposit for guests and have had damages. So i wish i had someone to be concerned about all aspects of my wellbeing and put me straight.. Maybe if you are not single and have not been for a long time you forget it can be a vunerable sitution and many of us negate the risks.  Of course Freda may come back and say her b.f is massively  jealous and all about his issues but then that is a convo for couple therapy/relate not Airbnb  lol.. Mx

[Christopher189]

THE REPLY BY "ALICE & JEFF" IS FACTUALLY INACCURATE!

Under federal law, a homeowner who rents out space in the residence where they reside absolutely can "discirminate" based on gender.

[Maggie63]

If it is someones home dear it is not discrimination. 

[Waundell0]

I absolutely urge you to do what you are comfortable with IN YOUR OWN HOME! You are not obligated to let anyone in your house unless you are comfortable with it. If they feel discriminated against sorry. Your safety is far more important. Saying that, usually if someone is vetted well enough with all the verifications plus conversation back and forth with the host, you will most likely only have tourists that want to go sight seeing all day long and crash at night. Your boyfriend should opt to stay with you when guys are in the house.