AIRBNB ABUSE

[Steven93]

I am a huge AirBNB fan and user.....I also own property which I live in Twentynine Palms, California.  It came to my attention that AIRBNB is allowing individuals to post property for rent which has no usable residence, water, electricity, or toilet facilities.  The below property is listed in Wonder Valley, California and has no host.  Everything is done telephonically and individuals are allowed to enter unmarked land and have huge parties and cause the response of law enforcement.  Not only are they damaging pristine desert this rental is most likely a scam.  As their is no listed as a property owner by the name of "Randy."  See check the below description under Twentynine Palms, California.   

Enjoy 14 acres! Star gaze and camp!
Twentynine Palms, California

There is also a second property using the same guise which is advertised as Joshua Tree, California.  This advertisements has photos which are not from the area as Joshua Tree's do not grow in the area advertised.

BYO Tent/RV @ OffGrid Joshua Tree Desert Campsite

What can I do?  I know AIRBNB is a huge company but this can ruin an entire community as there are residents in the area.  Including myself which are impacted by this.  

Thanks,

Steve

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

Flag the property so Airbnb can remove it. Go to the listing page and mark it as "it shouldn't be on Airbnb" or "not an accommodation".  You can also flag the hosts.  The fact that Airbnb made Randy a Superhost is beyond ridiculous. 

[Jim-and-Marcia0]

First, FLAG the listing! Airbnb will respond to the observations and legitimate concerns of the community. You have local knowledge of what is going on, so share that information with Airbnb with a factual narrative of what you know.

Second, by bringing this to the attention of other hosts, on this host forum, we can also go to the listings and flag them.

Third, bring it to the attention of you local officials and neighbors.

[John-and-Heather0]

You can report it to fraud/security, but it is helpful to know who the actual owner is, and to confirm that these properties are not being posted by the property owner. Many counties have online search functions, or you can find the owner of record and contact them to let them know (they may want to sue for the revenue this person has collected trashing their land).  In Oregon, campgrounds are regulated so if the same is true in CA, you might want to report to that authority.

We had a slightly different issue--when we bought a new property and fired the existing management, they were still using our property to "troll" for guests to book their other properties (this was on other listing sites). We reported it to fraud/security with a copy of our purchase documentation and the listings were removed.

[David126]

I have seen many unusual listing on the site, so I do not think there is anything inherently wrong in listing a piece of land for camping.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@David126 - Even your cynical self has to admit that someone renting a plot of sand without running water, shelter or power is not an accommodation. That's a potential campground.  Those have very different meanings.   

And certainly someone who rents out such a place should never be in the same category as other Superhosts who actually have to DO something.   How the heck do you give a guy a 5-star rating on "cleanliness" when there are probably 2 dozen holes dug in the ground all around that camp full of excrement and the desert wind takes away all the trash?  How can someone get a 5-star for "arrival" when you probably don't even know if you've pitched your tent, opened your bottle of water and taken a p*ss on the piece of land you "rented" for $15/night?  It's ridiculous.  /rant 

[David126]

The Super Host aspect is quite amusing and I am going to assume that somebody with such a listing is not going to have any Discrimination issues......

I have seem Motor Homes, Yurts, Tents, Treehouses, School Buses, Train and probably there are a lot lot more.

How do you rate a Motor Home you drive for location?

The issue here is not renting a camping site, it is by the sound of it how it is being used as a party venue.