Disability

[Theresa291]

I was refused a booking  today by an Airbnb host because my adult son has autism. The dates were available to book. I sent the host a message asking about wifi connection in his flat due to my son depending on it to use his iPad for his communication needs and also making a general  enquiry about transportation links in the area. He refused to take the booking saying his flat and the area itself were unsuitable for my son. He doesn't even know my son but just made assumptions about his autism. How do I report this disability discrimination as I am very upset by this hosts actions . This would not be acceptable if he pointed out a black person, gay person or Muslim could not stay in the area. Thank you 

[Stephanie]

Hi there @Theresa291 ,

Thank you for taking the time to share you experience. Can I confirm you have reached out to our customer support team? You can do so by finding a suitable method via this link: Contact Us. 

If you can share the correspondence of you and the host with the team when you talk to the team, it will help immensely. 

Airbnb does not tolerate discrimination - you can review the Nondiscrimination Policy here: Nondiscrimination Policy.

Many thanks,

Stephanie

[Theresa291]

Hi, yes I have been in contact with the support team and they have assured me a review would take place but unfortunately could not share the outcome of the review due to privacy policy. I had kept my eye on the hosts page and found he was still operating his listing regardless of my report. I have now taken the  appropriate measures to report this host to the relevant people. Discrimination shouldn't be allowed in society especially toward an innocent person with a disability they have no control over. I will continue to keep an eye on this hosts page and if he is allowed continue his listing with Airbnb I will  consult with a legal representative regarding his disability discrimination on the Airbnb site. 

Kind regards

Theresa O Donovan 

[Edward357]

 Maybe the area was unsafe for A person with disability or maybe the house was not equipped for A person with disabilities furthermore your use of language could have been better I felt offended when you said black people gay people or Muslim people you could have simply said minorities gender discrimination or religious Discrimination also I noticed you said you are watching the host Seems like you are stalking him or you want him off of Airbnb I think that you should be investigated just my humble opinion

[Mark116]

@Theresa291  Isn't it possible that the house/area had dodgy wifi service and so the host felt that if your son needed access to such a single for communication purposes that it was not going to be a good match?  I wonder why you took the absolute worst inference from the host and then, have gone further to attempt to shut down his business?  

[Theresa291]

The host told me straight out he did not want my son in his home or his area. His words not mine. 

[Paul1255]

As hosts it is not up to us to make a decision for a guest who is disabled or has a special requirement as to whether we think our accommodation will be a good fit for them or not- it is up to us to answer the relevant questions a potential guest might have, so they can make the decision themselves....airbnb's nondiscrimination policy is quite clear.

[Mark116]

@Paul1255  I don't think airbnb's policy is very well put together myself.....if you know something that the disabled person requires....like wide doors, strong Internet connection, wheelchair accessible bathroom...is not present in your listing, it seems silly and counter productive to penalize the hosts for being honest that their listing is not a good fit, and then calling that discrimination. 

Is it really better to have the disabled person stay as a guest and then have their needs unmet?  Isn't it the host who is most familiar with the ins and outs of the listing and whether or how it would meet any special needs of a potential guest, instead of relying on the guest's judgment based on seeing a few photos and maybe or maybe not reading the entire listing?     

As an example, we had someone inquire about bringing their 'service dog'.  We said, of course you can bring the dog, and it's our understanding that since it is a service dog, trained to assist in a task(s), that the dog will not be left alone in the apartment but will always be with their person.  I knew to word things this way because of this forum.  And, sure enough, I never heard from this person again, because I'm sure that the 'service dog' was nothing of the kind.  But, if I didn't have knowledge of how to phrase things I could have opened myself up either to a scammer or to an accusation.

[Paul1255]

Hi @Mark116 

Thinking about the OP, I was writing about if a guest asks a question about a listing to understand if it will be a fit for their needs.

I look after an apartment which has a few flights of stairs within in- guests will often ask about the number of flights and number of steps to help understand it it will work for them- I answer the question but I don't make a choice for them about if they can handle the stairs or not, I don't know them or their capabilities.

Along the same lines, the potential host of the OP perhaps might have answered the question about the internet connection honestly and then let the guest work out if their needs would be met.

[Mark116]

@Paul1255  Sure, but then we are punishing someone for a semantics issues, a failure to word things in exactly the right manner, and to me, this is unfair.  So, if the host says, 'my wifi is weak and goes out so I think it's a bad fit for you' this becomes discrimination, where if the host just says 'my wifi is weak and goes out' [in which case it is still a bad fit for you but it hasn't been stated] seems awfully subtle for a bunch of civilians mostly renting out a room or one flat.  I mean, of course if someone is derogatory that is a different thing.  

And as @Ana1136 says, there are plenty of stories on this forum where the host has tried to politely persuade a guest that due to whatever issues/disabilities/infirmities the listing is not suitable, only to have the guest book anyway and then complain about those same issues.  So, this feels less to me about real discrimination and more about the typical airbnb policy that seeks to box in and trap the host into these negative feedback loop situations.

[Paul1255]

Hi @Mark116 I suppose the difference between the two are rather subtle, but that's what might make the guest feel welcome/accepted or not as the case might be.

But I do get what you and @Ana1136  are saying about guests having the required information from the host and booking regardless and then not having a good stay..that is hard and not something I have experienced so far.

[Ana1136]

@Paul1255 I personally shared your opinion and I did let them decide for themselves until one guest said that he didn't mind that our place wasn't suitable for his disability and he would still stay. In the end he gave us the worst review and for all the reasons I didn't want him to stay in the first place. I haven't had a guest with disability since but if it was someone who I know wouldn't be satisfied with the place I would ask them to cancel. And before someone says I discriminate, I just want to point out that I work with people with disabilities every day and they are the same for me as any other. But that doesn't mean my space is suitable for them. Now if the host said specifically that "he didn't want them in his home or his area" he should be reported to Airbnb. But there are hosts who will be bad if they refuse someone and they will be bad if they accept them and the guests aren't comfortable because they need extras. It's a no win situation. 

[Gordon0]

>>He refused to take the booking saying his flat and the area itself were unsuitable for my son<<

This is undoubtedly discriminatory, @Theresa291, and you are right to be hacked off. This isn't about wide doors, wheelchair access or any other 'extra' the host needs to provide. Do you think he even took the time to find out what autism is?

Personally, I wouldn't want my autistic brother to stay in a property hosted by somebody like this, and I'd report him too. 

It isn't OK to discriminate due to lack of knowledge or otherwise.