Does Airbnb allow shooting ranges?

[Dario87]

We recently had a terrible experience with hosts [personal information hidden].

I've since learnt that these hosts have been terrorizing the neighbors by hosting a shooting range on the ranch they rent on Airbnb: [link hidden]

I am baffled that Airbnb allows hosts like these. In my interactions with [host] he has come across as both arrogant and a bully. After reading the article posted above and the bad reviews these hosts had accrued on yelp [link hidden] I feel they should be banned from Airbnb.

[Vanessa-and-Kurt0]

@Dario87,

So, I checked out the host and the listing. In general the host has many good reviews, nothing I saw was against Airbnb policies or even enough to really deter guests. The listing you stayed at had 1 good and 1 not so good review before yours. Airbnb is certainly not going to research local papers and/or yelp on their thousands of hosts-and some of that is subjective anyways.  I did notice that the bad things you listed in your review were things you may have understood in advance (no a/c, roaming animals, tropical bugs) so even though they were frustrating to you, that's not exactly bad review material-probably, you should have chosen a place with a/c and not on a farm. I think you said something about no wifi and w/d not working, yes, I would agree that is frustrating but I am sure you agree that sometimes those items are not easy to fix immediately, especially in more remote areas. However, none of this and/or the other few bad reviews would be enough to ban any host. It is good that you left an honest and balanced review. I am sure other guests will heed your warnings and made decisions accordingly.

I am sorry you had a bad stay but I hope you were able to make the best of your vacation.

[Dario87]

Hello Vanessa & Kurt,

Thank you for your message.

To be clear, I did not stay at their ranch, I had reserved a studio apartment they own in Honolulu [Link hidden] but did not spend the night because the place was so dirty that it felt unsafe for my pregnant wife.

None of the reviews you read are mine: Airbnb cancelled our reservation while we were going through the resolution center without our consent- actually against our will (we had told the case manager we did not wish to cancel until the situation had been resolved) and we were prevented from leaving a review. Therefore I am trying to leave reviews of both the hosts and the apartment we booked (for uncleanliness and false advertisment) using Aibnb's Community Center.

As for the reviews that other people have left on Airbnb, Yelp, and google it seems like with these hosts it's hit or miss: either it goes smoothly (minus the wifi/AC) or it's a nightmare. On top of that one learns that these hosts hold a shooting range on their premise: one really wonders whether these people are fit (and safe) to host on Airbnb, and the community should be aware of who they are booking with.

It also seems to me that these hosts are trying to "start fresh" on Airbnb after false starts and bad reviews through other websites which is also something to bear in mind.

All the best,

Dario

[Vanessa-and-Kurt0]

My apologies. I was switching back and forth and mistook you for another couple who left a not so great review on their page. The overwhelming majority of hosts and guests are super! But it can be a hit or miss on both sides. It is important to do as much research and communication as you can. We have had dozens of excellent stays and host experiences. 

I hope your next stay is a great one!

[Lizzie]

Hello @Dario87,

Welcome to the Community Center.

I am sorry to hear that your stay didn't go to plan and you weren't able to stay. Were you able to contact the Airbnb Support Team about this during your stay? 

Also, you may have seen that I have had to remove the personal information in your post above, I wanted to let you know why I have had to do this - as your post is publicly visible, for safety reasons here in the Community Center we don't share any personal information and we talk in more general terms.

This is a good question though and if you or other community members are concerns like this outside of your trip, there are a number of different things you can do to flag this to Airbnb so they can look into this further. One is if you go to their listing/profile, you will see see a button called 'Report this listing' or 'Report this user': 

Also, you can flag this to Airbnb through the Support Team, here is a Community Guide on the different ways to reach them. 

I hope this helps and you were able to enjoy the rest of your trip. 

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Dario87]

Hello Lizzie,

Thank you for your reply and explanations.

Yes, I have gone through the Resolution Center but it hasn't been of much help at all.

I had flagged the hosts, but I will try linking the article on the shooting range to make Airbnb aware of the issue.

Best,

Dario

[David126]

I have seen many places listed on AirBnb offering all sorts of different experiances, can not think why there should be an issue with a shooting range being listed.

If they were terrorizing neighbours then this would be a Police matter.

Anytime somebody mentions Yelp I think of thos quote from Sheldon on Big Bang Theory: 

"You keep in mind that my sharply worded comments on yelp.com recently took down a local muffin store."

[Dario87]

Hello David,

Thank you for your comment.

The shooting range is not described in the listing by hosts as part of the "Airbnb experience" offered and very likely no shooting occurs while the property is rented out. However, there is never an issue until something happens, in which case it is always useful to have the appropriate information and know what information was available beforehand.

The true essence of the question is that Airbnb's guidelines for describing the properties are actually very vague and allow for unexpected outcomes.

For instance, in my experience with these same hosts the definition of "studio apartment" has been stretched to mean "the apartment is down to earth and you can brush your teeth in the kithchenette sink in the main room", and apparently Airbnb is fine with that. As a guest I would have wanted to know beforehand, but I trusted the definition of "bathroom" to include a sink. Silly me. Same with including the picture of a balcony overlooking the ocean: does it matter that in reality it is only a small terrace overlooking a parking lot with buildings on all sides? Apparently not.

Likewise, while Airbnb's policies clearly state that uncleanliness, if documented, can warrant a refund, the pictures I sent showing the floor covered in grime, did not. Apparently there's cleanliness and "cleanliness" according to Airbnb. 

As a guest I would definitely want to know whether shooting occurred on a property (at any time) and by who in order to make an informed decision before renting out the space, and I feel other Airbnb users would expect the same.

On a side note, when reviews on multiple platforms align with one's own experience, then I feel one can trust them, Yelp or not. Bazinga! 

All the best,

Dario

[David126]

I only have 6 acres but have various activities going on thatdo not impact my hosting but my Guests find interesting if they are happening when they are here.

With a Ranch you would end up with a very long list and most people do not read the details so not sure what the point would be.

[Dario87]

Many activities occur around us every day that don't necessarily affect/impact us directly, but that doesn't make them ok or acceptable in any way (murder, rape, discrimination...)

I can imagine many people having a problem with guns and shooting, especially in a "non-professional" environment.

[David126]

There is a Christian Camp near me that has a range, they do not use it when they have teenagers on site, can not walk my dog though there due to regulations when they are operating, pretty sure they do not mention it, why would they?

A ranch, not exactly something unusual.