New Discrimination Policy

Liam9
Level 3
New York, NY

New Discrimination Policy

On Airbnb's new descrimination policy, Bloomberg reported the following: 

Hosts will be prevented from listing a unit on the same day if they previously told a prospective guest that the property was unavailable, a step aimed at discouraging them from unfairly vetting customers. Airbnb will also urge hosts to let guests to book a unit without being screened, through a new feature called Instant Book.

 

 

I disagree with this policy.  I rent an entire home in a beach town. I will often deny party's because of lack of referrals - I don't want a new customer to come and throw a party at the house.  This is an issue for places like beach towns. I had one prospective guest that had no referrals, whose photo was just a "Play Like a Champion" banner. I don't want to rent my house to someone like that. That's not descrimination, that's common sense. Now I'd be denied from having my place available for those days?  I care about referrals, and that is something Airbnb does not let you vet by. 

 

Liam

63 Replies 63
Russell19
Level 1
London, United Kingdom

I'm with Liam on this. I had 6 20 year old want to rent my apartment and I didn't feel comfortable with that! It's not a public service where people are not allowed to discriminate due to age or gender or race or disability, it's about letting people in our home. I refused one request from a person who lived in the area and just wanted a place for the night so her and 7 friends could spend the night together hanging out in my apartment that caters for 4!

Daniel-Rusteen0
Level 10
California, United States

@Liam9, can you share a link?

 

As the owner of my listing, someone who's intimately familiar with it, and has hosted 100's of guests I do not agree with this new policy.

 

It seems like Airbnb is setting themselves up for failure. Because of a few bad apples, they're going to punish the entire community? I know which guests will and will not be a good fit for my listing. Airbnb does not, neither does the guest.

 

Additionally, guests don't read. I state I have 25 steps into my home, yet a guest with walking issues booked my place. It was incredibly hard for him to get up/down my stairs and he left me a negative review for it. 

 

Airbnb is encouraging bad guest experiences with this new policy.

Daniel-Rusteen0
Level 10
California, United States

I read the article. My guess is the people involved in crafting this policy (Laura Murphy, Eric Holder, John Relman) aren't Airbnb hosts. Potentially, have never used Airbnb. I wonder if Airbnb got feedback from any of their hosts on this one? Seems doubtful.

HAHAHAHA  Air BnB never cares about what HOSTS think... is all about their own pretense... all the while BREAKING and CIRCUMVENTIMNG every LAW and RULE outlined by cities and communities in which it ABUSES and has for YEARS... Now they trry and hole the PROPERTIES HOSTAGE... yet holds its hosts to this perverse ANTI DISCRIMINATION policy... good luck keeping properties available for the loser guests they pretend to protect...

 

Air BnB didnt think this out, now it will come back to bite them... MANY Guests are LOSERS, they dont read listings and often want WAY MORE THAN THEY ARE ENTITLED TO, or they whine and seek "revenge" in the REVIEW stage...  they seek the CHEAPEAT rooms they can find, then review you like they paid RITZ prices...

Air BNB has NEVER DEFENDED THE HOST position... I wonder where these loser guests will sleep when Air BnB blocks us all... HOTELS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with Liam.  Only a host knows with communication if a guest will be a good fit for their listing.  In my case, we rent a guesthouse on our property.  Our listing is very detailed including house rules for our protection.  This has nothing to do with discrimination of race etc. as we have booked guest from all over the world.  We simply want responsible guests that we feel comfortable with staying on our property.  If the guest wants to be anonymous then they should stay at Motel 6!  We as property owners have a right to screen guests that have reviews and have shown they are responsible and respectful.  We also have rented to first-time users and walked them thru the steps of the verification process with great success.  Airbnb should be grateful for hosts that have helped them in their success.  Without the host, they have no platform.   I happen to like being able to screen my guests, and will never do 'instant book'.  If they start making it a requirement, it will be a loss for them.  

Nancy67
Level 10
Charleston, SC

I am totaly dishartened by this new policy-- I accept people of all races, religions and sexual orientations-- However my 2 spaces are not equipped for small children, pets or pysically handicapped, period.

 

These are the only reasons I have not accepted people in my spaces... and now I HAVE to? Great-- thats a lawsuit waiting to happen. How many people do you know that have 100% ADA Compliant homes (American Disabilites Act-- Wheel chair accessability, Wheel Chair height toliets, roll-in showers, handrails, wide doorways, elevator access, etc.) Plus installing baby gates on stairwells-- or people pouting and shutting me down because they cant bring their 2 labs with them? uhhhh.. really???-- We might as well send them all back to the Hilton and Marriot now.

 

180 completed trips with all but 2,  5 star reviews in the last 8 months-- and its all going to crash and burn? Awesome. Thanks Brian.

 

Nanc

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6535475
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10354798

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

In the last week I have had

 

* A guest who wanted to pay in cash

* A guest with a dog (I don't take animals and say so on my listing)

* A guest who wanted to come with her mother and daughter (I only take 2)

* A guest who wanted to book for one night at a weekend (I have a minimum 2 night stay at weekends).

 

I turned all of them down because they didn't meet my house rules/requirements. 

 

If BnB goes ahead I would be penalised for turning down guests who don't meet my rules by having the dates blocked - how is it my fault guests are allowed to try and book when I have set the listing up, so they shouldn't be able to - no animals, max 2 people, wanting to pay in cash, minimum 2 nights

 

Quite clearly a ridiculous move on BnB's part.

Sharon114
Level 10
Lincoln, United Kingdom

I have said before on these pages, airbnb forget who makes the business.  Without hosts airbnb does not exist.  If I am told who is entitled to stay in our home regardless of our feelings in the matter, we will cease hosting.  I think I will not be alone.

Kudos,  I agree.

How dare us to be offended,  by their offensive THREATS... 

 

 

Sandra126
Level 10
Daylesford, Australia

@Helen3, Airbnb will gain a new reputation as the booking service where you can get Instantly Cancelled.

Taking your objections point by point:

- Booking through Airbnb requires payment through their web portal. Anyone wanting to pay you cash directly would therefore be in direct violation of Airbnb's existing rules

- The policy says you don't have to take pets and provides for disallowing service animals on reasonable grounds

- The policy doesn't say you can't limit the number of people you will host

- The policy doesn't say you can't have a minimum stay

 

You would have been within the policy by turning down all of the requests as you did. You may want to re-read the policy and get a clearer idea of what it really says.

The point is THEY ASK to pay cash... if you were to reject them Air BnB would automattically blame the host, block the dates UNLESS YOU SPEND THE HORRIBLE TIME TO TRY and contact them (have you ever tried to contact them ?... They DONT WANT YOU TALKING TO THEM, they make it impossible and frustrating) and of course they have horrible customer services, since they pander to you, while always defending their LOSER guests... You know why theyre LOSER GUESTS ? cause the good ones arent PROBLEMS !!!!!!