@Rebecca1029 "... independent reviews are the way to 'weed out poor hosts' "
Theoretically, yes. In practice, no.
There have been many cases of so-called hosts, with a portfolio of scores or even hundreds of listings continuing to play bait-and-switch, offering places which are completely misrepresented in photos, being filthy dumps, etc., continuing to host for years. They are somehow adept at getting bad reviews removed, and Airbnb turns a blind eye to all the guest complaints because the listings bring in so much money to Airbnb coffers.
While I don't think hosts should be made to suffer financially from over-regulation, inspections are something I see as a positive thing, as long as the inspectors aren't jerks just looking for any little reason to close people down.