How to deal with guests asking questions about the safety of the neighbourhood?

[Wayne101]

Hello, I honestly don’t know if I’m being too sensitive or if what I’m experiencing is a problem but check this out. 

Guests, who are mostly white, have asked my wife, who is also white, if the area that they chose to book, where we live, is safe. Now, when these same guests see me they don’t ask me any questions and one was even rude when meeting me for the first time. Another went as far as to cut me off mid speech 

Now these same guests leave reviews that the area is “run - down” after booking in a place they say they feel is “unsafe” and I’m left with reviews that are bi-polar since some say the area is amazing and others say the area is scary. 

I guess im just venting now but my wife keeps getting this questions is the neighborhood is safe and those folks ask us this after checking in then leave bad reviews on the neighborhood. What can I do about this? 

One person went as far as to book and then tried to cancel the day of her booking then left the Airbnb after being there one day and said the area scared her she was supposed to be there 5 days......like is there a way to prove these kinds of things to be false? 

And isnt calling a neighborhood “run - down” inappropriate? 

[Fred13]

Interesting thread.  I am asked about safety all the time whether my island is 'safe', and some even ask if there are any pirates! Oftentimes, I tell them that - 'unfortunately the pirates are long gone, a pity for they were a most interesting lot; having said that, there was a recent sighting of Jack Sparrow'. 

That usually makes them laugh and they book immediately! 🙂

Seriously speaking, anyone that shares an undue degree of fear (based on fact), I never, ever allow them to book. 

[Sarah977]

I think it's a bit of a strange question to ask, myself, altho I understand people can be apprehensive and fearful (city people of country places, small town folks of big cities).

Of course there are places that are generally safer than others. But you really can't assure someone that your area is safe, nor should they assume that anywhere is. There are random acts of violence that can occur anywhere, people need to take responsibility for their own safety. I'm not referring to locks on the doors, but things like walking home at 4 AM. 

Because it's a 20 minute walk from my place into town, and some of my younger guests like to go to the bars and such, they'll ask me if it's safe to walk home after dark. What I tell them is that no one so far has had any problem, including my 35 year old daughter who lived here for awhile and stayed out late, but that of course I can't "guarantee" anything, and that they might feel more comfortable taking a taxi for the $6 it costs. 

There are always these stories in the media about some tourists in Mexico who got robbed or murdered. The back story is usually that they were out at some bar, drinking til 2AM, hanging out with sketchy people, accepting an offer from some really friendly guy, a total stranger, to come back to their place where he could hook them up with some really good weed, or stumbling drunk down a dark alley. Things they would never do at home, but hey, "We're on vacation in paradise, chill out and parteeee!"

[Delphine-And-Michael0]

When we get a question that is hard to directly answer like is your neighborhood safe we refer them to our reviews and also for this question refer them to the NYC online crime maps where they can view the data interactively and look at the heat maps.  If there are follow up questions then we try to answer them if they don’t we leave it at that.  Now If they still book without follow up questions we would specifically ask what are their safety concerns so at least we have tried to address their concerns.

As stated above some guests only see NYC from what they have seen on TV or movies where it makes NYC look like a warzone.  In the 1990s I lived on W87th between CPW and Columbus where people that lived in Manhattan would say that’s a bad block because it was relative to where they lived or the time they lived in NYC.

We recently had one review that stated the neighborhood is not safe, seems like a guest will add that in when they are trying to discredit your listing unless they have something specific to say.

[Krissie1]

Wayne - I think you are absolutely right in your perception about race and its impact on how it makes people judge a neighborhood. A *lot* of people (most, even) have implicit bias. Asking about safety sometimes just means they want to know the racial makeup of the neighborhood because that's how the majority of suburban and rural America judge cities.

I get this question from time to time and it really offends me. It's on the guest to research neighborhoods and determine was level of 'safety' they are comfortable with. I live in an urban neighborhood. There is crime. I still call it safe. Does that mean there isn't a chance of becoming a victim of crime? Of course not, but I've lived here for 10+ years without incident. 

It also makes me nervous that someone will ask if it's safe and I will give my usual "yes, but..." speech, have the something happen, and ruin my whole airbnb business.  😕

[Shannon187]

Hello! Wayne, I just clicked on your profile and I don't see a listing associated with it. I hope you haven't stopped hosting! This is a fascinating subject and I agree there are issues of race, class, gender, etc. at play here. I loved this article and I feel like sending it to every guest in my email that I send a week ahead of their stay:

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/home-garden/2018/06/21/dont-ask-airbnb-host-neighborhood-...

I am a white woman and I live in a mostly Latino neighborhood, actually a locally celebrated Latino neighborhood. It's diverse, urban, gritty, family-oriented. Its roots are deep. It was redlined and due to community involvment/engagement and a lot of hard work it is thriving and, I think, is one of the coolest neighborhoods in the SF Bay Area. Anywhoo. Brown people, graffiti, bars on windows, trash in the streets (we're 5 minutes away from BART). This leads some people to judge and to feel fear for their safety. We can speculate all day long about where that fear is coming from. Fear of what, fear of whom and why? It's one of the painful things about hosting. People's biases. I am constantly wondering what the boundary is. Am I my guest's mother and resident Googler?  Or, can I do my best to describe the neighborhood and rely on them to do the research? I can't rely on them to do their research. I've learned that. So, I put it all out there. I tell them what they're going to see (garbage, graffiti, families, commuters) and I tell them if they want a more suburban experience our place is not for them. I ask them to read the entire listing before booking to ensure it is a good fit. If they don't, it's on them. Crime is so random and a "sense of safety" is so subjective. I tell people that. I've lived in Oakland for 25 years and the worst thing that has happened to me is a car break in and I've done some really stupid things in my life (like walk home very late at night alone...kind of tipsy). I send a recent article about our neighborhood to all guests and suggest people Google the article before booking. We can only do so much. I cannot stand "review culture". It kills me that someone who didn't do their due diligence and actually read the listing could leave us a bad review when we've been totally up front about what we're offering.  Anyway, all this to say, I'm with you. I get it. It's frustrating. 

[Ansel0]

@Shannon187 I love your neighborhood description. I live in deep east oakland. Never received anything less than 5 stars. I've resorted to using a password to ensure that guest read the neighborhood description. I'm thinking of making my listing more polarizing. Something along the lines of,  "predominately black and latino area, if that concerns you, my listing will not be a good fit"

[Shannon187]

@Ansel0  thank you for your feedback! Someone gave me 4 stars once...or maybe 3...overall. I was so bummed. I get less than 5 stars sometimes on neighborhood. It's such an unfair category. So subjective. It has nothing to do with host accuracy, it's all about whether the guest "liked" the neighborhood. Some people love my neighborhood. I'm biased but I've lived all over Oakland and this is the best neighborhood. Haha. I love your idea for your listing. There's a GREAT listing just up the street from me on 35th. The host says something like, "If black and brown people enjoying their neighborhood on the weekend bothers you then you probably shouldn't stay here." She goes on to say something like, "Remember, you're the visitor." Boom! I read another one that said something like, "White people who are used to being in predominantly white areas have had issues with my neighborhood." Something like that. One host near me responded to a review with a concern about "safety" with a long comment about how perpetuating stereoptypes is dangerous. It's true, I look at crime maps all the time now (obsessively defensive re: my neighborhood) and crime is WAY worse in the now hip downtown Oakland/Uptown area. Most of the bad things that have ever happened to me or my friends have happened in affluent areas. Anywhoo. Thanks for your thoughts. I may add something more to my listing. I think there's also a good deal of shock from Europeans about America when they see it up close. I had one person tell me they were initially worried about my neighborhood but then went to San Francisco and realized that California (read America) has a problem with homelessness (that needs to be addressed) and that my neighborhood was far better than some others. I get a lot of positive feedback about my neighborhood but when it's negative, it's negative. I think I need to include photos of surrounding areas. 

[Ansel0]

great discussion. I've found that many guest dont read or do research prior to booking. My neighborhood lacks curb appeal, but i make it very clear to my guest and potential guest. 

When potential guest ask about safety, I tell them crime is random and i cant guarantee their safety. I then refer them to my guest reviews. 

[Shannon187]

Perfect. Going to check out your listing. 

[Diana425]

I find this question as I am grappling with a guest asking this too. We just listed our second property on the platform. Its an urban neighborhood undergoing some big changes so there are houses that are well maintained and others that... aren't. However, I cannot guarantee anyone's safety and therefore wouldn't feel comfortable making statements in any case!? I lived in the house and felt safe but does that make it safe forever, for everyone? No. I would just rather not answer because it's an impossible question. HELP!

[Sarah977]

@Diana425  I don't think simply not answering is a viable option, nor do I think it's an impossible question. My listing is in the countryside, a 20 minutes walk from town and the beach and I get a lot of single female guests who often ask if the walk is safe. What I say is that none of my past guests or visiting friends or family has had any issues (which is true), that there are taxis available in town for XX$ that will drive them back out here if they choose to stay out after dark and don't want to walk, but that of course they should exercise the same precautions for their own safety as they would when in any unfamiliar surroundings, and that of course I can't "guarantee" anyone's safety.

[Andre260]

I live in Brooklyn, NY and I'll just be frank - many guests (and most won't admit this), consider Airbnb to be a "white" centered service, so they don't expect to come to an Airbnb listing in a predominantly Black neighborhood, and the sad part is I usually get the "am I safe" question from Latinos who book. I bristle at this question because it smacks of racism or prejudice, but I can't call it what it is or tell them I refuse to be responsible for the safety of anyone outside my home, or it would reinforce their fears. However, if I tell them they're safe, i'm placing the responsibility for their safety outside my home on MY shoulders, and it's not fair. Airbnb makes it too easy for guests to act out their latent racism/prejudices in ways that end up hurting the hosts. 

In summary, when a guest simultaneously asks to book AND questions the safety of your neighborhood - they've made a judgement about YOU and have placed the burden of proof on YOU. I refer them to my reviews and if I get anymore questions about "safety", it's an instant decline and I report the profile so they cannot book. I don't need the headache.

[Quincy]

Hi @Andre260,
 
It's important that you feel safe and comfortable just as much as the guest. If you ever feel you are being discriminated please refer to our Non-discrimination policy and contact customer support at your earliest convenience.

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/1405/airbnbs-nondiscrimination-policy-our-commitment-to-inclus...

Quincy