Please Help! Young couple looking for a solution...

[Kalli51]

So I understand why most places don't allow people our age to rent, but my boyfriend and I don't know what to do for our specific scenario:

He and I are both 19. We've been together for 4 years straight, are both college students making good grades at separate colleges, both holding jobs, both fully owning cars and insurance that we both paid for without help or loans, have both moved out, and have good credit for having just started. For Christmas break this year we wanted to go on our first real trip together (ideally Myrtle Beach or somewhere around it,) instead of spending money on frivolous trinkets that our current dorm/apartments don't have the room for.

The main problem with this is that Airbnb counts 18+ as "adults" but individual renters somewhat understandably don't rent to anyone "below 21" or even "below 26" in some cases, and there isn't a setting to filter just the people that would even consider renting to us.
If anyone has any kind of solution or even might know of specific places that would have either a room or full place, preferably near the beach that would let us rent for like 2 or 3 nights in December of 2023, your help would be appreciated.

[Kalli51 · Accepted solution]

Solution came in asking individual locations and explaining our situation. We did find a place when and where we wanted, in our price range!!! 🙂

[Mar125]

@Kalli51 

Feel free to check out my place. I don’t have a problem renting to young college students. 

extend your trip to 5 nights plus. 2 to 3 nights make you look,like party animals 

[Kalli51]

Thank you, but California is a bit far for us price and we only have the budget and schedules to take up to 3 days depending on the place.

(I also tried to view your locations on your page to see if you had any within our driving range, and it told me I wasn't authorized to see your locations from my laptop or my phone, so this may be a user error on my part but just a heads up!!)

🙂

[Helen427]

@Kalli51 
Airbnb's Naba Banerjee, Trust and Safety executive, has appeared in multiple media articles recently about her role in ensuring those under 25 are effectively banned from Booking an entire place if they are new users of ABB and lack good reviews,and are directing them to shared homes.

She has also been instrumental in ensuring other AI/ Machine Learning / ML changes which on the surface is counter productive as it's likely that some users and potential consumers of ABB are unable to use this business for shelter/ accommodation.

ABB have a 50 mile/80 kilometre radius that they appear to use in their systems to block those who are under 25 making an entire place reservation apparently to stop Parties.

It's unknown, and without asking those blocked or redirected to sharing a Home with others,  how many of the 300,000 plus were in fact intending to have parties at all, or if they were simply going about their lawful business and trying to get some normality back in their lives after the restrictions imposed with Covid19

It's unknown how the over 300,000 people who have been blocked from making reservations feel, or if there's any other follow up planned.

@Catherine-Powell 

@Tara-Bunch 

@Stephanie 

@Airbnb 

This policy will need to be looked into and addressed because the blanket approach is having a detrimental impact on providing good law abiding young people who have equal rights to others,  the right to accommodation whether it be shared with family and friends to book an entire place, locally and elsewhere.

Note also as @Kalli51 says, they don't have Passports yet, however there are also people of all ages who don't have a drivers licence for whatever reason, nor do they share images online for whatever reason - including that of people having had Deep fakes etc created, and not all countries have Identity Cards so expecting all people to have a form of photo ID is unrealistic in some places and not an issue in others.

Some righting what may be perceived to be wrongdoings and discrimination along with clarity around these matters that have arisen for our younger people would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[Kalli51]

I am sorry but I don't think I understand your comment.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Kalli51 You are not alone......

[Grace1060]

You can consider coming to Ghana for your vacation. We’ll be happy to host you! 

[Kalli51]

Honestly not something I had considered, but neither of us have passports yet, nor have we been out of the country. Thank you for the suggestion though!

[Heather289]

Get your mum to book it?   

[Kalli51]

The issue with that would be the check in. If they don't allow 19 year olds to book it, we would more than likely be stopped while trying to check in for either an airbnb or hotel alike. Plus that feels shady and we just aren't about that.

[Helen3]

Why would you suggest they make a third party booking knowing it's against Airbnb'sT&Cs. @Heather289 

[Heather289]

I don't believe it is against the T&Cs - I have received bookings made by people for their elderly parents, who can't use the internet, or by secretaries for their boss. 

But anyway, the young lady and her boyfriend sound very respectable, very hard working, very diligent, very likely to be excellent guests.     

I hope they find a place for a lovely holiday.  

[Helen3]

Of course it's against their T@Cs @Heather289 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/427#:~:text=We'd%20love%20to%20welcome,unless%20you're%20staying....

if you want to risk not being covered by Airbnb by taking third party bookings that's up to you but please don't advocate it for others 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Kalli51 Is age discrimination allowed by Airbnb? It might be my ignorance but I don't think most European hosts ban 18 year olds.

[Kalli51]

As far as I am aware, the individual host is allowed to deny because of age. I don't know about how it is in other countries, but here I haven't been able to find a single airbnb that didn't have a "minimum age" specification halfway through it's listing description or course rules. 😞

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Kalli51 Could you go to Mexico or a Caribbean island instead?

[Kalli51]

Not a bad idea. We hadn't considered leaving the country. Neither of us have passports yet though, but maybe. Thank you for the suggestion regardless!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Kalli51 I would definitely get a passport and leave the country. You will find that most hosts outside the USA welcome guests over the age of 18. You can also, in many countries, drink alcohol from age 18 and cross the road wherever you want.

I think you will find it most liberating to leave the land of the free once in a while.

[Helen744]

@Mike-And-Jane0 Of course you could go to Bali ride motorbikes without helmets or licences and if you have an accident not be covered by insurance too... happens a lot , not necessarily a good thing ... H

[Kalli51]

That's also a good point. Plus at this point, it would be nearly impossible to get passports by December and plane tickets out of the country aren't really in our budget this year. 😕