Serious Issues with Booking - Sex Workers Permitted by Air BNB

[Gaurav130]

I recently had a distressing experience with an Airbnb booking that I need to bring to your attention. An individual booked my apartment, and instead of staying there themselves, they sent a sex worker who brought multiple clients throughout the night. There was drug use on the premises, which resulted in a strange odor. Upon reviewing footage from my security camera located in the garage, outside the apartment entrance, I observed numerous people entering and leaving the apartment all night.

Airbnb did not verify the identity of the person who made the booking. The sex worker also stole valuable items from my apartment, including a projector, paintings, and other valuables. When I reported this to Airbnb, their response was disappointing. They instructed me to remove the camera from the garage and suspended my listing. The individual who made the booking never stayed at the apartment, and illegal activities were conducted on my property.

It appears that Airbnb prioritizes revenue over the safety and security of their hosts and properties. Despite the severe nature of my complaint, they failed to take appropriate action. This experience raises serious concerns about Airbnb’s policies and their commitment to host safety.

[Marie8425]

@Gaurav130 

I am sorry this happen to you.

This is not meant as an insult, I didn't have your experience but I had an experience were the Guest showed up at my house an it was very obviously not the person in the Airbnb Profile Picture, so honest experience.

Airbnb is just a computer platform.  Has no contact with the Host or Guest when booking.   Airbnb has done a Host ID validation and a Guest validation.  Just like any online platform you use the computer has no way of validating who is using the account.  

They were right how would they know?

I now require just viewing at check in all legal IDs of any guests.  Disclosing that in my description and reenforcing before approval last year.  This year the scammers just ignore me and most guests have it ready when I open door,  No negatives for med.

[Gaurav130]

I originally believed that platforms like Airbnb effectively verified guest identities through government IDs or credit card checks, and that any problematic individuals would be reported. However, it appears their systems for verifying identities aren’t as robust as I thought. Therefore, manual verification might be the best approach.

[Helen3]

Hello I'm sorry you had this awful experience but confused why you have CCTV but don't monitor it when the guest checked in/during their stay. @Gaurav130 

it's our responsibility as the business owner to vet our guests carefully and check the listing via CCTV if we use it. 

if you had you would have known the guest who booked was not the one using the property and could have had Airbnb cancel and you or your cohost could have gone there and evicted those at your property . 

Airbnb did advise hosts several months ago that internal cameras are no longer be allowed so hopefully you can move it to your entrance outside . And that they would suspend hosts using inside cameras. 

airbnb do minimum vetting of hosts or guests you can always add to your house rules and description that you require photo ID

[Gaurav130]

We use cameras for guest verification, but it's often difficult to tell if the person who arrives matches their profile picture, especially since the photos aren't always current. The CCTV is outside the apartment, not inside.

I should have reported the issue to Airbnb sooner, but as a new host (3-4 months), I wasn’t sure if the guests were the ones who booked or if they brought others along. Verifying guests is tough, and given the high fees Airbnb charges, they should take more responsibility, like improving their verification systems or contacting guests directly. Hosting is risky because you never truly know who will be staying, and the platform doesn’t do enough to ensure safety.

I believe the best solution is to manually check IDs and meet guests in person before allowing them into your home.