The Airbnb Community Commitment

[Ron47]

Hi Airbnb,

I have received your email regarding the The Airbnb Community Commitment.

It is recommendable that you are doing this, however, I find it a disgrace that you are forcing me to accept this clause or else. What is that? I have my own values, and discrimination is not a part of that. I don’t need you to tell me how I am supposed to conduct me in real life. And then threaten me to close my account in the process if I don’t abide by your rules. How is that not discriminating?

It’s a great thing you don’t accept discrimination, but you are a big hypocrite in the process. I will not let anybody force me into accepting anything. So I will be happy to cancel my account, I don’t want to deal with companies who discriminate me and try to take away my freedom of speech. I don’t want to belong in a bunch of hypocrites.

Regards

Ronald

[Mark273]

Who gave Airbnb the moral authority to determine what discrimination is and how it should be acted upon by individuals or groups. Reading the criteria for discrimination it looks as if its been drawn up by a bunch of kids. To build a global brand in business the primary obligation is to service the needs of the customers/shareholders not alienate them by threatening expulsion should their views differ with others. Not through censure do we overcome bias but through diversity. Grow up Airbnb, I for one could care less whether I am allowed to use you or not.

[Christian65]

ABB is a company who will determine their own policies and terms. They haven't defined what discrimination is but they've chosen to enforce a nondiscrimination policy. This shouldn't be a problem unless you reserve the right to be either a racist, a bigot or just be discriminatory towards guests. 

The company has of course the right to draw up terms of agreements within their values - even for moral issues but if you don't agree with them nobody's forcing you to stay. And please, nobody's is censuring anyone -  they simply ask users not to be discriminatory using their platform. 

[David126]

No smoking

Not suitable for pets

No parties or events

May not be safe or suitable for children (0-12 years)

Discrimination?

[Christian65]

@David126 That's not discrimination.  Please look up the term instead of being pedantic and oppositional for the sake of it.

[Claudia52]

I've been a landlord for decades.  Airbnb is just letting us know that there are laws that landlords and property managers need to abide by.  In some states, like SC, Airbnb is considered a property manager, so I think they are just making sure that we also know the rules and abide by them. 

[David126]

You are in SC, I am in CO, we have different State rules.

Somebody posting on this thread is from Indonesia, very different.

There is no norm as to what constitutes discrimination, varies both in time and space.

Amuses me that @Christian65 does not consider the issues he discriminates against as being discrimination.

I also have no smoking, but I know I am discriminating against smokers. I do not discriminate against children. I am allowed to discriminate against smokers, actually I am required to do so. Still discrimination.

[Lisa4]

David, you seem to be using discrimination in a very general way.

On looking it up in the dictionary, it specifies certain groups of people - the same that the Airbn policy mentions.  

It is repeated that the reason for Airbnb doing this is because of country laws requiring it of them.  That's it.  Really no point in trying to add other categories which are not mentioned in the policy.

We are basically being asked to abide by the laws of our individual countries.  If Airbnb doesn't flag this up for us, then guests can sue us for doing it.  So in fact this policy is doing us a favour, and pre-warning us what we could suddenly find ourselves in court for.

In fact, even if you leave Airbnb, my research has shown that, no matter which company or agency you host or rent through, and whether they state it explicitly like Airbnb are newly doing, or no mention of it at all, we hosts can and will get taken to court if we refuse a guest in the listed categories, if that guest chooses to complain - because the law is on their side. . . if they are a permanent tenant (permanent), but not a lodger (temporary) (UK Law).  However, lodgers (which Airbnb guests truly are), are not able to call on this discrimination in our private homes.  But if you have a commercial business of this Airbnb, then I beleive the policy and country law applies.

[Elvi0]

Well … I have been desperately reaching out to Airbnb to get some clarification / guidance via the email contact they gave me in the “Community Commitment” email they sent to me.  I got a rather short and incomplete response this morning.  So I asked for clarification in another email, and this is the response:

“Thank you for reaching out. In the days since we've announced our new Airbnb Community Commitment, we have received over 20,000 emails from hosts and guests providing feedback on Airbnb’s policy. “

Do you suppose that there are 19,999 emails congratulating Airbnb on the wonderful new policy, and only my little one showing some reluctance?  Or perhaps the other way around ….  🙂

Somehow their response (while not addressing my issues) seems to brighten my day.

[David126]

@Elvi0

I am sure you are correct.

[Betty-B--M-0]

Hosts leaving the platform? Got bookings? Send 'em my way!

Sole requirement: guests pay all legitimate claims against the damage deposit. No discrimintion on this point.

That's it.

Welcome!

[link hidden]

[Em4]

myself i view the move as a business necessity in a world where human rights and diversity has cultural currency regardless of where you live.  put it down to housekeeping.  business protocols.

my take on the reasons are:

1.  legal - BNB attempting to distance themselves from prosecution by association.  as @David0 mentioned this likely is just part of a number of phases both pre and post Nov 1.

2.  income protection - 4x the income per stay is generated by a guest.  in my short time here, the number of issues people have about IB and guests acting disrespectfully and also deceitfully and maybe other 'd' adjectives indicates stronger BNB protection policies to manage hosts and equally strong protection policies to safeguard potential income.  also these figures are being used to 'value' the company in order to raise capital for expansion needs.

discrimination is a problem:

1.  its a massive problem in the world.  NZ was the first country in the world to change the law to grant universal suffrage.  It was the first country in the world to accept the legality of same sex marriage.

2.  NZ ratified a number of international treaties in the 70s and 80s including the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, discrimination against women, the rights of the child, the rights of people with disabilities etc

3.  we don't have a history like south africa, or the usa, or australia. beautiful though this country is, and its a great place to live, according to the Race Relations Commission Maori are 3x as likely as non-Maori to have experienced unfair treatment on the basis of ethnicity and re the gender pay gap, women earned $300 less per week than men and had lower lifetime incomes compared to men even though between 2000 & 2008 the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Chief Justice, Attorney General and the Governor General posts were all held by women.

the common thread here appears to me to be that people are reacting to the explicit coercion forcing hosts into accepting change by making it clear that resisting change will lead to no longer being able to host.  also there is rising suspicion not just due to the BNBs approach but also due to pre-exisiting experience repeated issues many of which are based around just being able to contact them face to face rather than by twitter.

i also add...according to the wall st journal, BNB is valued at 30bil with over 2mil listings.  even if the average house/space was valued at USD250000 thats 500 trillion none of which they are paying for but all of which they are using to raise capital with.  you'd think they'd take better care of the people who are really making the money for them.  on the other hand, the hotel/motel/accommodation and property management and especially apartment blocks, tax departments and governments are fighting back.  San Francisco is restricting BNBing to 60 days a year.  Berlin, Israel and Quebec have already legislated controls and in Israels case a boycott.

just as a note RE HOST GUARANTEE, NZ is not eligble.  so guests can party on...

@Robert0  yeah no robert.  attributing personality traits of a few individuals to the entire race which equates to over 1/6th of the worlds population is racist.

@Christian0  really, you're sounding like a BNB zealot.  such people can tend to be ripe for radicalisation.

@David0  i agree

@Ken0  very sorry for you, either way you're going to be burned.

@Thu0  thats not good

@Peter0  its the least BNB can do i believe.

[Nancy174]

I honestly wonder how many people have  read the Constitution of the United States of America and understand democracy?

This commitment totally takes away my rights to think. It sounds like something out of a country run by a dictator.

Has Airbnb passed this through their legal department? I am sure (if  I am still living in the U.S.) that this is discriminating against free thinking and speech and will be challenged.

I believe in being kind, and I believe force never produces kindness or acceptance. Airbnb probably already has policies in place to rid themselves of bad customers, as well as renters. This new policy is more about mind control.

Nancy Thor

[Christian65]

Thank you for this post. Its been a while since I've had a good laugh reading comments in this thread.

Bringing mind control and the US constitution into this discussion is priceless! 

You really don't thing that abiding by a company rule, commitment or policy is discrimination, right?
Declining a booking based on race or sexual orientation etc. on the other hand is, no?

Come on now. Nobody is oppressing free speech or free thinking despite what your ignorance and paranoia tells you or is this simply a sarcastic comment to this discussion that has gone off its rails? (I thought so too) 🙂 Thanks for the laugh @Nancy174!

Have a great day!

[James189]

Ronald,

Nobody is forcing anyone to belong to Airbnb to make money as a host or find great places to stay as a guest. One makes these choices oneself.

Airbnb is a private business and has rights over who it chooses to to business with. Bigots, homophobes, misogynists and racists are clearly not groups that Airbnb is wanting to to business with.

People who object to this are of course welcome to join organisations who don't have these values.

I for one will definitely be staying with Airbnb, both as a host and as a guest and I'm incredibly proud to belong to an organisation that so publicly supports my values.

I applaud the Airbnb for making everyone feel they are welcome - not only through the accommodation offerings, but also through their values.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

I disagree - if a company wishes for the people on its platform to treat all guests equally then it can ask you to do so. You are free to use other companies etc if you don't like the idea. No one is twisting your arm to stay with Airbnb.