Using Best Judgment without Discriminating

[Waundell0]

I have hosted a lot of people since 2010. Most of my guests are great. A few I would not invite back.

There is a fine line between good judgment and discrimination. Even as a long time host I feel I have been discriminated against when traveling. I usually make it my first business to say I am a host.  

60 Minutes aired a segment on airbnb today (6/5/2016) and the subject of racial discrimination came up.  Some were saying their booking requests are always rejected.  I myself have declined quite a few inquiries but from all types of people not just one group. And I have my reasons which are totally justified (in my opinion).

I have a lovely house. But the rest of the neighborhood is sometimes as a past guest put it, sketchy.  Some potential guests have written that they have friends and relatives in my neighborhood and are coming for a visit and need a place to stay. That raises a flag for me. Yes I make the assumption that if they are friends or relatives of any of my neighbors then I certainly don't want them in my house. That's my right.

I also steer clear of people whose profiles show they already live in my town. They are obviously not on vacation so why are they trying to book a room? One person told me right out that he was between apartments and needed a place to stay until he finds a new place. Sorry but no thank you. You can run the risk of being stuck with a squatter who will never leave.

Others have been rather obvious about their agenda:

-young kids looking for a place with their boyfriend or girlfriend - NO

-"film makers" looking for a place to shoot a movie scene - NO

-someone looking to have a party and invite lots of people - NO, NO, and NO again

If we were running hotels it could be flat out discrimination. But as your own home, you certainly have every right to use your own judgment before allowing a STRANGER to have a key to your house.

I prefer to accept all requests. But some people are just shady. They either don't want to fulfill the verification process, or they post a picture that is not them, or some other thing that makes you suspicious.

I also have been berated, insulted, cursed at through the message inbox by someone that I would not accept at the last minute. My profile is clear that I can't do same-day requests but many don't read. They just search their dates and request. I believe airbnb jumped in and restricted that person from using the site ever again. 

I know it's a lot but this is apparently a serious subject. Chime in.

[Clare0]

Hi @Waundell0 I enjoyed reading your post.  It's refreshing to get a person of color's point of view. 

Yes, as hosts, we all discriminate in one form or another.  I suppose I could be accused of discriminating against people with small children, people with pets, ect. and I do my  fair share of vetting guests in other ways too.  As you pointed out, it's your home, your rules as to who stays there. 

I believe Airbnb does it's best to weed out hosts who discriminate against people by race or nationality (yep, I saw one post from a host who didn't want to host Romanians).  What most people don't understand is that Airbnb can only take action when a host overtly publishes their attitude in a message or in their listing.  Airbnb is just a platform that enables hosts and guest to connect and each is responsible for deciding if the listing is the right fit for them.  Do some hosts discriminate against persons of color? Yep, sadly I'm sure that happens as you well know.  

Sounds like you make decisions on guests applying to stay at your listing based on what makes the best business sense for you.  And, since it is your private property, you have every right to do so.  That said, hosts need to apply their vetting process across the board without singling out any group in particular or arbitrarily for rejection.  

I congratulate you on your 100+ reviews!  Looks like you are a very successful host!  When are you coming out to California? You are welcome here!

BTW, you can prevent same day booking request by selecting "1 day's notice" in the Advance Notice box in your Availabity Settings.  That will eliminate some of your headaches. 

Again, thank you for your post.  I'll sit back and see what others have to say.

[Waundell0]

Thanks Clare.  I usually visit California every few years. I was just there this past December in LA and San Fran. I hope to get back soon as I really want to relocate somewhere out there.

[Paul0]

Hi @Waundell0,

Nice to connect with those who shares a similar perspective. 🙂 

One of the best parts of being an Airbnb Host is the opportunity to meet people of all different backgrounds... and find that we're not so different.

Without sounding like a grumpy 'stay off my lawn' Host, it's an unfortunately reality that those who have been Hosting for a while have probably noticed a switch in focus of new Hosts from 'meeting new people and making money' to 'making money and meeting new people'. Airbnb is no longer for the 'Early Adopters' rather we're in 'Early Majority' phase in marketing speak. 

Hopefully we all share reasonable and fair biases as Hosts predicated on the practicalities and safety of our respective Hosting lives. Fair to say I think 99% of Hosts share this, we've all been wearing down our 'stranger danger' bias for sometime.

Those who actively discriminate (in general) have no right being part of functional society, let alone be an Airbnb Host.

Cheers,

Paul

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[Sandra126]

All your criteria sound extremely sound, and good advice for new hosts too. A host has the right, surely, to refuse guests? I routinely refuse small children (under five), parties (of any size) and dogs (of any breed). If a guest gets refused on what they perceive to be religion or colour, for instance, why would they want to stay with a host who clearly is not the best host for them anyway?

[Serafina0]

@Waundell0 Thanks for starting this conversation. It's been something I've been thinking about lately as I've followed the news reports on social media and news sites.

I think Airbnb does need to do something to address the problem of discrimination and access, but there aren't easy answers.  I've been wondering if the push to force new hosts into using Instant Book isn't part of Airbnb's research on possible measures to prevent host discrimination. But there are so many circumstances when we hosts want to be able to affirmatively accept a guest rather than take anyone who wants to stay.  And you also point out the very real problem of guests discriminating against hosts who live in certain types of neighborhoods. How many times have we heard hosts upset when guests review their location as being unsafe or questionable?

Unlike many hosts, I don't require a photo or verified ID. I delude myself that I can know more about a potential guest through our written correspondence. I've loved being able to welcome people from different cultures and around the world.

Maybe Airbnb could think about ways of rewarding hosts who serve a diverse range of guests or host in underserved areas? Encouraging hosts to self-identify as diversity-friendly? Providing research and training to hosts?

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

Instant Book is about revenue generation - not about preventing discrimination. It helps with impulse buys. For example, hotels don't ask you to go through an email exchange to book a room, neither do they go through a verification process. AirBnB is perhaps rightly trying to get closer to that model but I think they will struggle as sharing a home is different to either renting out an entire place, or staying in an hotel.

[Amaris0]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/06/airbnb-criticism-transgender-guest-denied-super-h...

[Teri--And-Aaron-0]

Totally agree. I enjoyed your post a lot and thank you for articulating this stuff so loud and clear.

I've had a guy want to seal the deal at my door rather than online, and asked for my address! When I responded NO, he hurled X-rated abuse at me, online, and when I complained to AirBNB, they did nothing!

I have also had guests from certain parts of the world with very poor hygeine standards, who trashed my room, took off with my keys, left dirty puddles in my bathroom regularly - so, no, I'm not risking that again.

You're right about people visiting neighbours. I live in a dodgy area (though my house is lovely) and I wouldn't want my neighbours' relatives in my house. When they go on and on and keep insisting after I say no, I am even more alarmed.

As for people from Sydney, where I live, I have had excellent guests who are also hosts looking to rent out their own more expensive listings. They've been very good guests and I'd welcome them back any time.

Teri

[Helen3]

'guests from certain parts of the world with very poor hygeine standards, who trashed my room, took off with my keys, left dirty puddles in my bathroom regularly - so, no, I'm not risking that again'.

This is what gives BnB hosts a bad name. Just because you had guests that had poor hygeine standards who acted badly and happened to be from a certain part of the world - doesn't mean that every guest from that country would behave in the same way.

Seem ridiculous to me to discriminate against a people or a country based on one or two poor experiences. Same sort of logic that some people use to discriminate against muslims because of ISIS.

[Sonja21]

Thank you Waundell, for bringing up this subject.

We too, hope to accept all inquiries, but occasionally find that something about an inquiry raises a red flag, and we choose to not invite that person into our home.

This afternoon we received an inquiry for someone's "aunt". Third party inquiries make us uncomfortable since there is no way to get a sense of who the guest would be. We declined this request.

We are concerned however, by something we have heard about Airbnb's policies. We have heard that hosts can be down-graded or eliminated because they decline too many requests.

What do you know about this policy?

[Dennis-And-Gwen0]

@Sonya0We sometimes get adult children who suggest to their parents that they use AirBNB when they visit Melbourne. If you have the conversation with the existing registered AirBNB guest who makes the inquiry and then encourage them to get the parent to make the booking you can grow the number of guests using AirBNB. It can take time but is often worth the effort. From my perspective as a host, we need more guests on the platform. We need to respond to inquiries in a positive way and not discourage people from registering. If you explain why the actual guest (not the aunt) has to make the booking, it helps. 

[Sandra126]

@Dennis-And-Gwen0, you can also point out that when they recommend someone they will get travel credits  - a win/win situation.