July 25, 2016
The sharing economy discriminates. Don’t believe me? Try renting a vacation home with young kids or a service animal. Or if you’re black. Greg Selden knows what that’s like. A talent agent from Richmond, Va., he says he recently asked about the availability of an Airbnb rental in Philadelphia, but the host told him it was already booked. Selden, who is African American, then created two fake accounts that featured photos of white people, and the accommodations became available. Selden is suing Airbnb for violating the Fair Housing Act and his civil rights. Airbnb spokesman Nick Papas says racial discrimination is “unacceptable and it flies in the face of our mission to bring people together.” Last week, Airbnb hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to help it create an anti-discrimination policy. Whether you’re a buyer or seller in the sharing economy, you know discrimination happens in big and small ways. Usually, it’s a little white lie, like claiming your unit isn’t available when an unwanted guest tries to book or bending a few facts to prod a problematic guest to book somewhere else. But Christine Karpinski, author of the book How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner, says, “everybody does it.” Question is, what can you do about it? If you think the vacation rental owner or Airbnb host is refusing to rent you an apartment or vacation home for discriminatory reasons, what are your options?…
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/advice/2016/07/25/airbnb-vacation-rental-discrimination/86846642/
Menu