Um, what? Seems like it’s the guests that Airbnb should be vetting and doing some due diligence on. If there was fentanyl in the listing, it came from guests- it’s highly unlikely it came from the host or the manager. And no thanks- I don’t want Airbnb becoming a property-checker and telling hosts they need to spend thousands of dollars to conform to some standard Airbnb deems acceptable. They told us we had to wash the porch ceiling between guests as part of their “enchanced cleaning for Covid”, fer crissake.
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I agree. For whatever reason the law firm did not argue that Airbnb should do that.
I’d want Airbnb to require that properties, inside and out, are in compliance with local building codes. A house inspection just costs a few hundred dollars and it would show that to the extent visible.
Your mind set is American. There aren’t any building codes where I live. No electrical or plumbing inspections, no safety inspections. The only time anyone gets a house inspection is if they are planning on buying a house and want to make sure it doesn’t have any glaring issues that will cost them a lot to remedy.
And it may not be any big deal to you, but “a few hundred dollars” is not just a piffle to many hosts. Like a single mom renting out a couple rooms in her home in order to pay the mortgage.
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Why assume that the Host should pay for the inspection?
If a hotel wants to make properties available they actually need to buy or build it. Maybe Airbnb would be a little more selective if Airbnb needed to spend some money to vet its Hosts and the properties.
By and large that’s how it is in the U.S. as well.
Look, we’re not trying to figure out here at the forum how Airbnb should make sure the properties are safe. You’re right to point out that that will vary by location.
You’re living in a fantasy world if you think Airbnb is going to shell out a few hundred dollars for every one of its over 4 million properties. And they don’t want to be selective, that should be obvious. They’re only selective when it comes to suspending host’s accounts if a guest makes some complaint.
The day Airbnb sends inspectors to my house is the day I delete my listing. Not fond of Big Brother oversight.
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I don’t think that, one way or the other.
Nor would I assume, as you seem to, that if they have liability in the U.S. they would inspect all properties worldwide. That seems very U.S.-centric, Muddy! 
By the way, though, a $200 fee on four million properties is $800MM for a company whose revenues last year were $8.4 billion. We’re not talking about an annual expense.
Of course, Airbnb will need to look at cost-benefits. In the case of the two -year old child killed by a tipped over dresser, the settlement in that ONE case was $17.5 million.
It would take fewer than just 50 settlements like that to exceed even an $800 million cost to vet properties.
I just would like it if Airbnb should make sure that the properties it offers are safe. Maybe this as much a local government issue.
It would also be very U.S.-centric to think that inspections everywhere cost what they cost here. Also, I don’t know that third party house inspections are the only way to get this done. Worcester MA was talking about requiring some inspections (but without the formality of the kind of report that building inspectors do; the cost was estimated at well under $50 but I don’t know what that entailed or if it was a final number; the inspections were to be done by the City).
Measures more than nothing but less than inspections are also possible. Making sure the properties are safe could be part of the negotiation that Airbnb has with municipalities.
Maybe they could get affidavits by Hosts that the pictures show all of the outside and all of the inside that is available to the guests. Maybe AI could examine all existing pictures, say for U.S. listings, and spot stairs without railings.
Look, there are many ways that I think Airbnb could go about this; My point is that they do NOTHING on safety. I understand why; they don’t think that they’re liable (I’m guessing that by and large they’ve been correct in thinking this; that’s why this lawsuit could be a game changer, with IMHO a benefit to the public).
This case could change Airbnb’s calculations, at least in the U.S. I don’t know if Airbnb even asks a U.S. Host as part of the application process something as simple as “Please verify that this property, to the best of your knowledge, complies with local building codes, or indicate that you don’t know.” [Again, don’t hold me to this language – Airbnb will figure this out if need be; not you or me.]
IF Airbnb were held responsible for the safety of its properties, THEN Airbnb would need to do something. I’m not pretending to develop HOW they get that done [at least not for free.] but I am pointing out that it’s doable.
OR they could just pay the settlements.
Anyway, I think we’re both getting ahead of ourselves and getting into the weeds.
That was actually Ralph Nader on the Corvair.
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I don’t understand your comment. If you are trying to correct me and say that the book was only about the Convair, you are incorrect. If you are trying to say something else, please let me know. The word “actually” implies that I’ve made an error somewhere that should be corrected.
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I meant no attack. The book you referenced was written by Nader and heavily relied on the Chevy Corvair to showcase safety issues in the US auto market.
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Regardless of where the child got the exposure, this is a cautionary
tale as well as a horrible tragedy. I don’t allow children in my Airbnb but I have family and friends with children visit often. I and and a family member have also endured huge vet bills thanks to pets ingesting prescription or over the counter meds within seconds of being dropped. We all get sick of the endless warning labels on prescriptions and common OTC meds, but they are there for a reason - partially a a true warning and also to prevent liability for the manufacturer.
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Thank you for posting this @Christine_Shirtcliff . Hosts need to be aware. When I find pills in my cottage I freak out because we have a dog who eats first and thinks about it later! I’ve only been hosting about 1.5 years and so far I have found pills or capsules on the floor 3 times. Scary.
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