Is it discrimination if I say I don't accept anyone under the age of 18?

In an fb host group, I think I just got accused of discrimination because I don’t accept those under the age of 18 and I say it in my house rules. I just don’t want to deal with kids (I have lots of trinkets that can break and my dog is not kid friendly) AND I don’t want to deal with the awkwardness of a teenager having to sleep in the queen sized bed with the parent. Have I broken an airbnb rule?

No, this is not discrimination.

If you are in the US, hard to tell, there seems to be a rule against everything. Maybe do your thing, and the less you seek the approval or permission of others, the better. :sunglasses:

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I’ve been fine for the last 3 years I think because I’m in a notoriously hip part of Brooklyn, it’s not the typical place a parent would bring their kid to in NYC. I own comic books, collectible toys, vinyl records, all things little kids gravitate towards and want to touch immediately. But this guy in the fb group went on to say that I’d probably want to parlay not accepting kids into not accepting gays and people of color!

That guy sounds like a troll…they like to ruffle feathers. Just ignore it and like @Mearns says - do your own thing. Go forth and be happy! Ignore the troll.

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It must not be discriminatory by Air’s standards because there is a default template in the House Rules section that you can select: “Not child-friendly: (0-12 yrs)”.

That’s what I have appearing in my listing…and if it allowed modifying the age to a higher number, I would have gone up to at least age 22.

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I wouldn’t think of it as discrimination either. I request ‘females only’ because my property is small, I have just the one shared room for guests, and I’m a single woman with children. Then I go and state very clearly that discriminatory practices aren’t welcome here. :stuck_out_tongue: I’m just waiting for someone to argue with me over that - but to me it makes sense and it’s not that I don’t want men here, just that it would be difficult given our situation.

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To all posters who are asking questions about legality; please tell us what country and state you are in.

If you are in the U. S. age discrimination (in employment) is against the law if the applicant is over 40 years old. Using the dictionary definition of discrimination, you are discriminating by age.

Children under the age of 18 are minors and not able to accept the TOS that Air requires upon booking. They cannot do anything legal at all without their parents’ signature. You are not discriminating and your are in the right for turning away these teens, which are still children in the eyes of the law,

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I believe that the original poster doesn’t accept guests under 18 years old even if they are coming with an adult.

Many resorts like Club Med, etc. are adult-only accommodations – no one under the age of 18 is allowed. That doesn’t just mean you have to be an adult to legally make a booking, but there is no one under the age of 18 allowed on the property.

This is a totally different issue from age discrimination in employment practices.

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Up to you also whether you take children. There’s really no grey area here. Children under the age of 18 are not adults and cannot legally book a place on Air. Look at the TOS. You have to be at least 18 and maybe even older. This is in the US of course.

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I never said that children under 18 could agree to the Airbnb Terms of Service. As far as I know they cannot have Airbnb accounts.

We may be confused about what the OP is exactly asking. Does he not want to take children under 18 with their parents present, or does he think he had to rent to them if they enquire. I ask for over 25, but often younger guests ask and promise they will be good, in all cases, they are!

@konacoconutz I take this to mean children traveling with their parents.

The OP can say no to any children!

This is a bit irrelevant but I’m going to say it anyway :slight_smile:

I do not allow children (0 - 12) but some of my nicest, best guests have been teenagers. (18-ish). Please don’t discriminate against teenage guests - in my experience they are wonderful.

In my case, they have been totally respectful, tidy & clean and have been the ONLY guests who have been environmentally friendly - for example sorting out their recycling trash and turning off the AC when they leave.

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If you are located in U.S. …be weary.

There are certain laws. I can’t go over every one this second. But there are laws that you cannot even recommend “no children” because you may be discriminating. This all depends on your type of rental, etc. But U.S. will also allow crazies to sue you. There are always exceptions. I am shocked that Airbnb allows us to select and check off whether it is suitable for children. In general, in the U.S. that is totally illegal. What most are doing is discriminating against children. I get it…you get it… but it is against the law. The parents are the ones to decide (those who don’t read).

I’m not the slightest bit confused. The original poster doesn’t allow guests under the age of 18 under any circumstances.

The original poster appears to be confused as he/she says that someone on Facebook said that he/she was discriminating and went on to ask if he/she is breaking any Airbnb rules. As I said, he/she is definitely discriminating by the dictionary definition of the word, but is not breaking the law, nor Airbnb’s rules. I think that everyone is getting their knickers in a bunch because they think discriminating always carries a negative connotation. Once again look at the dictionary definition.

I don’t discriminate among Airbnb guests. I take everyone as I have Instant Book enabled with no filters.

In other areas of my life, I am very discriminatory. I only have rescue pets, none from breeders. I don’t watch violent movies. I don’t eat meat or poultry.

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This isn’t about being pretentious and discriminating.

There are certain laws in the U.S. where you can be fined by the government for even advertising any kind of discrimination - depending on your type of rental. I understand why the law is there… but it does get abused.

Guys…you can be fined by the U.S. government for mentioning any kind of “preference” for not allowing children. I am not making this up. This is the truth. There are exceptions…this is not common law that most average people know.