Of late I have found the words “new to AirBnB” to mean trouble! I have tried in my AirBnB listing to make sure guests know what to expect from ME so they can decide if this is the right venue for their visit. Of late I am finding that “new” guests are young, and have no home training! I have a caveat in my listing that states 21 and up only. I have this is part because I find that kids are not good guests. They flop on furniture, don’t pick up after themselves and are basically needy. They want to do all sorts of things that I do not allow (swim in my pool, play on pool table, play their games on my TV, etc). Plus I don’t like kids! Love MY kids and grand kids, just not someone else’s kids! And teenagers just stink! They can’t help it. Anyhow…now I am finding that since I lowered my price for winter, I am again getting “new” guests / first timers. Twice this month I had 4 friends stay (4 each time), and all they wanted was a place to stay that was not a dorm room or a barracks. They brought suitcases of beer instead of luggage! There is nothing in my listing that says - “hey come sit around my house and drink beer all day.” One set of guests I KNOW had underage friends after he assured me everyone was over 21. At least AirBnB backed me up when I pointed out the 10:00 pm house rule of quiet time. They left and did not come back and tried to get a refund. Nope…not sorry! I didn’t tell them they had to leave. Just follow the rules. Then they gave me a bad review. So with this last group - I THOUGHT I had made myself clear by calling in advance and making sure that he had read the whole listing…was everyone over 21; what are your plans (he said hang out at the beach…they didn’t); reviewed the fact that I LIVE HERE (new folks always think they have the place to themselves for some reason); when were they going to be checking in (he said he would come early and his friends would be along later…he got there at 9:15 pm and one friend didn’t get there till midnight).
So wrapping up a really long story…I went up on my rates for the weekend and when the guest is “new” to Airbnb and they plan to bring 3 friends, I am going to have to decline them.
This sounds horrible. I experienced the same thing in the first quarter of last year. But I take ownership for having rates too low. Also I want to know what they will be doing. Accommodating a bunch of underage kids could come back to haunt. Especially if they’re driving.
If I were inclined to go back through my archive I could probably find where I have it in writing from AirBnB that, absent overriding local law/regulations, I cannot restrict guests to the full legal age of majority, 21, on their platform … and actually said in writing they consider this age discrimination. I didn’t realize it was 18+ and not 21+ until I got my first group which was a group of teenagers and a couple of 20 yr olds
so that rule is not in place there on our listing like it is elsewhere where the platform respects my private property rights and liability concerns a lot more imho…
That said, the under 21 group was new to the platform and left the house in fine shape. I would host them again.
So as not to run afoul of Air’s virtue signaling, er, I mean ToS, I changed the rule to say all minors must be accomanied by a parent or guardian, quiet hours and no amplification of sound are in the rules, along with stern warnings about occupancy limits. When we think objectively, none of those problems are exclusive to an age group. The worst guests I have had were in their 30s and 40s… old enough to know better than the messes they left and dumb shiz they did.
I read it as more of a suggestion. But why would anyone want to stay if you said you didn’t want them there? i.e. over 21. I’ve had potential guests ask if I was okay with “clothing optional.”
Why does Airbnb allow hosts to discriminate on the basis of age or familial status?
Airbnb is committed to developing an inclusive and respectful community that is welcoming of all people, but some listings have features that may be of concern to families traveling with children or infants. Where the law allows, hosts can place some reasonable restrictions on use of their listing, but if any guest feels they have been discriminated against because of their age, we will immediately investigate and help the guest find a place to stay.
Because age is a protected status. Nudists aren’t protected under civil rights or housing laws.
And also, the US is litigious. There’s at least a few people who make their money suing hosts for making discriminatory statements in their listings.
Air expects you to host anyone who can legally and safely book.
Kids under 18 can’t legally book.
You can say you won’t host infants or children, but it’s expected that’s for safety reasons, not your own prejudice. A host of a tree house or cliff-side rental can do that.
An 18 year old is a legal adult and Air says to host on their site you can’t prevent them from staying unless it’s a legal requirement of your HOA/community. Like someone who lives in a retirement community can require guests be 55+.
Now legally, under housing law, you as a homeowner sharing part of your home can be as selective as you like. The tricky part is that you’re not allowed to advertise this fact. That’s why Air changed the “not suitable for children” to “may not be suitable”. When you signed up to Airbnb you agreed to be even less discriminatory than you’re allowed under US law.
As much as I dislike it, it’s not a ‘suggestion’. I realize there are lots of listings like this, but they are one guest complaint away from a problem. Don’t shoot the messenger. I went to my archive:
I didn’t add this rule, btw. If they are MIP (minor in possession) you boot them for illegal activity if you see evidence of it. The rule is pointless for that reason, not to mention 100% unenforceable for a remote host anyway.
I find it so infuriating that Airbnb expects us to make a house rule for things that are illegal under state/federal law.
If a minor on my property is breaking laws, does it really need to be a house rule to get Airbnb’s help? If I have to add “no rape, no murder, no extortion, no quid pro quo, no grabbing by the pussy” to my house rules for every code from municipal to federal, its going to get ridiculous.
I recommend not following that advice. There is no need to reiterate the criminal code. Illegal activity is already covered in the ToS
However in the example here, alcohol possession isn’t illegal everywhere Airbnb operated at the same age. The drinking age is 18 in most countries but it can vary wildly around the world.
When I lived in Rota about 1998 they raised the drinking age in Spain from 16 to 18. However, nobody ever bothered to take the Cruzcampo (Spain’s Busch) out of the unmanned vending machines on the sidewalks.
Out of interest I didn’t know it was illegal to accept under 21’s to book accommodation in your country @Allison_H
It’s not.
I don’t see that she said that but I’m not going to re-read the whole thread. It seems she is criticizing Airbnb for copping out on the age thing (from Lone Star’s repost of the message from Airbnb)
It isn’t illegal to accept under 21’s, but it IS illegal for a minor to be in possession of alcohol.
In the correspondence LoneStar quoted, the Airbnb rep makes it the host’s responsibility to add this information to the house rules:
"If the local law of your country is prohibiting the possession of alcohol for persons below the age of 21, you could add in the description and house rules as well that: the guests who are not at least 21 years old cannot consume or possess alcohol on your property.
This way you will be able to contact us and request assistance if one of the guests is violating the house rules"
That sounds to me like Airbnb will only help enforce LAWS on my property if I’ve also included them in my house rules. Which, excuse my French, is really fucking stupid.
It’s illegal for someone under 21 to drink alcohol. If the cops see me as approving or enabling that behavior, I’d also be charged. But Airbnb will only help enforce this federal law if I’ve also included it in my house rules? 
Why is Airbnb making me responsible for educating guests on state and federal law?
Do I need to include all 830 chapters of the Michigan Compiled laws? Just the subsections on criminal offenses?
My house rules would look like that crazy dude with 100 house rules with footnotes.
We shouldn’t be calling AirBnB except to cancel the reservation if we witness illegal activity… after we’ve called and reported it to the police and ejected the riffraff.
I don’t assume that the ‘helpful’ advice I received is AirBnB’s policy. The rep said I ‘could’ add this rule. I took it as a pat on the head like ‘there there go away now, peasant.’
Edited to add: If you feel like you need to cover it in your own rules, one sentence will do: No illegal activity or you’re out on your ass, Cowboy. 
I think it’s been said already that it’s illegal to discriminate based on age. Denying a guest who’s 19 is the same as denying a guests who’s 79 - it’s illegal.
Perhaps you should consider raising your rates. It will screen our bargain hunters, and “real adults” can afford higher rates. Don’t try to compete with the lowest offers out there.
OTOH, we’ve had lots of new Airbnb uses, young and old(er), and we’ve not had any issues. Actually, some of the younger ones have been fun to hang out with and play games. Maybe rethink how you’re hosting.
It’s absolutely not illegal in my state. I can and do require guests to be at least 21 on the other platforms. This is AirBnB’s ToS.
I understand that in some places, people claim it’s legal to discriminate, but the legal age of an adult in the United States is 18. You can even rent a car in most cases. In some cases you only need to be 16 rent an accommodation.
You have to be at least 18 to create an account on Airbnb. Airbnb’s ToS may allow hosts to discriminate based on age where it might be legal, but generally, in most cases, 18 is the legal age to enter into a legal contract.
It’s illegal to discriminate based on age where I live, and I feel if you’re old enough to die for my country, you’re old enough to have a bed to sleep in.
We can argue about this all day, but discrimination is discrimination. I think most warm blooded Americans know the legacy of discrimination is in this country.
I am not interested in debating what the full age of majority should be, and we aren’t going to argue for one minute.
You just did.
As a gay person, it’s perfectly legal for most hosts in most states to deny me accommodations.
For the record, I don’t want tRump sympathizes sleeping in my house. Now that’s perfectly legal anywhere.