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So the house I manage is on the end of street that is getting gentrified on the south side of Atlanta. However, the side of the street the home is on is still very run down. To the right of the home is an empty lot constantly riddled with garbage and to the left there is a run down bodega just 3 lots downs where the residential homeless and crackheads hangout. Across the street is a 4plex that is also quite run down with residents outside often.
We had 3 young women (18 years old) that were in town in a Christian leadership summit. When they arrived at the home the stated there was a car with two men out front of the house and as they approached the house to go in they said there were a couple men from the bodega walking towards the home.
When they got inside, they were scared and noticed there was an alarm and considered getting the code from us so they could use it, however, when they checked the back porch they say this and thought someone was possibly living on the back porch. Or using it for something. There was a few grocery bags full of trash broke open and scattered (cleaning lady didn’t retrieve trash from last guest).
After seeing that, they felt unsafe and called 911. They said when the cop arrived he advised them that it wasn’t a safe place for three young girls to stay. The guest also said that the neighbors across the street told them to stay safe. So, ultimately they said they would like a refund and left.
The owner, is not happy. He said the cop told him he did NOt tell the girls no to stay there. He said the garbage outside is the only thing he has to take responsibility for but that it does not warrant a refund just because the guests didn’t like the Neighborhood.
From a mom of a daughter, which I am, who has spent time in several hoods, I see how he could feel offended and as if it’s a racist situation almost. However, I as a 44 year old women, would not feel safe to stay there. There are crackheads on the corner just a couple lots down constantly. Its an end of a street that Butts up against a major thoroughway. Anything could go down and I can totally see how 3 young girls from Alabama who have probably never been that close to the hood, could easily feel unsafe. Looking at the situation holistically, I feel they have every reason to feel that way. However, not being in this situation as a host before, I’m not sure if it warrants a full refund and would like advice please. Thank you.
Hi, just to clarify please. It looks as though you manage this property for another host, is that correct? I’m not sure about what’s involved so don’t know about the financial side or who agrees to a refund or who pays for it.
There will be others on here who know about that.
But just from a personal view, mother of 4 grown, having had to remove one of my daughters from a supposed university checked rental, which turned out to be a former drug dealing house.
If you yourself wouldn’t feel safe there, I would think very carefully about looking after such a volatile placed property. It’s always going to have the potential to be problematic and very time consuming to sort out .
Could any reviews reflect on you?
It sounds like a bit of a minefield to me, I’ll be interested to hear what other people think or can suggest. Do please let us know what happens : )
If you wouldn’t feel safe staying at a property then is it right for you to be acting as a co-host for it ??? @Brown8075
In terms of this situation, hopefully you and the owner made it clear in the listing (description and photos) what sort of neighbourhood the listing is located in, so guests are forewarned?
There is a difference between guests feeling uncomfortable because of the racial make-up of an area (not legitimate complaint about the location) and not feeling comfortable because there is anti-social behaviour and drug use around a listing and they feel unsafe (legitimate complaint).
At the end of the day it is the hosts listing and up to them to decide on whether to make a refund.
Of course if Airbnb decides to, they can over-ride the hosts refund policy regardless or what the host decides.
I wonder if Jesus would have had the same problem with going into that area preaching the Gospel and helping the poor? If you’re going to be a “Christian leader” then perhaps you ought to face and overcome challenges like this?
And someone thinks this is a good place for an AirBnB??? Are you kidding me? This is why Air gets a bad rap. I wouldn’t stay there, either, and I’ve lived in some “vibrant, multi-cultural” areas. Trash in the lot next door? Crack heads?
Why on earth are you managing this place? ANYONE staying at a property needs to feel safe and secure. I would not refund someone who stayed in a safe area of say, Harlem, but I would if crack heads were at the bodega.
@Brown8075 Just quit now, let the owner mange his slum building and stay out of it. If this listing stays up this sort of thing is going to keep happening. And BTW manager, how is it that the trash was left un emptied and someone squatting on back porch? Where is your responsibility here?
Something doesn’t sound quite right here… is this the co-host? The way this is written it sounds more like one of the “young ladies” might be fishing for hints on asking for compensation. ???
Blockquote However, I as a 44 year old women, would not feel safe to stay there.
What a bizarre situation you find yourself in. If you as a fully grown woman would not stay in your own AirBnb, how can you expect anyone else to stay there. I feel sorry for these three girls who were totally duped by the sounds of things. The AirBnb you are running is not fit for purpose. Since you will need to shut down your operation anyways, not sure if it really matters what you do with this particular guest but the decent thing would be to provide a full refund.
I agree that this is a weird post. I assume the owner doesn’t live there which is why he has a co-host? But that co-host doesn’t do the cleaning? And the owner talked to the cop about this? What a great use of law enforcement resources in Atlanta. And how does the owner make any money paying a co-host and a cleaning lady. Does the cleaning lady feel safe going there? But hey, the neighbors are friendly.
Anyway, regardless of who is posting the story and why, Airbnb is going to give these women a refund if they ask for it and they almost certainly won’t delist this Airbnb unless everyone who stays there complains.
3 young Christian girls from Alabama walk into an Atlanta bodega…
If you wouldn’t stay there, that says it all. I would cut my losses and get out of this business relationship. We live in the historic district of Savannah, a diverse city, and I occasionally get guests who are uncomfortable due to the diversity of the population. Occasionally it will pop up in a review, and I have had a few guests ask extensive, coded “safety” questions, always an awkward moment because it’s difficult to allay those kind of fears when people are outright prejudiced. But that is not what you are talking about – the neighborhood you describe sounds truly unsafe. Do you feel okay there during the day?
Neighbors once called police about one of my guests and when I called the police station they wouldn’t even give me any information about who responded to the call or what they did. I’m not in Atlanta but it sounds like an amazingly responsive police force on the most trivial of issues. I’m surprised anyone could feel unsafe with such great policing.
When I first moved to my neighborhood there was a very lively crack house 3 doors down. I described my area as “in transition”,that there was “one bad house and to stay away from it” and “best to be escorted at night”, a service I offered to provide.
That situation has changed for the better. I am also involved in a community action to clean up garbage. But you can just call city hall.
There is no way the officer told them to leave. Too bad they didn’t speak to you before placing the call.
These girls are very young and probably haven’t travelled much.
If it were me, I would offer to rehouse them if they are not comfortable. I would also point out that you have had X number of guests previously without issue. I would not refund their stay to date.
Whether they get a refund or not, I hope they leave an accurate review.
This topic gets really touchy. I’ve heard some guests say “there should be standards! People shouldn’t host in some neighborhoods!”
At least in the US, that statement falls right into a tangled mess of poverty and race.
How much responsibility do guests bear in doing their homework? I’m a fairly seasoned traveler and know to look up info on neighborhoods before I start searching on Air. Before booking I always drop a pin on Google street view to walk the neighborhood. An 18 year old from the sticks may never have considered the need for that kind of research, but anyone with life experience would be skeptical of (what I assume is) a too-good-to-be-true price in a downtown location.
I don’t know. I’ve seen hosts here post about their bad experiences and they should know all the tricks of the trade. Thing is people post here about places but without seeing the places, we just can’t know. Is it a $15 4.4 star place in Naples where prices average $27 a night? And they are complaining there is no AC?
I know nothing about a gentrifying street in Atlanta but I do know something about 18 year olds from Alabama attending “christian leadership summits.” Thing is, it wouldn’t be fair to make assumptions about either with the information given.
Not possible.
Under the new policy the host can ask the review to be removed.
You are not allowed to comment on the kind of people living in the neighborhood.
