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Robert Harris ends up with an Airbnb in a high-crime neighborhood after his first rental falls through. Does he have to accept it, or can he get a refund?

Q: I had a long-term Airbnb booked in Washington, D.C., but my host canceled. Airbnb helped me rebook another location with a slight discount. I was just checking the new area out a few days ago when I realized that it is in a really dangerous area with super-bad murder and auto theft rates, as well as news articles mentioning my street by name.

I brought all this up with Airbnb's support staff and got the response that Airbnb doesn't really care about the locality, just the place. There have been multiple murders on my street, and I can't park at the place. I have to park down the street, so the locality is important as I have to walk through it each day.

I feel unsafe, and I really want to get a refund. I don't think it's fair that Airbnb offers a place like this. I also don't think Airbnb should have sent me this listing after my first rental fell through. Can you help me? -- Robert Harris, Harrisonburg, Virginia

A: Airbnb shouldn't have stuck you with a rental in a high-crime neighborhood. According to its published policy, if your host cancels, it will help you find "a similar place." But that was not a similar place.

Here's where things went sideways. An Airbnb representative offered to accommodate you, and you accepted the new rental. You could have researched the neighborhood and crime statistics before you said "yes" -- not afterward.

Some Airbnb apartments won't disclose the address until after you've rented. That's fine. I think if you'd said something shortly after you decided on the new place, Airbnb would have been able to help. Some Airbnbs have a generous cancellation policy, which would have allowed you to cancel your rental and receive a full refund.

I also agree with you that Airbnb should not offer a home in an unsafe neighborhood. And if people were being murdered on your street, I would say this is a red flag.

I reviewed the paper trail between you and Airbnb. It's difficult to read your interactions. You repeatedly state that you feel unsafe and would like a refund. An Airbnb "ambassador" -- the word they use for a customer service agent -- then repeats what you said and dismisses your complaint.

You furnished Airbnb with ample evidence that the rental was in a dangerous neighborhood. I can't believe it insisted on keeping your reservation. (Technically, it said you could get a partial refund and that it was up to your host, but still.)

An appeal to one of the Airbnb executives might have helped. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the Airbnb customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

I love the way this case was resolved. You finally reached Airbnb by phone and talked them into a partial refund. I also contacted Airbnb on your behalf, and it upped the offer to a full refund of the $1,500 you had spent on the apartment.

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Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.

(c) 2024 Christopher Elliott

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