Renting While Black

[sfy]

This topic brought to you by my husband's recent work trip. [Info about DH's experience removed]  On the way back to his 40 minute away Airbnb , he was relaying some of this to his Uber driver, an older black man, who deadpanned, "That sounds like something Dre's boss would say on "blackish."  Sad, but true.  Anyway, I found out this is coming soon!  innclusive.com/.  So Airbnb can kiss my black ass (angel) .  I like hotels, crisp white linens, maid service and breakfast buffets anyway, so I don't even have a profile, but still...I'll definitely never have one now lol.

BBC Trending
Renting while black
14 May 2016
Blog by Emma Wilson

Some African American users of Airbnb suspect that on occasion it's more than just bad luck when they've tried to book a property that seemed to be available only to be told by the owner that it's no longer free.

The company says it doesn't tolerate racial or sexual discrimination by those who advertise with them. But some customers say they have had problems and they've been using the using the hashtag #Airbnbwhileblack to share their negative experiences of trying to make a booking. Here are a couple of their comments:



[img src="http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w481/theintended/emotion-43.gif" alt="" src="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/170F9/production/_89675449_f29a1929f3-4e2e-b904-40f66a857be8.jpg" style="max-width:100%;"]

One person who got the online conversation going was Greg Selden. He's 25 years old and lives in Virginia.

Twitter @_GSelden
Greg Selden tweeted about his experiences

When he enquired about one property he was told by the host it was no longer available. But, he says, that when he later continued his search, he found the same space listed as still being available. "At that point I got a little curious, I wanted to investigate and see why he might have told me it was unavailable, but it was still listed," he told BBC Trending. "And that's when I made the additional profiles and reached out to him where he actually did end up accepting my request."

Selden created two fake profiles - one as a white male with the same age and information as his real profile and another as an older white male. He used them to request to rent the same property which he had tried to book before. "When I reached out to the host, he actually ended up accepting both of my requests," he said.

"Honestly I was a little shocked and disappointed. I wasn't sure what about my profile was so different - other than the colour of my skin," Selden told Trending. He said that when he approached the host to raise the matter the man accused him of "playing the victim".

Selden added: "I proceeded to let him know that I had the additional screenshots showing I requested the same dates under another profile which he accepted." Selden says he received no explanation from the host.

Trending contacted the host in question and he disputed Selden's claims. The host said the reason he had turned down Selden's request was because the requested booking was for a single night and the cleaning required for such a short rental would be a hassle. He added that his wife was in general not comfortable with young male guests staying at the house when he was away. He also said Selden's profile had no reviews.

As a final note he added it "just didn't feel right. It was a gut feeling.. I have hosted African Americans before. That gave him no ground to prove that I'm rejecting him based on his race. He is just trying to victimise himself."

It's difficult to know for certain the reasons why some people are being rejected when they try to make bookings on Airbnb. Sometimes hosts say it's because a regular user has come into town, or a family member wanted to use it, or they don't accept bookings for just one day.

But one study of the actions of hosts on Airbnb has suggested that there is some discrimination against black customers. In an experiment conducted by the Harvard Business School, around 6,000 requests were sent using fake profiles to test whether or not racial bias existed.

Benjamin Edelman, an Associate Professor at the Harvard Business school, told BBC Trending that they had found "the guests with African American names had a distinctive problem, they were about 15% less likely to be accepted, time and time again."

So, whose responsibility is it to try to tackle discrimination? Airbnb is a global business covered by anti-discrimination laws, but it doesn't own the properties featured on the site. So what legislation governs what criteria individual hosts can legitimately use to make a decision about who stays in their home? Anti-discrimination laws differ around the world, which makes the situation very complex.

As Airbnb is based in California, we asked a lawyer there whether Airbnb could be potentially liable in the United States if hosts racially discriminate there. "The Fair Housing Act is a federal statute and it almost certainly applies to a company that's engaged in making housing available on a widespread basis," David Oppenheimer told Trending.

"There's an exception under the Fair Housing Act for boarding houses and roommate situations that might apply to the individual renters but it wouldn't apply to the company itself. But as to the broad question as to whether Airbnb is potentially liable to a case of discrimination… Yes, they have potential liability."

So what do Airbnb have to say about this?

They've released a statement which says they take the issue of discrimination "incredibly seriously".

"We have removed hosts from our community who discriminate against guests because of their race or sexual orientation or other factors and we will continue to do so."

The statement also outlines steps the company has taken to try and stop discrimination, such as unconscious bias training.

Greg Selden told us that he believes Airbnb should strengthen their anti-discrimination policies, but urges hosts to to think about the fact that they might get enquiries from people from different backgrounds. "You should be open to that, and if you're not open to that, maybe you shouldn't post it on Airbnb!"

Source:  www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35464634

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[NitaX]

Color me not shocked. It's like hailing a taxi. No lie, I was a tad bit worried about this when I was using Uber for the 1st time. I wasn't sure if my obviously ethnic 1st name would scare people off and not accept my ride requests.

[redheadbaker]

I've seen several articles recently where POC were turned down on AirBnB ("oh, it's been rented by somebody else") only to see the place still listed days later. When the person makes a fake profile as a white person, they are accepted.

Post-racial society my ass.

[iammalcolmx]

sfy, you know I am sitting here angry right? I am horrified your husband had such a bad time.

[mominatrix]

mumblegrumble

housing discrimination is such a clusterfluck. and this is probably going to make it even more clustery.

part of the biggest problem with airbnb and similar is that it's unknown whether they fit the landlord definition under law. like, do they have enough units? are short term rentals included? so, there's a whole lot of jurisdictional mess BEFORE you even get to the actual issues.


...but HUD is getting involved, so somebody there thinks it's housing under the law.

IMHO, treating airbnb as 'public accommodations', as hotels are, is jurisdictionally easier (no need to prove number of units, etc), and DOJ has the tools to fight it if necessary.


[sorry for going all lawyery. this is what I did for years, and I immediately go to the intellectual, so, yeah. my bad.]

[elleblue]

That is totally something Dre's boss would say.

In all seriousness this kind of thing makes me rage. It's so gross and unfair. I hate people.

[darnkatz]

That makes me feel sick and angry for your husband, your family, and anyone else who has experienced this type of discrimination. This is such bullshit.

[WanderingWinoZ]

well, that's sufficiently awful.
It's like everyday there's new racist BS to deal with

[threejs]

sfy, So sorry your husband had to go through that. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.

[jeaniebueller]

That is awful. And awful that his coworkers and boss acted like it was NBD.

[WOT?*]

I would love to say "OMG, I can't believe this stuff happens today!" But I can't. And I'm white so I can only imagine. I don't have to live this every day. This makes me sad and outraged, another one of those "I don't know which to feel" things. One of them is pissed off for your husband, sfy. Not only did he have difficulty finding a place, but everyone around him was oblivious and unwilling to listen, learn and do anything about it in the future. Just "change your profile." Which is a totally What The Fuck reaction if there ever was one.

[mrsukyankee]

That is horrifying. I'm sorry on the behalf of more racist white people. Damn them!

[downtoearth]

Your poor husband. I mean, I read about that here on CEP, but the reality of that and his boss' response make it a million times more real. I loved your DH's response to his boss BTW.

[isabel]

WTF to your H's boss? That was completely out of line.

[itsme]

Jun 22, 2016 12:21:56 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Color me not shocked. It's like hailing a taxi. No lie, I was a tad bit worried about this when I was using Uber for the 1st time. I wasn't sure if my obviously ethnic 1st name would scare people off and not accept my ride requests.

My friend posted the other day that she is no longer using Uber because she has had two drivers cancel on her when they pulled up to pick her up.  She said they pulled up, looked at her, cancelled, and drove away.  She is black. 

[sfy]

Jun 22, 2016 14:27:14 GMT -5 itsme said:

Jun 22, 2016 12:21:56 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Color me not shocked. It's like hailing a taxi. No lie, I was a tad bit worried about this when I was using Uber for the 1st time. I wasn't sure if my obviously ethnic 1st name would scare people off and not accept my ride requests.

My friend posted the other day that she is no longer using Uber because she has had two drivers cancel on her when they pulled up to pick her up.  She said they pulled up, looked at her, cancelled, and drove away.  She is black. 

*sigh*
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[scm1011]

Ugh, I'm so sorry that happened to your DH.
And shame on his boss - I'm glad he didn't let that slide.

[Deleted]

I'm sorry your husband experienced that. And I'm sorry that people are racist assholes.

HUGE WTF to the manager suggesting he just change his picture. I bet that guy tells rape victims they shouldn't have worn short skirts, too. Sounds like a peach.

[sfy]

Jun 22, 2016 14:44:46 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

I'm sorry your husband experienced that. And I'm sorry that people are racist assholes.

HUGE WTF to the manager suggesting he just change his picture. I bet that guy tells rape victims they shouldn't have worn short skirts, too. Sounds like a peach.

She's a lady (not that women don't unfortunately say crap like that, too).
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[Deleted]

Jun 22, 2016 14:46:02 GMT -5 sfy said:

Jun 22, 2016 14:44:46 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

I'm sorry your husband experienced that. And I'm sorry that people are racist assholes.

HUGE WTF to the manager suggesting he just change his picture. I bet that guy tells rape victims they shouldn't have worn short skirts, too. Sounds like a peach.

She's a lady (not that women don't unfortunately say crap like that, too).
Save

How sexist was I to assume the manager was a man? A disgrace to my name, that's what I am.

[iammalcolmx]

Jun 22, 2016 14:27:14 GMT -5 itsme said:

Jun 22, 2016 12:21:56 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Color me not shocked. It's like hailing a taxi. No lie, I was a tad bit worried about this when I was using Uber for the 1st time. I wasn't sure if my obviously ethnic 1st name would scare people off and not accept my ride requests.

My friend posted the other day that she is no longer using Uber because she has had two drivers cancel on her when they pulled up to pick her up.  She said they pulled up, looked at her, cancelled, and drove away.  She is black. 

Welp I am sure this will happen to me soon enough. My name doesn't give away that I am Black, but when they roll up and see me.............

[andwhat]

What in the actual fuck? This is so maddening.

And the study done. The "guests with African American names." I mean I know what they mean, but seriously.

[ufcasey]

I'm so angry for him, first for having to deal with the airbnb racism, but then to be put in the position for having to defend the fact that he shouldn't have to change his actions to avoid racism (and to his own manager no lesss!)

[sfy]

Jun 22, 2016 14:47:24 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Jun 22, 2016 14:46:02 GMT -5 sfy said:

She's a lady (not that women don't unfortunately say crap like that, too).
Save

How sexist was I to assume the manager was a man? A disgrace to my name, that's what I am.

Lol I was surprised.  It reminded me of that riddle (I first saw it told on the Cosby Show...why did you have to fuck up my childhood memories, Bill, you asshole?!) where the son and the father have an accident or something, and the son is taken to the operating room and the surgeon says, "I can't operate on him, that's my son?"  But the surgeon is the mother.  The details might be off, because I heard different versions of it after that, but that's the gist.  It's cool, harpy, we know your heart lol.  Institutionalized sexism is real!Save

[Deleted]

Jun 22, 2016 14:53:18 GMT -5 sfy said:

Jun 22, 2016 14:47:24 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

How sexist was I to assume the manager was a man? A disgrace to my name, that's what I am.

Lol I was surprised.  It reminded me of that riddle (I first saw it told on the Cosby Show...why did you have to fuck up my childhood memories, Bill, you asshole?!) where the son and the father have an accident or something, and the son is taken to the operating room and the surgeon says, "I can't operate on him, that's my son?"  But the surgeon is the mother.  The details might be off, because I heard different versions of it after that, but that's the gist.  It's cool, harpy, we know your heart lol.  Institutionalized sexism is real!Save

Right? Like, I really looked forward to showing my kids the "regular people" scene with the monopoly money. But now? Assbag.

[nicbreeful]

Not the same, but it reminded me of this:



Poor guys. :/

[jojoandleo]

Jun 22, 2016 15:06:51 GMT -5 nicbreeful said:

Not the same, but it reminded me of this:



Poor guys. :/

I do like the cop smiling in the background.  LOL

I mean, have these people never SEEN a frat house!?!  If I was going to discriminate, it would be against young white men.  

In all seriousness, I am sorry your husband had to deal with that.  That is next level bullshit, and his boss's response is infuriating.  It's ludicrous that she thought the problem was his PROFILE PIC.  NOPE!  And did she think this was some WISDOM she was imparting?  "Just pretend you aren't black!"  OH!  OKAY!  THAT WILL FIX IT!  THANKS FOR THE SOLID GOLD SHIT ADVICE!

[StrawberryBlondie]

Jun 22, 2016 15:06:51 GMT -5 nicbreeful said:

Not the same, but it reminded me of this:



Poor guys. :/

That smiling cop is cracking me up.

[sfy]

Jun 22, 2016 15:14:21 GMT -5 jojoandleo said:

Jun 22, 2016 15:06:51 GMT -5 nicbreeful said:

Not the same, but it reminded me of this:



Poor guys. :/

I do like the cop smiling in the background.  LOL

I mean, have these people never SEEN a frat house!?!  If I was going to discriminate, it would be against young white men.  

In all seriousness, I am sorry your husband had to deal with that.  That is next level bullshit, and his boss's response is infuriating.  It's ludicrous that she thought the problem was his PROFILE PIC.  NOPE!  And did she think this was some WISDOM she was imparting?  "Just pretend you aren't black!"  OH!  OKAY!  THAT WILL FIX IT!  THANKS FOR THE SOLID GOLD SHIT ADVICE!

Right.  Because if he had any contact with the owners and they realized he was black, and they really didn't want a black guy in their house, I'm sure that would go well.  Thanks, lady!
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[ttt]

"As a final note he added it "just didn't feel right. It was a gut feeling.. I have hosted African Americans before. That gave him no ground to prove that I'm rejecting him based on his race. He is just trying to victimise himself."


So you just had a bad feeling about this guy, but your gut was okay with two white guys who literally don't actually exist??