Abstract
This chapter explores available crime and safety data on home sharing compared to hotels. First, this chapter begins by highlighting two case studies that illustrate security and safety concerns: a murder and an accidental death occurring on Airbnb properties. Second, the lack of uniform quantitative crime data is discussed. Third, a review of qualitative reports of crime and accidents identifies security risks related to home sharing for both guests and hosts. This analysis shows that there are many crimes that occur at home shares which are unique to this type of lodging. Those include bait and switch, fake listings, illegal listings, and other frauds, enumerated here. The chapter closes with a review of safety concerns in hotels and home shares.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Works Cited
Airbnb. (2018). Airbnb introduces new global measures to help keep people safe. Airbnb.com. Retrieved from https://news.airbnb.com/new-safety-measures-2018/ on June 28, 2020.
Airbnb. (2020). Is my listing’s address visible on Airbnb? Airbnb.com. Retrieved from https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1502/is-my-listings-address-visible-on-airbnb on June 15, 2020.
Airbnb. (n.d.). What should I do if someone asks me to pay outside of the Airbnb website? Airbnb.com. Retrieved from https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/199/what-should-i-do-if-someone-asks-me-to-pay-outside-of-the-airbnb-website on July 4, 2020.
Associated Press. (2018). Woman’s sues after rental home was used to shoot pornography. Associated Press. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/577f18febd334b18b5c8fa0feacd370c/Woman-sues-after-rental-home-was-used-to-shoot-pornography
BBC. (2017). My Airbnb flat was turned into a popup brothel. BBC.com. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39528479
Bella, T. (2019). Which monkey is gonna stay on the couch?: Airbnb host kicks out black guests in racist exchange. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06/03/airbnb-racism-host-monkey-black-men-new-york/
Bench, A. (2019). Edmonton police looking for man after furniture and electronics stolen from damaged Airbnb property. Global News. Retrieved from https://globalnews.ca/news/6135205/edmonton-airbnb-rental-theft-martin-irwin/
Berghuis, K. (2018). Couple who rented out home as Airbnb found it covered in mystery stains after it was ‘used as brothel’ Mirror UK. Retrieved from https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/couple-who-rented-out-home-12978844
Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2008). National crime victimization survey data. BJS. Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=44 on July 2, 2020.
Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2018). Data collection: National crime victimization survey (NCVS). BJF. Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=245 on July 2, 2020.
Campbell, & Redick. (2020). Columbus police shut down 2 parties violating stay-at-home order and recover stolen guns. ABC6. Retrieved from https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/columbus-police-shut-down-2-partys-violating-stay-at-home-order-and-recover-stolen-guns
Chung, F. (2017). Residents powerless to stop Airbnb ‘partyhouses.’ The Queensland Times. Retrieved from https://www.qt.com.au/news/residents-powerless-stop-airbnb-party-houses/3192741/
Clowes, E., & O’Dwyer, M. (2019). Accenture bans staff from staying in Airbnb homes after violent burglary. telegraph.co.uk, December 7. Retrieved from https://advance-lexis-com.ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5XP1-7WK1-JCJY-G3NK-00000-00&context=1516831 on July 2, 2020.
Conti, A. (2019). I accidentally uncovered a nationwide scam on Airbnb. Vice.com. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/43k7z3/nationwide-fake-host-scam-on-airbnb
Docklands News. (2020). We live here. Docklands News, March 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.docklandsnews.com.au/columns/detail/we-live-here-march-2020_16142/
Ellery, B., Powell, M., & Atkinson, A. (2018). How Airbnb bandits rent out properties to prostitutes, drug dealers and party animals. Dailymail.com, December 30. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6538881/How-Airbnb-bandits-rent-properties-prostitutes-drug-dealers-party-animals.html on July 4, 2020.
Fasick, K., & Golding, B. (2016). My Airbnb rental turned out to be a secret brothel. New York Post, September 8. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2016/09/07/my-airbnb-rental-turned-out-to-be-a-secret-brothel/ on July 3, 2020.
Feith, J. (2019). Montreal condo complex hires private investigator to catch illegal Airbnb rentals. Montreal Gazette. Retrieved from https://montrealgazette.com/news/montreal-condo-complex-hires-private-investigator-to-catch-illegal-airbnb-rentals
Ferré-SadurnÃ, L. (2019a). Chelsea apartment! Only $90 a night! (Ignore the NYCHA sign). New York Times, November 9. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/09/nyregion/airbnb-new-york-nycha.html on July 3, 2020.
Ferré-SadurnÃ, L. (2019b). Inside the rise and fall of a multimillion-dollar Airbnb scheme. New York Times, February 23. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/23/nyregion/airbnb-nyc-law.html on July 3, 2020.
Fieldstadt, E. (2020). Man convicted of killing Florida woman at Costa Rica Airbnb sentenced to 16 years. NBC News, February 18. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-convicted-killing-florida-woman-costa-rica-airbnb-sentenced-16-n1138026 on July 3, 2020.
Finn, J. (2020). Airbnb scams and how to avoid them. Screenrant, February 04. Retrieved from https://screenrant.com/how-to-avoid-airbnb-scams/ on July 4, 2020.
Fokos, B. (2015). When your Airbnb guest won’t leave. San Diego Reader. Retrieved from https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2015/sep/09/feature-when-your-airbnb-guest-wont-leave/
Foster, A. (2019). Some Charlotte residents say they want to see more regulations for Airbnb rentals. 3 WBTV. Retrieved from https://www.wbtv.com/2019/11/06/some-charlotte-residents-say-they-want-see-more-regulations-airbnb-rentals/
Francis, B., & Littleson, R. (2020). More short stay abuse with no recourse for residents. CBD News. Retrieved from https://cbdnews.com.au/more-short-stay-abuse-with-no-recourse-for-residents/
French, K. (2017). Revealed: Airbnb host, 23, who advertised Harry Potter-inspired cupboard under the stairs to youngsters is a paedophile who was jailed for attacking children as young as 12. Daily Mail. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4502336/Harry-Potter-Airbnb-host-revealed-convicted-paedophile.html
Gill, M., Moon, C., Seaman, P., & Turbin, V. (2002). Security management and crime in hotels. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 14(2), 58–64. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110210419237.
Golgowski, N. (2017). Couple uncovers hidden cameras in nightmare Airbnb stay: Police. Huffington Post, October 11. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hidden-cameras-airbnb-florida_n_59dd3171e4b01df09b76f949 on July 3, 2020.
Han, W., & Wang, X. (2019). Does home sharing impact crime rate? A tale of two cities. Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems, Munich, Germany. Retrieved from https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2019/sustainable_is/sustainable_is/6/ on July 3, 2020.
Hannam, K. (2017). Airbnb hosts in Australia charged with raping and murdering their guest. Fortune, October 30. Retrieved from https://fortune.com/2017/10/30/airbnb-murder-melbourne/ on July 4, 2020.
Hohman, M. (2018). Airbnb host claims nightmare guest raided locked bedroom, harassed her: ‘I could’ve been murdered.’ People.com. Retrieved from https://people.com/home/airbnb-guest-arrested-for-trespassing-host-says-he-harassed-her/
Hollan, M. (2020). Airbnb renter says couple left behind drugs, knives – And bloodstains. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2020/02/21/airbnb-renter-says-couple-left-behind-drugs-knives-and-bloodstains/
Howard, A. (2015). A man died at an Airbnb rental. Here’s how the company responded. Huff Post, November 10. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-death-at-an-airbnb-rental-puts-the-tech-company-in-the-hot-seat_n_5640db66e4b0b24aee4b18f7 on July 2, 2020.
Huang, W. S. W., Kwag, M., & Streib, G. (1998). Exploring the relationship between hotel characteristics and crime. Hospitality Review, 1(16), Article 9. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/hospitalityreview/vol16/iss1/9 on July 3, 2020.
Johnson, S. (2017). Watch out for this tricky Airbnb scam. The Computer Tutor. Retrieved from https://computertutorflorida.com/2017/08/watch-out-for-this-tricky-airbnb-scam/
Kennedy, H., et al. (2019). Reported fire safety and first-aid amenities in Airbnb venues in 16 American cities. Injury Prevention, 25, 328–330.
Kircher, M. (2016). Racist Airbnb host banned for harassing female grad student. NY Magazine, Intelligencer. Retrieved from https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/06/racist-airbnb-host-banned-for-harassing-female-grad-student.html
Kukura, J. (2020). Top 10 Airbnb scams bamboozling users out of money across the world. SFist, February 5. Retrieved from https://sfist.com/2020/02/04/top-10-airbnb-scams-bamboozling-users-out-of-money-across-the-world/ on July 4, 2020.
Lieber, R. (2014). A liability risk for Airbnb hosts. New York Times, December 5. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/06/your-money/airbnb-offers-homeowner-liability-coverage-but-hosts-still-have-risks.html on July 3, 2020.
Lieber, R. (2015a). Airbnb horror story points to need for precautions. New York Times, August 14. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/15/your-money/airbnb-horror-story-points-to-need-for-precautions.html on July 3, 2020.
Lieber, R. (2015b). Death in Airbnb rental raises liability questions. New York Times, November 13. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/your-money/death-in-airbnb-rental-raises-liability-questions.html on July, 2020.
Loew, M. (2020). Some Phoenix-area homeowners say short-term rentals wreaking havoc on their neighborhoods. AZFamily.com. Retrieved from https://www.azfamily.com/news/investigations/cbs_5_investigates/some-phoenix-area-homeowners-say-short-term-rentals-wreaking-havoc-on-their-neighborhoods/article_7e3d17c6-5912-11ea-8f40-57069787b6ff.html
Madan, M. O. (2018). Family of Florida woman killed in Costa Rica sues Airbnb. Miami Herald, December 22. Retrieved from https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article223476120.html on July 3, 2020.
Marchildon, J. (2018). Airbnb rentals are increasingly being used for human trafficking, police say. Global Citizen, February 23. Retrieved from www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/airbnb-human-trafficking/ on July 3, 2020.
Marie Claire. (2017). Female guest to sue Airbnb after assault allegations. Marieclaire.com. Retrieved from https://www.marieclaire.com.au/airbnb-guest-files-lawsuit-sexual-assault-allegations
McCleary, N. (2016). AirBnB assault suspect is Cumberland County high school teacher. The Fayetteville Observer, April 4. Retrieved from https://advance-lexis-com.ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5JHS-HJF1-DYNS-314K-00000-00&context=1516831 on July 3, 2020.
McIntosh, E. (2018). Airbnb rentals used for human trafficking, Toronto police say. The Star. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2018/02/22/airbnb-rentals-used-for-human-trafficking-toronto-police-say.html
Merlan, A. (2020). Here are the most common Airbnb scams worldwide. Vice, January 31. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/epgvm7/airbnb-scam-how-to-tell on July 4, 2020.
Morgan, R. E., & Oudekerk, B. A. (2018). Criminal Victimization. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=6686 on July 2, 2020.
Moyer, & Hsu, 2018 Man used Airbnb sites to stash marijuana in door-to-door delivery operation authorities say. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/man-used-airbnb-sites-to-stash-marijuana-in-door-to-door-delivery-operation-authorities-contend/2018/11/02/5e0166ba-deb6-11e8-8c8c-0ba13dcb935a_story.html
Newton, J. (2015). ‘Living and dying on Airbnb’: Son opens up about father’s death at rental home after he was killed on a rope swing by a falling branch. MAILONLINE, November 10. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3311574/Father-killed-Airbnb-rental-falling-branch-struck-head-sitting-rope-swing-suspended-tree-garden.html on July 3, 2020.
Nyheter, D. (2016). Stockholm prostitutes use Airbnb to set up makeshift brothels. Worldcrunch. Retrieved from https://worldcrunch.com/blog/stockholm-prostitutes-use-airbnb-to-set-up-makeshift-brothels
O’Connell, O. (2020). Security guard sentenced to prison for murdering U.S. woman in Costa Rica Airbnb. Independent, February 18. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/carla-stefaniak-airbnb-costa-rica-murder-bismarck-martinez-security-guard-a9342781.html on July 3, 2020.
Plautz, J. (2015). NYC politician goes undercover at Airbnb listings in illegal hotel sting. Mashable, May 1. Retrieved from https://mashable.com/2015/05/01/airbnb-sting-new-york-city/ on July 4, 2020.
Rivas, A. (2019) Airbnb couple finds hidden cameras in bathroom, bedroom: Lawsuit. NBC San Diego. Retrieved from https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/airbnb-guests-find-hidden-cameras-in-bathroom-bedroom-lawsuit/2109603/
Rosario, et al. (2014) Airbnb renter returns to ‘overweight orgy.’ New York Post. https://nypost.com/2014/03/17/airbnb-renter-claims-he-returned-home-to-an-orgy/
Sauchelli, D., & Golding, B. (2014). Hookers turning Airbnb apartments into brothels. New York Post, April 14. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2014/04/14/hookers-using-airbnb-to-use-apartments-for-sex-sessions/ on July 4, 2020.
Schneiderman, E. (2014). Airbnb in the City. New York State Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved from https://ag.ny.gov/pdfs/AIRBNB%20REPORT.pdf
Seth, A. (2017). Ontario family shocked to discover Airbnb renters using basement to distribute drugs. Global News, https://globalnews.ca/news/3843222/ontario-family-shocked-to-discover-airbnb-renters-using-basement-to-distribute-drugs/
Specia, M., & Mzezewa, T. (2019). Adventurous. Alone. Attacked. The New York Times, March 25. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/travel/solo-female-travel.html on July 4, 2020.
Stone, Z. (2016). Living and dying on Airbnb. Medium, November 9. Retrieved from https://medium.com/matter/living-and-dying-on-airbnb-6bff8d600c04 on July 3, 2020.
Susko, J., & Schrader, M. (2016). Porn industry uses Airbnb, rental houses for filming. NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved from https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/porn-industry-uses-airbnb-rental-houses-for-filming/2086679/
Syfret, W. (2017) Melbourne hosts have allegedly murdered a guest. Vice.com. Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/bj7jmd/melbourne-airbnb-hosts-allegedly-murdered-a-guest
Thomas-Wilson, S., & Lim, J. (2019) Airbnb drug lab bust lands two in court. The Advertiser. Retrieved from https://www.pressreader.com/australia/the-advertiser/20190521/281754155783232
Tikader, A. (2020). Airbnb guests cause £4,000 worth of damages. International Business Times. Retrieved from https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/airbnb-guests-cause-4000-worth-damages-1676853
Vadaj, R. (2020) Homicide investigation underway after 25-year-old man shot dead at his own birthday party by nephew in Cleveland. WBTV. Retrieved from https://www.wbtv.com/2020/04/26/homicide-investigation-underway-after-year-old-man-shot-dead-his-own-birthday-party-by-nephew-cleveland/
Villasanta, A. (2019). Airbnb scam: Users charged for fake bookings, hacked accounts deleted. International Business Times. Retrieved from https://www.ibtimes.com/airbnb-scam-users-charged-fake-bookings-hacked-accounts-deleted-2793311
Wiśniewska, A. (2019) Are Airbnb investors destroying Europe’s cultural capitals? Financial Times. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/2fe06a7c-cb2a-11e9-af46-b09e8bfe60c0
Xu, Y. H., Kim, J. W., & Pennington-Gray, L. (2017). Explore the spatial relationship between Airbnb rental and crime. Proceedings from Travel and Tourism Research Association: Advancing Tourism Research Globally. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2075&context=ttra on July 3, 2020.
Yaffe, N. (2019). Human trafficking training required for hotels/motels in California by year end. Fox Rothschild. Retrieved from https://californiaemploymentlaw.foxrothschild.com/2019/06/articles/advice-counseling/human-trafficking-training-required-for-hotels-motels-in-california-by-year-end/
Yuhas, A. (2015). Airbnb hosts return to find home trashed after ‘drug-induced orgy. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/30/airbnb-calgary-home-trashed-drug-induced-orgy
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Binns, C.A., Kempf, R.J. (2021). What Do We Learn from the Crime and Safety Data on Home Shares?. In: Safety and Security in Hotels and Home Sharing. SpringerBriefs in Criminology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59306-3_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59306-3_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-59305-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-59306-3
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)