Rahama Wright thought her Airbnb allowed kids.
She thought wrong.
She found herself homeless on the streets of Chicago during one of the busiest times of the year — and Airbnb wouldn’t give her a refund.
Can Wright rescue this Airbnb stay?
Let’s find out.
Wright’s case is important to anyone traveling with kids. Many Airbnb guests choose a rental because it’s child-friendly (or so they think).
I’ll tell you what happened to Wright and how she ended up on the street. We’ll also review Airbnb’s policy on kids and what to do if you’re ever evicted.
So let’s get to Wright’s story.
Kicked out of my Airbnb for complaining
After Wright’s family checked in, they discovered the host hadn’t cleaned the place properly. The bathrooms were filthy, the carpets hadn’t been vacuumed, and the kitchen looked like someone had just prepared a meal in it and left. Yuck.
“We took extensive photos documenting how dirty the place was,” says Wright.
She expected the host to clean the rental. But that’s when he turned on them, she says.
“The host became angry at our request,” she says.
Instead of promising to clean the apartment, he retaliated.
“Without notice, he asked us to leave. Then he changed the code to the apartment, locking us out.”
Seriously?
Seriously. The host alleged that she had brought children into the rental without permission, even though Wright has written evidence that she disclosed that she had kids, including an infant.
“This left us stranded without many options for housing,” says Wright.
Fortunately, a friend helped her family find another place. But now they had to get their money back from Airbnb. And that wouldn’t be easy.
“We did nothing wrong”
Reading the thread between Wright and Airbnb is cringeworthy. She repeatedly asks Airbnb for help, and Airbnb seems to ignore her.
First, she notes that the host wanted to kick her out. But Airbnb only says it will circle back with the host, and then appears to go silent.
Next, she asks Airbnb for help getting alternate accommodations. But Airbnb doesn’t give her a meaningful response, either.
Then she asks for a refund. Airbnb says it will ask the host, but she never hears from the platform again.
“We did nothing wrong,” says Wright in one of the exchanges. “This host should NOT be on the Airbnb platform.”
There are two explanations:
First, Airbnb was just tone-deaf to her complaints.
Second, I don’t have a complete thread. Wright didn’t share the exchanges between her and the host, so there’s some missing information.
But there’s enough information to know that something went terribly wrong here. You can’t just kick a family out of an Airbnb and change the locks.
Or can you?
What’s Airbnb’s policy on kids?
Airbnb allows kids in its rentals — but there are limits.
There’s no blanket ban on children staying in Airbnb accommodations. But it’s not always straightforward: While Airbnb as a platform welcomes families, individual hosts have the final say on whether their property is suitable for children.
How to find out if your Airbnb accepts kids
You can determine if your Airbnb rental accepts kids by doing the following:
- Read the listing carefully. Hosts can specify if their place is family-friendly or has age restrictions.
- Look for “family/kid friendly” amenities: This search filter can help you find the right place — and avoid the wrong place.
- Safety first: Not all properties are childproofed. Check for potential hazards in the listing’s photos and description.
- Extra guests, extra fees: Some hosts charge additional fees for children and even infants. Always disclose the exact number of guests, including kids.
Most important, you’ll need to communicate with your host if you have any questions about your kids. Most hosts are understanding when a family stays in their rental and can sometimes offer a crib or toys for the children. They can also remove fragile items before your visit.
But what happens when your Airbnb host claims you moved into a place with kids without telling him, as Wright’s did?
What should you do if your host kicks you out of your Airbnb?
No one should ever get evicted from a vacation rental. But it happens.
To avoid an eviction, I recommend reading the house rules and Airbnb’s policies. Airbnb has strict rules against having parties, and it will almost always stand behind a host who removes you from a property for partying.
Similarly, Airbnb has little sympathy if you smoke in someone’s house or make loud noises or try to set up a meth lab.
But if your host tries to remove you because you wore shoes in the house — Airbnb will probably not support such a move.
Here’s what you need to know if you find yourself suddenly without a place to stay:
- Don’t panic. If your host kicked you out of your accommodations without cause, Airbnb should be able to find a place for you to stay.
- Preserve your documents. Channel your inner accountant and keep all receipts, voicemails and text messages. You may need them if you have to fight for a refund. Note the exact time of your eviction. Take pictures and videos of the problem.
- Contact Airbnb immediately: Don’t wait to report the issue. You can use the Airbnb app or website to contact customer service. Calmly explain the situation. Ask about their immediate assistance options.
Note: If a host cancels your reservation while you’re still in the property, Airbnb will not pay the host or will reduce the payout by the amount refunded to their guest. So in case you’re wondering — Airbnb has your money, not the host.
Can Airbnb keep your money after you get kicked out?
My advocacy team and I couldn’t believe that a heartless Airbnb host would evict a family with an infant after they had the audacity to ask him to clean his rental. If that’s true, then the host really shouldn’t be on the platform.
But there are two sides to every story, and we don’t have the other side. Wright didn’t share any of the messages with the host or even his name, which left my team at a disadvantage.
So what could we do? We could ask Airbnb for its side of the story. After all, the platform had taken her money and hadn’t paid the host. So it would need to refund her.
I should note that Airbnb hasn’t been all that talkative lately. The company, if it responds to my team’s advocacy requests, will offer a terse, generic statement but will never disclose any details. So I was not surprised when Airbnb acknowledged my email and then went silent. But a week later, we heard from Wright.
“Airbnb contacted me and issued a full refund,” she told me. “Thank you for your help. You are a miracle worker!”
So in the end, Airbnb didn’t do anything wrong. Too bad our team had to get involved to right this wrong.
Wright’s case is a stark reminder that in the world of vacation rentals, “host” and “hostile” are sometimes separated by just a few letters. Always be ready to fight for your rights – and your refunds.
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