Safety!!

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www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-124235

Rick 11 months ago shared on Anecdotes (Feb 2015)

Rick


Fearful guests

(sigh)....it has happened again...guests arrived yesterday again with the "is it a safe area" question...I'm getting annoyed at this & afraid that my responses are becoming "flippant"....as in: "well, we have open carry laws here, so strap on your firearms"...& "this is 'murica---be careful"....This time, I looked at them a bit quizzically & said: "you aren't americans, are you?"...they said "no, Canadians"...& added "we've seen a lot of ummmm "black people" around (!!!)....to which I responded..."oh yeah, Savannah is 60% black"....(look of wide eyed fear!!)...There was no point in continuing the conversation at this point...I'm expecting a "one star" rating for "location" in their review (if they leave one)...My sincere apologies to African American hosts!! What a load of garbage to have to deal with...& probably on a daily basis....thank you airbnb for opening my eyes to the small minded thinking of many guests!!
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Julie and Eric

Julie and Eric

Julie and Eric11 months ago
I think Becky said it best about a year ago. I'll paraphrase: sunshine is the best medicine for these ills. Shedding light and discussing fears and stereotypes can bring about understanding. Although, as a host, I can understand your annoyance with it, and your hesitation to discuss it.

I grew up in a very homogeneous area (98.9% white for hundreds of miles) and never saw a person of a different ethnicity or race until I was in high school. Luckily my parents never expressed racism (Grandpa didn't care for men in beards - he thought that meant they weren't honest - I think he made exceptions for the Amish). It's an interesting journey to learn about and live with a diverse population. Now I can't imagine life in a non-diverse setting.

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René

Rene

René11 months ago
Thank you for sharing Beck's wisdom and expanding on it with your own Julie. I'm half Okinawan like my mother. In my youth during short periods we were in the mainland US, I and my mother were (called) "Japs "(who, they believed, blew up Pearl Harbor). If given the rare chance, I described how my mom was pulled by the hands of her older siblings running away in horrid fear as the bombs fell that morning on the way to church. Later, her family and neighbors who only worked an island tofu factory, lived under house arrest. The change in how they looked at and treated my mother, brothers and me was remarkable. I believed they then shared that with others too. It was a lesson to me that we are so limited by what we are told...but can be unlimited by what we share. I learned real quickly how my slanted eyes and olive skin could help open more eyes and hearts from sharing rather than being defensive. I think AirBnB gives us that great opportunity!

Nic and Rach
Nic and Rach


Nic and Rach11 months ago
You could have mention " Cops are all over and they can shoot too " And if you play golf make sure not to hit a tree, there are talibans and some isis hiding in there. LOL I'm just kidding OK Seriously, I think guests are just throwing this questions just for them to feel at ease and it's really funny because they should'nt go to a place where safety is a question.

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Nic and Rach
Nic and Rach11 months ago
or a concern... Savannah is historical and beautiful We actually went there twice.

Stephanie & Eric

Stephanie and Eric
Stephanie & Eric11 months ago
same for us, although our guests haven't expressed the same concern. we send them a clear description of the real risks of the area in our house manual so they know what to expect. it's the city, stuff happens. this is what I love about airbnb - hotels & concierge don't challenge these beliefs (and often reinforce them unfortunately), but as a host the way you handle it gracefully can start to change those perceptions!

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Stephanie & Eric
Stephanie & Eric11 months ago
Neighborhood Safety - Because we live in the city, there are some guidelines for how to best keep you & your valuables safe. We love our neighborhood and have great neighbors, but there are petty theft car break-ins and occasionally more serious issues.
•Remove all car chargers, CDs, loose change, personal paperwork, and bags from car or put it in your trunk. Keep anything that might be considered valuable out of sight.
•If something can’t be brought inside (aftermarket stereo, etc.) let us know and we can have your car parked in the driveway overnight so it’s not on the street.
•Avoid walking after dark.
•Be aware of your surroundings, especially after 9PM.
Parking is on the street unless otherwise arranged.

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Andy, Ann & Kate

Andy, Ann
Andy, Ann & Kate11 months ago
HI Rick,

We host in Cape Town and this question of safety always comes up. We choose to explain one or two experiences that our guests have had over the years (nothing dramatic, happily), one thing that happened to us in 16 years, and then mention feeling VERY unsafe in Toronto once (yes, really) and how I had to go to Liverpool to get my very expensive Nikon stolen from under my nose. Then we ask about and discuss their experiences around the world. The usual conclusion is that the world is a weird place where you have to be careful virtually everywhere (except Singapore and Japan, perhaps?). Oh, and the only place where I ever faced a really angry man with a real gun, with two teenage girls in tow, was in Atlanta Georgia!

I think there is no merit in getting angry. As hosts we expect to meet anxiety and we expect to manage it.

Keep safe!
Regards,
Andy & Ann

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gene
Gene

gene11 months ago
Guests' safety is a genuine concern, and for a guest to ask about his relative safety in our rentals is altogether reasonable. Seems to me I must address the issue, subtly if possible, but directly when nesessary. In both my listings on Airbnb I deal with the issue of saftey in the pictures I display, and with the descriptions I have written. Generally, this approach has satisfied inquirers. Even so, sometimes inquirers want more information, and I try to be ready with true answers to their concerns.

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Rick
Rick11 months ago
Of course safety is a legitimate concern....I'm just opposed to the "nod, nod, wink, wink"---coded questions with a tinge of racism & prejudice. The what is "safe" question is a good one & can only be answered thru one's personal perspective..

Tali

Tali
Tali11 months ago
I'm sorry if I'm a minority here, but I think questions about safety are valid questions, especially when traveling with children ... I live in a very safe area and still get these questions, mainly from families.
How do you define a "safe area"? I think crime rates would would be helpful to mention to guests questioning safety..

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Rick
Rick11 months ago
I think providing crime statistics opens up a can of worms---what's normal in Miami may be shocking in Kansas City...

Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric11 months ago
This is in our urban area listing:

Q: Is it safe?
A: It depends on your definition of "safe" - we feel very comfortable here, but it is a city so attention should be paid to surroundings as incidents can occur in even the safest of places. Depending on the weather, you will probably find restaurant goers, dog walkers, runners/joggers, etc. out and about in the evening and even into the night as we are close to a relatively quiet bar district (Robinson St.).

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Deborah

Deborah
Deborah11 months ago
It's difficult when things like this come up. On the one hand, guests may have unfounded fears, irrational thinking, or a prejudicial view of some types of people, but on the other hand, we don't want to say things that will offend these same guests. I very much agree with Julie about Rebecca's way of approaching these issues -- through patience and education. As long as I don't feel personally accused by a guest's comments or fears, (eg, "shame on you, how could you have not told us that there was_____ in this neighborhood!" ), I am likely to be able to try to gently educate them or give them "tips" such as Stephanie and Eric mentioned above. We're all blind in some area and we all had some foolish or fearful idea/position at one time in our life, I try to recall, so this can help me be patient with others, particularly if I perceive them as fearful because they feel threatened or too vulnerable, so that I can feel parentally protective of them.

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Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric11 months ago
So I leave it up to the guests to define "safe area." They can look up crime statistics - I wouldn't want to bring that up due to the stigma of the word (despite every area having these stats), but they are more than welcome to research that if they like.

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gene
gene11 months ago
By the way, Airbnb just informed me I'm a designated Super Host ! (Am I now really in for trouble )

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Nic and Rach
Nic and Rach11 months ago
Congrats Gene ! You are not only Super Host but also Super Retired and Active. great for you Sir!!!

Lula

Lula
Lula11 months ago
And a kind member of the Welcome committee too. ;-)

Alexina



Alexina11 months ago
Now that's some news to Like! Congratulations, Gene!

gene
gene11 months ago
Gracias, Senyor.

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gene
gene11 months ago
Thanks, friends

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Nathalie et Claude


Nathalie et Claude11 months ago
I also have this question. I reply :"yes, it is safe". Without explaining. Even if i could. The area is very well protected (senators, jewels and luxury chops and rich people are here)

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gene
gene11 months ago
Anybody else having this experience: I hit the reply button, intending is this case to respond to Nathalie. I wrote a carefully crafted reply, then hit the Post Comment button and the whole response simply disappeared ! This is the third time this has happened (frustrating !)
??Am I doing something wrong???
???Is my computer screwed up???
?Is the Guatemala internet connection refusing to recognize a reply response?
??Am I just imagining all of this??

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Alexina
Alexina11 months ago
Gene, exactly what you described has happened to me: three times in three years. The previous times, I wrote to Airbnb, and they tried to pass it off on the internet, but I live in what could arguably be called the tech capital of the world, with all the big name tech companies (but if I name them, Airbnb will redact it) located both here and within an hour of me. Turns out each time, it was Airbnb's system that was at fault. It worked itself out, but was really annoying, because even the replies to inquiries were not posting!

gene
gene11 months ago
Nathalie, depending on how the law is written in your country, you might bear some liability if you answer "Yes, it is safe," and it turns out is was not safe for one of your guests. In the USA, where the Eleventh Commandment is "Sue thy neighbor," I would avoid such a direct answer. In the US, instead I say "We have never had a problem with safety here." OR "In my eight years living in this neighborhood, safety has never come into question." Because most of my rentals are in Guatemala, Central America: If I have an enquiry pressing for details, I have written: " My casa is in a gated/guarded 24/7 subdivision with additional guards on bicycles patrolling the subdivision." More Detail? "The casa is equipped with an electronic surveillance system to alert authorities of any breach of the perimeter walls." More detail? "Each guest room is outfitted with a "panic button" to directly alert authorities of a home invasion." More detail? "My border collie Tinker alerts me to any sound that is out of place, and gives me the opportunity to assess any threat. More detail? "As is the fashion here, my casa is surrounded by a 12 foot high perimeter wall."
I always follow with "We have never had a safety problem, or even a threat of a problem." THIS MUST BE A TRUE STATEMENT ! And it is.
Some might ask----?Why so many layers of defense against a non-existant problem? Prudence, Precaution, and the sad fact that Central America is getting a reputation for not being safe. (We in Guatemala are easily as safe as in Los Angeles, or Chicago, but....perception, not fact, is king.) Or as the old American saying goes: "Better be safe than sorry." Or as my Boy Scout training taught me: Be Prepared."
And all of this without going paranoid, nutzoid. Being prudent is NOT being afraid.

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Nathalie et Claude
Nathalie et Claude11 months ago
Fortunatly in France, if someone ask 'is it safe?' And you reply 'yes, it is', there is no ground to sue. If you have a problem, you can go to the police for that problem but not because, someone said it was safe with no details.
This allows to kill the 'sue your neighbours' mind.
If you sue your neighbours, it is in real base.

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Nathalie et Claude
Nathalie et Claude11 months ago
And it is the same with all the 'wonderful', 'magnificent', 'amazing' appartment on airbnb website. If the appartment is not magnificent, you cannot sue the landlord. I believe that some american people think it is strange.

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Danny

Danny
Danny11 months ago
"Safe" is really safe in the eye of the beholder. It is really up to the guests to research all the pertinent aspects of their trip. Your listing is where it is, and you deem it fit for people to reside in it. The rest is all individual and for the individual guests to research and decide upon. It is somewhat naive to expect that a host or anyone else would denigrate his/her listing by stating that the area is inherently unsafe, crime ridden, etc. caveat emptor!

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Deborah
Deborah11 months ago
My concern about telling my guests that my area is "safe" is not that they would sue me, if something happens to them, but rather, that if something happens to them, that they would berate me, complain, ask for a full refund, and/or write a review in which they claimed I "lied" or misrepresented the area to them. I just feel that by telling any guest that any area is "safe" we are essentially making a promise that we can't really make. The guest, by asking if the area is safe, is actually probably asking more than one question -- and one of the implicit questions couched in that question is, "will any thing bad happen to me? " (eg will I be mugged, assaulted...). If you tell someone your area is "safe" you could be held accountable by them, for having guaranteed their safety -- certainly not something that you really did, but something they WANT to believe you can or should do. Then when that turns out not to have happened -- bad for you. Instead of being angry at the criminal who preyed upon them, or putting a bumper sticker on their car saying, "Sh** happens", they find you and your "promise" to them to be an easy target for venting their anger, and this could be potentially quite a problem for any host.


THerefore my advice is to avoid allowing the guest to put words into your mouth which he or she will then regard as a promise to them. Do not say, "yes my area is safe' but instead point to your guest reviews, where one can find 10 or 15 guests saying they felt your area was completely safe.

Now a disgruntled guest who had something happen to him, can go seek those guests and accuse them of lying, instead of making a case against YOU>!

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Susan & Michael
Susan and Michael

Susan & Michael10 months ago
Hmmm. If the American film & TV industry would stop portraying male African Americans as "dangerous", the world would be less fearful.

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Chantelle & Lance

Chantelle and Lance
Chantelle & Lance10 months ago
I find I'm the complete opposite! All my guests assume Perth Australia is so safe they can leave visible objects in cars, doors unlocked and have no cares.
Now Perth IS safe, but like any place you need to be smart and savvy. It's usually ME telling my guests to make sure they bring everything in from their cars, always lock the front door etc.
I've had one car in 4 years broken into because a guest left stuff visible. Wasn't fun and don't wish a repeat.
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Deborah