In this post I want to touch on another subject of hazardous, dismal conditions in some properties I had to encounter via Airbnb. It seems like "anything goes" with zero accountability and assurance of safety is Airbnb's modus operandi.
The horrible properties I experienced, of course, had pretty pictures online and nice reviews - which makes me believe they delete negative reviews and punish guests who insist on safety standards (like their retaliation against me), creating the culture of fear and silence in their members, something that allows the hazards and horrendous and illegal shacks-for-rent to keep operating and remain hush-hush...until someone gets hurt or die of course.
Whatever conditions the 3rd world tries to escape from makes an expensive Airbnb rental in the US; clearly the company is allowed to offer substandard and hazardous housing without reprecussions and such is becoming the new normal.
People who died from carbon monoxide poisoning and gas explosions in Airbnb properties in Mexico come to mind when I recall the horror shacks I've ended up getting on Airbnb. Kim Akker who died from gas tank explosion in Airbnb. Edward Winders and Barbara Moller who died from monoxide poisoning. There appears to be little to none real safety requirements in Airbnb rentals. Carbon monoxide detector offers only a minor protection in many scenarios.
As I learned, the only way to deal with Airbnb or get some safety message across to them is via attorneys; they do not listen otherwise, neither they care. They care about one thing only: money they're getting.
The first example shack that will be described was my Airbnb rental in the state of Maine.
I have made a video detailing below conditions: the video was made to protect myself since Airbnb is hostile to customers/guests who suffer from issues on the property.
Fire, Fumes Inhalation Hazards and Lack of Escape Routes
The shack's biggest danger clearly was complete lack of escape routes from closet-sized "bedroom" in the back of it, where a sleeping guest would be cut off from any possible escape should any of the 3 major hazards were occurring in the front area of the shack:
- unsafe looking, clearly DIY, wood stove installation in the wooden shack (flammable walls) - seemingly hazardous routing of stove's flue and the whole setup appeared not to meet safety standards, with questionably-looking flue pipe loosely routed through a hole in a small piece of thin white material built into the wall. There were only very small clearances between the wood stove, flue and combustible materials such as wood kitchen counter or walls (wall almost touching the flue); unsealed opening where flue cuts through the wall; not enough protective shield to insulate stove from the wood walls, especially behind the stove, plus metal shield appeared to be directly on the wall, without air spacing gap. There was a lot of sooty staining outside the cabin around where the flue cut through the wall.
- dilapidated propane stove connected to propane tank outside with host's warning not to turn on propane vent, unless I'm actually cooking, which indicated to me there's likely a leak, since normally the vent on propane tank would be kept open, once the stove is connected, and only the stove's valves would be used to let the gas out
- completely exposed/uncovered, DIY electrical wiring and connectors on the ceiling combined with water leaking from roof (water was dripping around the kitchen area, right where the DIY lights were installed) = fire
If there was a fire, whether from woodstove or from propane + DIY exposed wiring or from wiring + water leaking from the roof, whoever was sleeping in the bedroom would not be able to escape. Bedroom windows were tiny: 2 of them were so small that even a very small child wouldn't be able to crawl through the opening. The remaining window was still too small to get out and so difficult to open that it could take up to 10 minutes of tinkering to figure out how to open it undoing the rusty, sticking latch.
Porch and Staircase
The metal-covered porch of the shack was uneven, with large pool of rain water accumulating right in front of the entrance door, creating very slippery (not to mention nasty) pool while the porch was high above the ground without any railings. The slippery pool area was followed by pretty steep stairs without any railing as well. All of it was sitting in the complete darkness at night, any porch lights lacking, and I had to navigate the staircase using my headlamp. The rest of the porch was covered with dirt and remains of rotting leaves, turned into a filthy mess by the rain water.
Dirt and Bugs
The shelves inside the shack were covered by a lot of dust and loose debris, making me uncomfortable to place any of the personal items on them; the kitchen sink area had large piles of what looked like either dead bugs of some kind or plant material. It was not possible to air out the strange-smelling shack without letting the hordes of mosquitoes from the outside in - there was netting only on one window (opening which was a very difficult task), no mosquito net or door screen either, so one was constantly being bitten by the bugs indoors.
Filthy Grey Water Disposal
The kitchen sink pipe was routed directly onto the ground just outside the cabin, right behind it - imaging the filthy water pouring and splashing down there, right around propane DIY piping and connector, even animals don't sh*t where they eat, so to speak, but humans apparently do it all the time....they didn't even bother to route the pipe further away.
Another horror shack was the one in Missouri Ozarks, where crazy-acting host actually made me run for my life from remotely situated property, so I didn't get to experience all the "amenities".
There were actually 2 dismal, dilapidated sheds to select from:
Horrendous Smells
Both shacks smelled horrendously: one of chemicals, another of mold/mildew.
The latter smell could be coming from ancient air conditioner that looked like it could house a forest of fungi or from rotten wood underneath it.
Unsafe ladder/loft and A/C access
The air conditioner in one of the shacks was located in the tiny windowless and dark "attic" which host considered to be a "loft". The only way to get there was climbing heavy wooden ladder which guest had to somehow manage to pull down from that attic and install. "You'll be hit on the head by the [ceiling] fan if you don't turn it off" stated the host, as path to the A/C and "loft" via climbing the ladder apparently intersected with the blades of the ceiling fan. No mention of heavy ladder to pull from the attic to access A/C had been made in the listing or its photos and Airbnb is OK with that after being notified, they continue to let the property operate, knowing of all the hazards (if you get hurt there, please contact me - I'll come and testify in court to support your case)
DIY Propane System
Ancient, aged DYI propane system clearly was not working as-expected. After turning the propane on, it took host a long time to be able to turn on the pilot light in the very old crusty cooktop stove: the light either would not light or was constantly going out. There was clear potential for propane leak.
I'm sure I can describe a lot more filth and hazards about these sheds, if the host's behavior didn't cause me the need to escape from the property at the first chance.
How long is it before a next person is killed in Airbnb by some hazard?
And when will Airbnb stop silencing the info about the property hazards being out there and is finally held fully responsible?
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