Campaign group maps sex offenders residing close to Airbnb properties
Anti-Airbnb campaign group have stepped up their fight against the online room rental business by mapping out the location of known sex offenders in relation to properties signed up to the service across New York.
ShareBetter is inviting prospective guests to browse their map to discover which of Airbnb’s 20,000 properties have violated local building codes by advertising themselves within proximity to offenders.
It has come in for criticism however after it was pointed out that many of the pinpointed homes of offenders are actually emergency housing for the homeless, meaning they could be encountered anywhere on the streets.
Other markers denote pernickety building violations such as failing to stop dust settling on pavements during renovations and erecting illegal signs.
Explaining their hostility to the service for travellers ShareBetter said it “… enables New York City tenants to break the law and potentially violate their leases, it exacerbates the affordable housing crisis in our neighbourhoods, and it poses serious public safety concerns for Airbnb guests, hosts and their neighbours”.
Airbnb spokesperson Nick Papas, said: “Over 20 million guests have had a safe stay in an Airbnb and we have industry-leading tools that help keep hosts and guests safe. “We’re always eager to have a serious conversation about these issues, but this is just another attempt to attack regular New Yorkers who share the home in which they live.”