… With so many guests coming in and out of neighborhoods there are concerns about criminals, including sex offenders renting homes next to families who do not know the sex offender is there.
Tennessee law requires sex offenders to register with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office within 48 hours of “establishing a physical presence at a particular location.” If that person is only in town for 24 hours, they could fly under the radar. Full Article
Even though this is not a law, the fact that more and more private companies are discriminating against RC’s puts more and more holes in the 2003 ruling that “there’s no evidence that RC’s have more difficulties living than any other citizen would otherwise”. All these things should and will be considered next time things roll back around to SCOTUS.
“News 2 checked with Airbnb to find out what their website does to insure sex offenders are not booking rooms and homes.”
The sky is falling!!! Someone who committed a crime years ago, and in my case, there was no victim, can not rent a room or home, even if I am with another adult. lol… Oh my God, the 19 yr old who had sex with his 16 yr girlfriend and caught got (20 years ago) – we can’t rent a room or home to this hypothetical person.
To be on the safe side, whenever I stay at a hotel or motel, I usually book the room under the name of who I am traveling with, whether it be my dad, girlfriend, etc… and I do not stay at places that are not a hotel or motel.
I am afraid we will never change public perception. And unless we are a protected class, which I never see happening, then I guess we have no legal standing to sue for discrimination.
The article is about Tennessee, but I’m going to presume Airbnb uses uniform policies in every state.
If so, in because the 290 statute says that registration information may not be used to deny housing (is lodging the same as housing?), it SEEMS to me that this policy is in direct conflict with California statute law.
But maybe I’m wrong.
For two years, I was an active member of AirBnB, booking rental stays in U.S. and European cities, before AirBnB sent me an email cancelling my membership. *Annoyed* 😡
They rent rooms to murders, r they not considered dangerous? Yet there r no restrictions r registry for them so why is it for sex offenders? What about armed robbers? Kidnappers? Only sex offenders r dangerous?!?
RCs are not the only ones who are discriminated against when it comes to AirBnb post-debt paid to society. I found this tonight online. It discusses the continued discrimination people suffer long after they have paid their debt to society (this author did armed robbery).
For formerly incarcerated, little room in Airbnb’s sharing economy
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/policing/spotlight/2018/06/28/airbnb-bans-some-civil-rights-policing-usa/706148002/
“This policy is not just morally wrong, it also conflicts with an April 2016 federal guidance of the Fair Housing Act, which articulates that a housing provider violates the FHA if its policy “imposes a blanket prohibition on any person with any conviction record — no matter when the conviction occurred, what the underlying conduct entailed, or what the convicted person has done since then.””
All it will take is one RC’s (more preferred) reservation cancelled in CA (or anywhere actually) by AirBnB due to this policy to have their rights violated by AirBnB to make a case, a federal case at that.
My gf and I stumbled across AirBnB for the first time when we were in Hawaii in 2012. We booked a room with a single lady for a few days. She was very nice and even invited us to attend a Halloween party with her and her friends. The next evening I got an email from AirBnB saying that my membership had been revoked due to determining that I was a sex offedner, and that I was to leave the property IMMEDIATELY, no refund.
Feeling rather embarrassed, my gf and I approached the host, and told her about the email. She didn’t seem surprised, and said that she had already been notified earlier that day. To our pleasant surprise she told us we could stay as long as we wanted (even past our booking date until someone else booked the room).
I haven’t used AirBnB since, but have wondered if maybe my wife created an account we could use hers instead.