Online rentals often lack safety features
Few vacation sites ensure properties have gas, smoke detectors installed
SAN FRANCISCO – Although online vacation rental companies are stepping up efforts to ensure properties are safe, the sprawling nature of that mushrooming marketplace means the burden still falls on renters to secure peace of mind.
That’s particularly sobering after an Iowa family of four died from gas asphyxiation at the condominium they had rented in Tulum, Mexico. A water heater was the source of a gas leak, according to a prosecutor in Mexico. The privately owned condo was listed by HomeAway and VRBO, which are owned by Expedia.
Although most platforms encourage smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and some even give them away to homeowners, consumers need to make sure a host property is following these safety precautions. Few rental sites ensure the property has installed them before the rental.
It “might just mean you show up at your holiday rental and start looking for smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, because really, it’s renter beware,” says John Simpson of advocacy group Consumer Watchdog.
“It’s tough for (companies) to really enforce these measures in private homes,” he notes.
To really get things to change, “it may end up coming down to cities issuing homeowners rental permits based on inspections.”
In the case of HomeAway and other such sites with global reach, hosts — those renting out their properties — commit to making sure homes and apartments meet local building rules.
“We require that owners and managers around the world agree to comply with local safety codes and regulations when listing their properties with us,”
HomeAway spokesperson Jordan Hoefar says.
The company said it had removed the Tulum property from its site. “Our most heartfelt condolences go out to the loved ones of the Sharp family for their tragic loss,” it said in a statement.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that can be emitted from faulty gas-, coal- or oil-burning devices such as stoves or water heaters. Symptoms can appear flu-like at first, including headaches and vomiting, but such poisoning can be deadly.
Airbnb, a tech start-up that popularized the private-rental trend, currently is providing 36,000 combination smoke/carbon monoxide detectors to hosts through its website, which notes that in the U.S. only 40% of homes have such a device, according to a 2013 U.S. census survey.
All Airbnb hosts have to certify that they follow all local laws and regulations. Each listing says whether a property has a smoke detector, but the platform doesn’t mandate detectors.
The company also runs home safety workshops, such as a recent one in London, where local fire and emergency services brief hosts on best practices.
But short of a renter contacting Airbnb and HomeAway to complain, and taking action after the fact, the platforms generally don’t ensure a host is following their safety policies before the rental.
Airbnb does have one new category of property that are guaranteed to have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The new segment, Airbnb Plus, showcases thousands of homes and apartments — as opposed to the site’s millions of properties — that must meet a variety of luxury and safety standards.
“When booking, guests should always carefully read the listing description, amenities and reviews to ensure the home has the safety features that meet their needs,” said Nick Shapiro, Airbnb’s global head of trust and risk management.
Smaller companies are using different strategies to generate consumer trust. Paris Vacation Rentals, for example, owns its small pool of upscale Parisian apartments outright and shoulders all regulatory and safety responsibilities.
London-based onefinestay, which was bought by large European hotel group AccorHotels in 2016 for $169 million, manages a few thousand properties on a number of continents and gives AccorHotels a foot in the booming sharing economy that is cutting into more traditional options, such as resorts. “We follow any applicable local regulation, for example in London, we require all hosts to have a valid Gas Safety Certificate prior to renting their home and maintain a copy of this certificate on file,” says Javier Cedillo-Espin, CEO of onefinestay.