Airbnb is in denial over concerns we raised about our host

theguardian.com:

I booked an Airbnb flat in London for my wife and two daughters. I later discovered that the host has been struck off the medical register for inappropriate sexual conduct, and I am worried that the apartment may be fitted with cameras.

Airbnb, although agreeing that it is far from ideal, will only refund half the rent because it is upholding the host’s cancellation policy.

It’s not the money that is the issue here, it’s Airbnb’s complete denial of any responsibility.

JM, Edinburgh

This is a painful case for a number of reasons. The host, a former hospital doctor, was struck off in 2018 after a tribunal found he had waged a nine-day campaign of harassment against a junior medic.

The victim was sent 900 explicit messages and videos, and subjected to intimidating verbal and physical overtures while on duty. The doctor was unrepentant, telling the tribunal that he was never going to stop because she evidently desired him.

Given this background, the guided tour of the rental apartment, which the host has filmed for guests, is unnerving. The place is fully wired up with technical wizardry, and you’re worried that among the sensors screwed to the ceilings there may be cameras.

The skimpily clad host even disconcertingly emphasises that a sensor in the bathroom is not a camera. “I’m not looking at what you’re doing in the bathroom,” he says.

Given that the videos he sent his victim were filmed in his shower, this did not reassure you.

To be clear, the host was not convicted of an offence in a criminal court. There’s no evidence that the flat does contain cameras and, according to Airbnb, guest reviews have been positive.

However, your concerns are understandable. So understandable that an Airbnb agent wrote that, as the mother of