- Airbnb began conducting background checks on hosts and guests in 2016 to ensure safety.
- Advocates for people with prior convictions say the growth of background check companies will lead to more people being barred from sharing economy.
- If a user gets an email saying they’re banned from Airbnb because of something that appeared on their criminal background check, they have a right to see the report.
Bethany Hallam has made no secret about her past struggles with drug addiction. She ran for her current seat on the Allegheny County Council in Pennsylvania on a platform of improving the county’s jail and public transportation system because she’d spent time in that jail and lost her driver’s license for a time.
So, she was confused in September when she attempted to book a short-term stay in Florida through Airbnb – something she’d successfully done many times in the last six years – only to have her reservation canceled and her account banned because of a past criminal conviction discovered on a background check.
NO MORE HIDDEN FEES:Airbnb will show total price before booking
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“My background has not changed since they claimed the policy went into effect,” she said. “And I have booked with Airbnb dozens and dozens of times and never had a single problem.”
Hallam learned she wasn’t alone. After posting about the incident on social media and being interviewed by a local news station, she got…
