Airbnb Will No Longer Allow Rentals Of Houses Where Enslaved People Lived
Airbnb has put a stop to people renting houses that were once where enslaved people once lived.
According to Buzzfeed News, this info came from the rental company's newly released anti-discrimination report.
The report as of Tuesday (Dec. 13) states the site will ban listings of any residence on a plantation "if structures that existed during the time of slavery are still present on the property." The house cannot be rented or advertised if it was built for the purpose of slavery, and renters are forbidden from promoting "slavery-related features" to create a sale.
However, according to Buzzfeed, some educational tours or events relating to the history of slavery will still be listed on the site.
In July, the company was criticized when an 1830s “slave cabin” listing in Mississippi went viral on TikTok. They removed the listing from the website and issued an apology for not acting sooner after the backlash.
Brad Hauser, the property owner, apologized and said he would put an end to the renting of the house, according to CNN.
Airbnb is still active in its pursuit to remove listings and “will continue to evaluate cases as they arise,” says Airbnb spokesperson Ben Breit.
RELATED: Airbnb Apologizes For Mississippi ‘Slave Cabin’ Listing After TikTok Video Goes Viral
“Currently we have removed listings and experiences associated with roughly 30 properties that are violating our policies,” Breit said.
This updated policy was created with the help of Jobie Hill, a historic preservation architect, and Color of Change, an online organization that advocates for civil rights.
