(NEW ORLEANS) — In the wake of a deadly Airbnb accident, a son is calling on the company to ensure the properties listed on its website and app are safe.
A month ago New Orleans residents Edward Winders and Barbara Moller died in an Airbnb rental in Mexico from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Now their son, Chris Moller, is demanding the company makes changes to ensure this never happens again.
“They have safety regulations but they’re not standards, they’re not requirements,” Moller said.
New Orleans couple dies from carbon monoxide poisoning in AirBNB in Mexico
This is a safety recommedations for Airbnb hosts, located on the company’s website.
According to a statement from Airbnb, all Airbnb Plus listings have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and they also have a program that gives out free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to hosts who request one.
Moller, however, believes it should be the company’s responsibility to ensure the properties are safe instead of assuming all hosts are renting a safe property.
“They’re running their business on the honor system rather than any strict regulation and you don’t know if these hosts are obeying the rules so to speak or are being safe and maintaining their place,” Moller said.
New Orleans city leaders have been attempting to regulate Airbnb’s themselves.
Council woman Kristen Palmer has suggested cracking down on short term rentals by requiring the owner remain on the property during the duration of the rental in order to qualify for a residential license.
Whole home rentals would no longer be allowed unless located within a commercially zoned district and the short term rental ban would remain in place in the French Quarter and also extend to the Garden District.
Safety instructions for Airbnb hosts on the company’s website.
Moller says Airbnb needs to rethink its business model and that renters should rethink using the service.
“It’s tragic that it had to happen to my parents but it should be a real wake up call for everybody that you don’t know what you’re renting exactly and safe guard yourself and bring your own detectors,” Moller.
