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After his first rental falls through, Robert Harris ends up with an Airbnb in a high-crime neighbourhood. Does he have to accept it, or can he get a refund?

Q: I had a long-term Airbnb booked in Washington, D.C. But my host cancelled. Airbnb helped me rebook another location with a slight discount.

I was just checking the new area out a few days ago when I realized that it is in a hazardous area, with super-bad murder and auto theft rates, as well as news articles mentioning my street by name.

I discussed all this with Airbnb support staff, who responded that Airbnb doesn’t care about the locality, just the place.

There have been multiple murders on my street, and I can’t park at the place. I have to park down the street, so the locality is important as I have to walk through it daily.

I feel unsafe, and I want a refund. It’s not fair that Airbnb offers a place like this, and I also don’t think Airbnb should have sent me to this listing after my first rental fell through. Can you help me? — Robert Harris, Harrisonburg, Va.

A: Airbnb shouldn’t have stuck you with a rental in a high-crime neighbourhood. According to its published policy, if your host cancels, it will help you find “a similar place.” But that was not a similar place.

But here’s where things went sideways. An Airbnb representative offered to accommodate you, and you accepted the new rental. You could have researched the neighbourhood and crime statistics before you said yes — not afterwards.

Some Airbnb apartments won’t disclose the address until after you’ve rented. That’s fine. I think if you’d said something soon after you decided on the new place, Airbnb would have been able to help. Some Airbnbs have a generous cancellation policy, which would have allowed you to cancel your rental and receive a full refund.

I agree that Airbnb should not rent a home in an unsafe neighbourhood. And if people were being murdered on your street, I would say that’s a red flag.

I reviewed the paper trail between you and Airbnb. It’s difficult to read your interaction. You repeatedly state that you feel unsafe and would like a refund. An Airbnb “ambassador”- the word they use for a customer service agent- repeats what you said and then dismisses your complaint.

You furnished Airbnb with ample evidence that the rental was in a dangerous neighbourhood. I can’t believe it insisted on keeping your reservation. (Technically, it said you could get a partial refund and that it was up to your host, but still.)

An appeal to one of the Airbnb executives might have helped. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the Airbnb customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

I love the way this case was resolved. You finally reached Airbnb by phone and talked them into a partial refund. I also contacted Airbnb on your behalf, which upped the offer to a full refund of the $1,500 you spent on the apartment.