IMHO AirBnB is no more responsible than CouchSurfing.
Whilst AirBnB charges a fee, that's purely as middleman for connecting two parties.
Of course it's horrific for the person, and this is an extreme example, but it's a lesson learned of how to rent out a property.
Take AirBnB out of the equation, and they've just let a complete stranger free reign over their apartment with a key for a week whilst leaving their own possessions on view.
To not ask a neighbour to hold onto the key, or meet the person beforehand, or get them on video chat, or remove all sensitive documents, or require a deposit, or a way of monitoring the property, is negligent on the owner's part.
Could AirBnB do more to vet users? Sure. Should they be responsible for the combined actions of two parties? Not at all.
AirBnB's model depends on the two parties not being able to contact each other before a purchase is made. This is a restriction that does not happen on Craigslist, and as such, I'm able to vet just about everything I need to know about a candidate renter before he/she even knows the physical address of my place. For those prospective renters who don't have any real online identity (and decline to provide any other kind of info, such as proof of employment), I don't respond to their emails.
This is something you can't do on airbnb, so it's not at all fair to compare using their service to letting just some stranger in willy-nilly.
You can totally message a person before being made — I personally don't rent out my rooms to anyone who hasn't messaged me first and I at least got a bit of personal information. Or do you mean messaging via email rather than through Airbnb?
Whilst AirBnB charges a fee, that's purely as middleman for connecting two parties.
Of course it's horrific for the person, and this is an extreme example, but it's a lesson learned of how to rent out a property.
Take AirBnB out of the equation, and they've just let a complete stranger free reign over their apartment with a key for a week whilst leaving their own possessions on view.
To not ask a neighbour to hold onto the key, or meet the person beforehand, or get them on video chat, or remove all sensitive documents, or require a deposit, or a way of monitoring the property, is negligent on the owner's part.
Could AirBnB do more to vet users? Sure. Should they be responsible for the combined actions of two parties? Not at all.
A tough, hard-learnt lesson for the owner.