July 19th 2021
In a European first, Airbnb has launched the UK Trust and Safety Alliance, a network of expert organisations that will work closely with Airbnb in the UK and provide information and guidance to Hosts and the Airbnb community.
Founding members of the Trust and Safety Alliance include Get Safe Online as well as the National Fire Chiefs’ Council, Neighbourhood Watch, Crimestoppers, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) and Race on the Agenda.
The Alliance will engage with Airbnb Hosts on a quarterly basis through Airbnb’s ‘Meet the Experts’ series and will produce guides and information on an ongoing basis.
Airbnb has previously produced guides for Hosts in partnership with Get Safe Online about watching out for online fraud, Crimestoppers on spotting suspicious signs whilst hosting, with the National Fire Chief’s Council on fire safety.
Amanda Cupples, General Manager for Northern Europe at Airbnb, said, “We are always looking for ways to enhance the safety of hosted travel in the UK and now have the backing of some of the leading safety organisations in the UK to help us achieve that goal. We have a long history of working together with expert organisations to bolster safety for our community and the Alliance will help us to achieve more moving forward.”
What is the Airbnb UK Trust & Safety Alliance?
The Alliance is part of Airbnb’s ongoing effort to make hosted travel the safest form of travel in the UK and follows recent steps by Airbnb that include launching the Neighbour Support Line, removing or suspending so-called “party listings”, introducing pilot booking restrictions to address problematic guest activity and more.
Airbnb has also called for a registration for short-term lets to be introduced with operators attesting that they understand existing health and safety standards, including requirements on health and safety certificates, insurance, gas safety, and cleaning.
Tony Neate, CEO, Get Safe Online, said, “Get Safe Online is delighted to join the first UK Airbnb Trust and Safety Alliance – a truly valuable initiative created by our partner Airbnb to ensure the very best online safety information is available for Hosts, their guests and their communities. We very much look forward to attending the forthcoming ‘Meet the Experts’ events and will be providing specific advice on staying safe online for those that attend. Having worked closely with Airbnb in the past, it is great to be supporting them once again with this latest worthwhile scheme.”
Nathan Davies, Executive Head of Policy and Portfolio, ROSPA, said, “We are excited about this new partnership with Airbnb and the benefits it will bring to keeping people safe in the homes and accommodation that are made available and visited by tens of thousands of people every year. We are delighted to be invited to the Airbnb UK Trust and Safety Alliance and we look forward to working with Airbnb and its partners to share best practice and to make the Airbnb experience a safe one for all involved. By forming this Alliance it is a real testament to Airbnb’s commitment to strengthen trust and the safety of Hosts, their guests and their communities.”
John Hayward-Cripps, CEO, Neighbourhood Watch, said, “We are delighted to be working with Airbnb as part of their new Trust and Safety Alliance. Through this new relationship with Airbnb and the Alliance, we can support Hosts to be increasingly connected and involved with the communities where they are. We look forward to building on our shared values of community, safety and connection.
Mark Andrews, Business Engagement Lead, National Fire Chiefs’ Council, said, “We welcome the opportunity to be part of the UK Airbnb Trust and Safety Alliance. We look forward to working with the range of partners involved to help reassure guests that their Airbnb stay will be a safe stay. This Alliance will also enable us to provide the very latest fire safety advice and guidance to hosts to help make sure their accommodation is safe from fire.”
Airbnb 2021 Release: 100+ innovations and upgrades across our entire service
Inspired by the major shift in how people are travelling, Airbnb announced the biggest top-to-bottom upgrade of the Airbnb service. The announcement highlighted steps that streamline and simplify the process to become a Host and will help anyone who wants to host and take advantage of the coming travel surge onboard quickly to get their first booking.
According to a recent survey by Airbnb*, nearly a third of Brits say they host to help make ends meet. 28% are employed in full-time work whilst 29% are retired and 71% identified as female. Globally, for new listings that were activated and booked in Q1 2021, 50 percent received a reservation request within four days of activation and last summer Hosts in the UK earned more than £225 million with the average Host pocketing nearly £1,000.
*Survey conducted February – March 2021 for Hosts who hosted a trip during 2020.
