Company Twiddles Its Thumbs As 19 Customers Suffer Fatal Consequences

Clear Facts

• Airbnb has not mandated carbon monoxide detectors in every listing, despite a commitment made in 2014.
• Since 2013, 19 deaths have occurred at Airbnb properties allegedly involving carbon monoxide poisoning.
• The company is currently facing at least three lawsuits pertaining to carbon monoxide deaths or poisonings.

In February 2014, Airbnb made a commitment to require hosts to confirm that carbon monoxide detectors were installed in every listing by the end of the year.

This decision came months after the short-term rental company faced one of its first reported deaths involving carbon monoxide: a Canadian citizen staying in an Airbnb in Taiwan.

In a now-deleted blog post, the company stated, “By the end of 2014, we’ll require all Airbnb hosts to confirm that they have these devices installed in their listing.”

However, nearly a decade later, the company has not made any such mandate, and more lives have been lost along the way. NBC News has identified 19 deaths since 2013 that occurred at Airbnb properties and are alleged to have involved carbon monoxide poisoning. The company is currently facing at least three lawsuits pertaining to carbon monoxide deaths or poisonings.

Airbnb has issued statements in seven of the cases, which accounted for 17 of the deaths. In five of the statements, Airbnb said it would pay for costs associated with the deaths or that it had removed Airbnb listings associated with the incidents. None of the statements contested details of the reports surrounding the deaths, and none addressed carbon monoxide’s role in the incidents. Other statements expressed condolences.

In the two cases in which the company has not commented, Airbnb was the target of lawsuits. One of those suits was settled and the other was dismissed.

In a statement provided to NBC News, the company said: “The safety of our community is a top priority, incidents on Airbnb are exceptionally rare and we take action when a concern is reported to us.”

Family members and representatives of people who died said Airbnb has not done enough to address the situation and called for the company to commit to a mandate that carbon monoxide detectors be installed in every rental. Some said Airbnb promised to work with them but that they now feel brushed aside.

Jennifer Winders, whose father and stepmother died from carbon monoxide poisoning in an Airbnb in Mexico in November 2018, said that the company agreed to meet with her and her brother on potential safety improvements as part of a settlement that included financial compensation. Winders said they had one meeting in February 2022 with the company where they gave suggestions.

“I feel like that’s something that would be really beneficial is to have Airbnb continue to reach out to people who are continuing to feel the effects of what happened in one of their rentals,” she said. “I wonder after seeing all these deaths in 2022, to be honest, if any steps were taken.”

All of the deaths reviewed by NBC News happened outside the U.S., where regulations regarding carbon monoxide detectors are inconsistent. Four of the cases reviewed by NBC News happened in Mexico. The other cases happened in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, China, and Taiwan.

Airbnb’s international footprint amid the patchwork of carbon monoxide regulation presents an already-challenging compliance landscape for the company, which says it’s advocated for carbon monoxide detector regulation in Mexico and other countries. But family members say the wide variability of regulation is even more reason for Airbnb to step in and set its own standard on carbon monoxide detectors.

Sebastian Mejia, 24, had moved from Miami to Rio de Janeiro in October 2022 on a Fulbright scholarship to study Indigenous communities. He found an affordable Airbnb and called his family every week to check in. On Oct. 5, 2022, Sebastian was found dead in the shower of his Airbnb. A water heater in the bathroom had been leaking carbon monoxide, according to a technical report from Rio de Janeiro police, and the apartment had no detector to warn him. Carbon monoxide levels measured in the apartment were four times the maximum acceptable levels, police said.

Sebastian’s family believes that if the company required property owners to install carbon monoxide detectors, he might still be alive. “This shouldn’t have happened. It was easily preventable,” Sebastian’s brother, Daniel, said. “It should be something that’s the most basic thing that you should be able to go take a shower and not die.”

After Sebastian’s death, it took 10 days to go through the repatriation process and return his body to the United States. Over 300 people from across the U.S. traveled to Florida to attend his funeral. Sebastian’s family said that Airbnb never reached out to them after Sebastian’s death. In June, they sued the company in California state court. An Airbnb representative said that communication from the company was directed to the family’s legal representative.

“Unfortunately he has not been the first and he will not be the last, and other families have to go through the same experience,” his mother, Rosa Elena Martinez, said. “And that’s terrible that Airbnb, knowing exactly what’s happening, they haven’t done anything to stop it.”

Martinez said their primary motivation for bringing the lawsuit was to inspire a policy change at the company. “They could pay us $1. But if they change the policy, and we make these public, it will be totally worth it,” she said.

In court, Martinez is seeking damages exceeding $25,000, according to the complaint, and a legal injunction that would force Airbnb to remove listings without carbon monoxide detectors and mandate the use of detectors along with the inspection of fuel-burning devices. No trial date has been set.

Sebastian’s family isn’t alone in their pursuit. NBC News identified six lawsuits pertaining to carbon monoxide poisoning at Airbnbs. Three are ongoing, two were settled, and one was dismissed.

Clear Thoughts

Airbnb’s failure to mandate carbon monoxide detectors in all listings, despite a commitment made in 2014, is a glaring example of corporate negligence.

With 19 deaths linked to carbon monoxide poisoning in the past decade, it’s evident that Airbnb’s lack of action on this issue is costing lives. While the company faces lawsuits and pays settlements, it continues to avoid addressing the root cause.

Airbnb must prioritize safety over profits and implement a global mandate for carbon monoxide detectors in every rental property. The patchwork of international regulations is no excuse for inaction; Airbnb must set its own standard and prevent further tragedies.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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