Facing a Deep Safety Concern: When an “Entire Home” Listing Turned into an In-Law Suite with Strangers Nearby

A recent Airbnb stay in Florida turned into one of the scariest experiences of my life, raising important questions about safety, accuracy, and accountability on short-term rental platforms.

What happened
– I booked a property advertised as an entire home for a short vacation. On the second night, a door inside the house—just about 15 feet from where my child was sleeping—opened twice. I even observed someone return through it once, into a layout that revealed an undisclosed in-law suite.
– After researching the listing and discovering interior photos on Zillow, I confirmed that an in-law suite was present and accessible from the main home.
– The connecting door could only be locked from the other side. Our host did not respond until the following morning and claimed:
1) No one was currently onsite in the front of the home, and
2) The door must have blown open from the AC, which is inconsistent with the door opening, closing, and relocking itself.
– We contacted local police, who could not take further action. We then found a secondary outside living space in a separate fenced area on the property. With safety concerns escalating, we chose to vacate after about 30 hours of a 7-night stay.
– After we left, we continued to pass by the house in the area and noticed lights on daily and blinds/shutters moving, suggesting the in-law suite was in use.
– Airbnb provided a partial refund, but the listing was not removed, which is a major concern for us.

Frustrations and safety concerns
– The platform labeled the incident a “misunderstanding.” To us, this felt like a significant safety breach: we paid for an entire home but found a space where strangers had access to our sleeping area at night, with a vulnerable child in close proximity.
– The situation was especially distressing because we were managing family responsibilities, including a 16-month-old child and two elderly grandparents (one with dementia). The decision to relocate late at night was not taken lightly.
– We later learned others had similar experiences with this listing, but high ratings on reviews for a different property from the same host buried those concerns.

Seeking accountability and safer listings
– Has anyone else faced a similar situation with a listing that claimed to be an “entire home” but included an undisclosed in-law suite or separate living space?
– How have others successfully prompted Airbnb to take accountability and ensure that listings are accurately represented, corrected, or removed when safety is involved?
– Our ongoing challenge has been that support interactions often conclude with a closure, directing us to generic “help” or “report a problem” options that end without a clear resolution.

A note to future guests
– I enjoyed Airbnb for many years and had many positive stays, but this experience has shaken my trust. My goal now is to help future guests stay safe by raising awareness about potential misrepresentations and encouraging platforms to act decisively when safety is at stake.

If you’ve navigated a similar scenario, I’m interested in hearing how you approached the issue, what steps you took to obtain accountability, and any strategies that helped ensure a listing was properly addressed or removed.