Sex trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal activities across the globe, and since the Covid pandemic, an increasing number of traffickers have chosen short-term rentals as venues for their pop-up brothels. Sex trafficking is when someone is compelled to engage in commercial sex through the use of force, coercion, or fraud, according to Polaris, which runs the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
About 6.3 million people, mostly women and minors, are forced into commercial sexual exploitation worldwide, according to the International Labour Organization.
Short-term rentals appeal to traffickers due to their private settings, the absence of surveillance cameras and staff, contactless check-in, and the opportunity for longer stays.
In addition, “using short-term rental properties allows the organization to mobilize their operation at any given time in an effort to evade law enforcement,” said Michael Dennis, a police spokesperson in Dallas, Texas. “This allows the organization to move across jurisdictional lines, making it challenging for law enforcement to pinpoint exact locations of offenses.”
Prevention is a host or property manager’s best defense against unwittingly hosting traffickers and their victims.
“The biggest step you can take toward prevention is educating yourself,” said Judy Osterage, a sex trafficking awareness instructor in California. “Education and awareness cuts down on trafficking.”
California requires motel and hotel operators to undergo sex trafficking awareness training, but that requirement hasn’t been codified statewide for short-term rental operators – yet.
In May 2023, the city of San Diego started requiring short-term rental operators to take a sex trafficking awareness course to be eligible for an STR permit.
Judy operates an online education program on sex trafficking that is customized to specific industries such as hotels and motels and vacation rentals and is listed on the City of San Diego’s webpage for STR resources.
Here are some tips from her, police officials, and vacation rental experts on how to prevent sex trafficking at your vacation rental.
How to prevent sex trafficking in your vacation rental
Take a trafficking prevention course
If you have one available to you, take a sex trafficking awareness and prevention course. Make sure your front-line staff are trained as well, including those who take and manage reservations and those who visit properties on-site.
Scare traffickers in your listing
Prevention starts with your listing. Some of the things you include in your listing could scare off traffickers from the get-go, such as noting external security cameras or that guests are background checked.
Write in your listing that you are committed to preventing sex trafficking and other criminal activities in your neighborhood. You can even join a neighborhood watch and highlight that fact.
Use monitoring and other technology
Technology is one of the best ways to prevent traffickers from ever booking your property. For example, install surveillance cameras on the outside of your property to capture footage of vehicle and foot traffic in and out of the home.
Some booking platforms like Airbnb use software to try to combat sex trafficking. Airbnb cross-references its risk analysis with data from Polaris.
If you take direct bookings, threat intelligence software offered by companies like Autohost can flag suspicious guests before they book through ID verification, biometric scans, credit cards, IP scans, and background and credit checks.
Ask questions
Even with technology, asking questions is still very important, said Ela Mezhiborsky, president of Autohost, on a February 2022 episode of the HOSTE podcast.
“What is the purpose of your stay, and do you agree to those rules? And who’s coming with you?” she said. “These are not all techy checks, but they’re all very valuable because a legitimate guest that is not up to no good is going to be willing to provide that information. They recognize the responsibility in renting out a property. They have nothing to hide.”
Beware of red flags at booking
Watch out for last-minute bookings and guests who are based in the same city as the short-term rental, said Judy. Scrutinize the guest’s reviews. Are all of the reviews from the same city? That could be an indication that the reviews are fraudulent.
Make sure your rental agreement has a clause in which the guest states that they will not participate in sex trafficking or other illegal activities.
Big events in your city are good times to increase your vigilance because traffickers often set up pop-up brothels in cities hosting large-scale festivals or sporting events.
What to do if you suspect sex trafficking is taking place in your property
Behaviors that might tip you off to sex traffickers include multiple people coming in and out of the residence, especially late at night and guests coming in with few or no personal belongings, Michael said.
If, despite your preventative measures, you suspect a trafficker might have set up shop inside your vacation rental, do not attempt to intervene yourself. Sex traffickers are highly dangerous individuals. Instead, call local law enforcement as soon as possible.