Airbnb customers have been shocked to discover they have been staying under the same roof as a registered sex offender.
The small Ringwood rental unit, in Melbourne’s outer-east has been listed on the platform for eight years.
It advertises a room with a single bed, alongside a heads up – ‘you’ll share parts of the home with the host’ – including a shared bathroom.
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That host is Serge Ranwala, who in 2016 was found guilty of 11 charges, including two counts of committing an indecent act with a person having a cognitive impairment and nine counts of sexual penetration.
He committed the crimes on a disabled resident over four days in May 2014, while working as a carer at a government facility.
The sentencing judge remarked that Ranwala deliberately plied his victim with methylamphetamine as part of his “modus operandi”.
“You took advantage of a person who was cognitively impaired…showed no remorse, not a skerrick of remorse, and you have still not done so…you may well offend again,” judge Richard Maidment said.
Ranwala is now on the Sex Offenders Registry for life, even after serving his sentence of four years and eight months in prison.
Just last month, a guest reviewed his home, noting a “great location and comfortable space”.
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But others guests said ‘the smell, clutter, and dirtiness of the place is just too much to take … when I tried to shorten my stay because I didn’t want to offend Serge, he decided to simply reject and then completely ignore me’.
Another said ‘the hygiene nothing less than putrid … the bathroom and my bedroom made me feel ill. It was all very creepy’.
In early January, Ranwala found himself back at Ringwood Magistrates Court, pleading guilty to eight charges of failing to comply with his reporting obligations and reportedly hiding the fact he’s been hosting on Airbnb.
He was convicted and fined $2000.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing ice – police reportedly finding the drug under the same roof he’s been renting out to unknowing guests.
According to his profile on the platform, Airbnb said it had confirmed Ranwala’s identity.
His profile remains active but he has taken his property off the platform since his court appearance.
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Before he took the listing down, A Current Affair was able to select dates for a stay in March, at a cost of $60 per night.
Airbnb’s terms of service note that they “may not conduct background checks on users located outside of the United States”.
Even if they do the accuracy of coverage may vary, the terms said.
In a statement, Airbnb said the safety of the community is one of its top priorities.
“When we were made aware of this criminal conviction, we took swift action to suspend the relevant Host account,” an Airbnb spokesperson said.
FULL AIRBNB STATEMENT
The safety of our community is one of our top priorities.
When we were made aware of this criminal conviction, we took swift action to suspend the relevant host account.
We enforce strict policies and community standards and encourage guests, hosts and members of the community to report any safety concerns to us so that our team can investigate.
