AIRBNB says it will take "appropriate action" against a host who kicked a legally blind Border woman and her guide dog out of accommodation in Wagga.
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Wodonga's Micaela Schmidt had travelled to Wagga with a carer but was left disappointed at the experience when the host of the Airbnb she had booked asked her and her guide dog Ellie to leave.
"The lady who owned the Airbnb saw us on her security camera and just asked us to leave straight away without kind of any explanation or answering our phone calls for a chat or anything," Ms Schmidt said. "She was pretty adamant that she just wanted us out of there."
Airbnb's country manager, Australia and New Zealand, Susan Wheeldon said the host's actions didn't meet the company's standards but she didn't specify what "action" would be taken in response to the incident.
"We were disappointed to hear about our guest's experience and have issued a full refund, while also taking appropriate action with the relevant host," Ms Wheeldon told The Border Mail.
"Under our policies, this guest was allowed to be accompanied by their support animal during their stay.
"Our policies prohibited them from being treated differently because of their support animal.
"We take reports of potential violations of our policies and community standards seriously, and we're grateful to our guest for bringing this to our attention."
Guide Dogs Victoria chief executive Nicky Long said it was an offence to refuse access for a guide dog and their handler and that "as a community we need to improve our understanding of the legal access rights of guide dogs".
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