I think more importantly, could this have been prevented? They should have done the proper research on the risks involved. They should also have provided users

I think more importantly, could this have been prevented? They should have done the proper research on the risks involved. They should also have provided users with a quick (even webpage) on risks involved and precautions people can take and make. And provide the users more background info on the renter. It's not as simple as running a hotel. To me this looks and feels like a story of simple thinking and bad iterating. I doubt this is the only case out there. There should have been a lot of minor issues as well. And we all know it starts small before it becomes a tornado and tears your house and community down.