Airbnb does not want to be party to rowdy gatherings that could cause damage to properties, with the company set to roll out new prevention measures to crack down on unauthorized parties held at its rental properties, according to a Tuesday announcement.
As part of its new anti-party policy, Airbnb will begin implementing technology to identify party reservations by examining the user’s rental history for positive reviews, the length of the requested trip, how far the rental location is from the user’s home, whether the rental is being made on a weekend or weekday, and more, according to the company. The system will mirror policies enacted in Australia in October, which has seen a 35% drop in incidents involving unauthorized parties.
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“The primary objective is attempting to reduce the ability of bad actors to throw unauthorized parties which negatively impact our Hosts, neighbors, and the communities we serve,” the company said. “While we are optimistic that this technology will have a positive impact for the safety of our community and our goal to reduce unauthorized parties — we want to be clear that no system is perfect. … We will communicate with transparency about the results of this testing phase and the next steps of our ban on parties.”
Those who are blocked from making an entire-home booking because of the system will still be permitted to book a single room where the host is likely on-site or at a hotel.
The latest restrictions build on the company’s announcement in June that it would bar party rentals from its platform entirely, making permanent a party ban that was temporarily enacted during the pandemic. Prior to pandemic restrictions, the app allowed users to host “small parties” such as baby showers or birthday parties so long as they didn’t cause major disruptions.
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Airbnb has been under pressure to crack down on unauthorized party rentals after five people were fatally shot at one of its California locations in 2019, after which the company began rolling out different restrictions and plans to update its policies.
However, the company has eased some pandemic-era restrictions, such as removing the 16-person limit on larger homes in European castles, villas, and vineyards within the United States.
