Airbnb is banning house parties worldwide as it tries to clean up its reputation and comply with coronavirus-related limits on gatherings.
The San Francisco home sharing company will now limit occupancy in its rental homes to 16 people. It may offer exceptions for boutique hotels or other event venues.
Airbnb said the coronavirus-related closure of bars and nightclubs has led to an increase in big house parties, sometimes at its rentals.
‘Some have chosen to take bar and club behavior to homes, sometimes rented through our platform,’ according to Airbnb.
‘We think such conduct is incredibly irresponsible – we do not want that type of business, and anyone engaged in or allowing that behavior does not belong on our platform.’
Airbnb has always prohibited unauthorized parties, and the company said nearly 75 per cent of its listings explicitly ban parties.
But the ban will now cover all parties and limit bookings to no more than 16 people.
Airbnb says around 2 per cent of the 7 million properties listed on its site can accommodate 16 or more people. There are at least 170 in New York, 116 in Los Angeles, 53 in London and 277 in Beijing, according to the company’s website.
Airbnb said it also plans to expand a hotline for neighbors to report unauthorized parties, and may pursue legal action against guests and hosts who violate the ban.
Footage on Instagram that appeared to be taken inside a Jackson Township party showed people dancing and drinking within close proximity despite coronavirus restrictions
Last month, a party took place in Jackson Township, New Jersey at a mansion that had been rented out for $795-a-night on Airbnb
The move follows a number of complaints and legal issues coming as a result of people hosting parties during the coronavirus pandemic that violated social distancing guidelines in the areas they were staying.
The company said that based on this – a global ban on parties and events is the ‘best course of action to take in the interest of public health’.
A house party in Middletown, New Jersey is believed to have sparked 65 cases of coronavirus, with 52 of those infected between 15 and 19 years old.
The latest move is a continuation of efforts launched by Airbnb in 2019 to impose stricter limits on the number of people that can stay at or visit a property they list.
The firm said that historically they’ve allowed hosts to use their judgement over whether to allow small parties such as baby showers – but that is to end.
‘This party ban applies to all future bookings on Airbnb and it will remain in effect indefinitely until further notice,’ the property sharing company said.
Party houses have often sparked complaints from neighbors and in some high profile cases been the scene of violence and shootings.
Last week, for the first time, Airbnb took legal action against a guest who held an unauthorized party in Sacramento County, California.
Three people were shot during the party but they are all said to be in stable condition. As of last week, police were still searching for a suspect.
The three injured were taken to a local hospital and were listed as being in stable condition
The San Francisco home sharing company will limit occupancy in its rental homes to 16 people and may pursue legal action against those who violate the ban. It comes after a party in Sacramento County led to the shooting of three people
Last month in New Jersey, a total of 35 listings were either suspended or removed across the state as coronavirus cases surge there. Many of the listings were in beach towns along the shore including Atlantic City, Brigantine, Stafford Township, and Ventnor City.
Law enforcement broke up a 700-person party at an Airbnb in Jackson Township, Ocean County, in July
The party took place at a mansion that had been rented out for $795-a-night on Airbnb on Saturday night.
Jackson Police say they first started receiving reports from concerned neighbors about the party at about 8.30pm.
When they arrived at the home, they found a large crowd at the property.
Officers contacted the owner of the home, 40-year-old Yaakov Weiss, who said he had rented his property out for the purposes of a party. He has since been banned from using the service.
One attendee at the Jackson Township party was there from 11pm and said people only started to leave at 3am because cars were being towed for parking violations. Police arrived but didn’t break up the bash
After a deadly shooting at a California Airbnb rental last Halloween, the company took multiple steps to crack down on parties. Five people were killed in the shooting, which happened during an unauthorized party.
Last November, Airbnb started manually reviewing U.S. and Canadian reservations to weed out suspicious rentals, like a guest who booked a one-night stay close to their home. It expanded that program to Australia last week.
In July, Airbnb banned U.S. and Canadian guests under age 25 with fewer than three positive reviews from booking entire homes close to where they live. It expanded that policy to the United Kingdom, Spain and France last week.
Twelve-year-old Airbnb has been trying to shed its couch-surfing image and appeal to more types of travelers ahead of its initial public offering. Last year it announced an effort to verify all of its properties, for example.
Airbnb filed preliminary paperwork for a stock offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. The initial public offering could take place later this year.
The company also said it wants to make sure it’s complying with public health mandates. Los Angeles County has a ban on gatherings of people from different households, for example.