Airbnb has permanently banned parties and events at homes listed on its website worldwide.
The US-based accommodation-sharing company said the decision follows a temporary ban introduced in August 2020 when some people took “partying behaviour to rented homes” due to bars and nightclubs being closed or restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It has recorded a 44% year-on-year drop in complaints about parties since then, and received “positive feedback from community leaders and elected officials”.
In the UK there have been several incidents where Airbnb properties were trashed, such as in March last year when a house in Sandbanks, Dorset which estimated to be worth £2 million.
It was used for a party attended by around 60 people after being booked on Airbnb by a couple for a two-night break.
Two months later residents in Bearsted, near Maidstone, Kent, described how “at least 100 people” descended on a four-bedroom home for a raucous gathering with “thumping music all night long” after it was rented through the site.
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Airbnb said there are “serious consequences” for guests who breach the party ban, varying from the suspension of their account to being permanently removed from the platform.
Around 6,600 people’s accounts were suspended last year for “attempting to violate our party ban”.
In late 2019, the firm prohibited parties advertised on social media as well as “chronic party houses” that had developed into “neighbourhood nuisances”.
It has also implemented rules to reduce disruption at certain times of the year, such as banning customers in several countries including the UK from making one-night bookings for entire homes on New Year’s Eve unless they have a history of positive reviews.
Airbnb said: “This new and long-term policy was enacted to help encourage and support community safety.
“We look forward to sharing updates in the coming weeks and months on our efforts to complement our community policies on parties.”
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