Since August of 2020, Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) has enforced a ban against holding parties at the platform's listings, with the ban staying in effect "until further notice". Now, the company has announced that it will be adding the ban to its official policy.
"We know that the overwhelming majority of our Hosts share their homes responsibly, just as the overwhelming majority of guests are responsible and treat their listings and neighborhoods as if they were their own," the announcement reads. "In turn, we focus on trying to deter the very rare cases of Hosts who do not operate responsibly, or guests who try to throw unauthorized parties."
The vacation rental platform said in its announcement that the ban introduced in 2020 has been effective, leading to a 44% reduction in the number of party reports received by the company, year-over-year. The rule has also been welcomed by members of the Airbnb host community, as well as elected officials and community advocates.
Prior to the official codification of the policy, the 2020 party ban established a 16-person cap on parties and completely banned so-called "party houses". The official rule will allow hosts to remove the 16-person cap if their property can "comfortably" house that many occupants. Listing categories will help clarify who can and cannot remove the cap.
"Our recent Summer Release introduced Categories, which highlight several types of larger homes that, by definition, are capable of comfortably and safely housing more than 16 people," the announcement reads. "Properties like these thrive on hosting multi-generational family trips and larger groups, and removing this cap is meant to allow those Hosts to responsibly utilize the space in their homes."
Airbnb guests who violate the party ban will face "serious consequences", including being kicked off the platform. According to the company, nearly 7,000 guests were removed or suspended in 2021 due to violations of this policy.
Tools in place to prevent violations include "anti-party reservation prevention, special holiday anti-party measures, a 24-hour safety line, our Neighborhood Support Line, and a partnership with Vrbo (NASDAQ: EXPE) to share information on repeat "party house" offenders."
Airbnb first started cracking down on parties at their listings in 2019 when it introduced a ban on "chronic house parties" and "open invite" parties. The tighter rules were introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the stricter 2020 ban was introduced, some guests were using Airbnb rentals to skirt isolation guidelines.
"Over time, the party ban became much more than a public health measure," Airbnb said. "It developed into a bedrock community policy to support our Hosts and their neighbors."
The New York Times notes that the coronavirus isn't the only potential danger at Airbnb parties. Between March and October of 2020, at least 27 shootings were reported in connection to Airbnb rentals in the U.S. and Canada.