Bback in August Airbnb announced a global ban on all parties and events in Airbnb listings, while limiting occupancy of its vacation homes to 16 people. The party ban is still in effect on all Airbnb bookings going forward and will remain in effect until further notice.
Guests under the age of 25 with no history of positive reviews will also not be able to book a whole house listing.
To avoid any potential Halloween parties, Airbnb today announced that it will ban one-night bookings over Halloween weekend in whole-home listings in the United States or Canada. This means that there are no whole house overnight bookings on Friday October 30th or Saturday October 31st. Airbnb will cancel and refund travelers with previous reservations, as well as cover accommodation costs.
Airbnb has always prohibited unauthorized parties, but hosts who choose to allow small parties could do so if they feel it is appropriate for their home and neighborhood.
Last year, the company instituted a global ban on “party houses,” listings that received continuous party complaints. The company also launched a neighborhood hotline in the United States and Canada so neighbors can call and help Airbnb enforce the party house ban.
After the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic, Airbnb removed both the “event-friendly” search filter from its platform as well as the “parties and events allowed” option in the house rules section. All hosts and guests are required to follow local public health mandates, and many local governments have imposed limits on large gatherings in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.
According to Airbnb, with many jurisdictions that have imposed restrictions on bars and nightclubs, “some have chosen to adopt bar and club behavior in homes, sometimes rented through our platform. We believe such conduct is incredibly irresponsible – we don’t want this type of business, and anyone who engages in or allows this behavior does not belong on our platform,” the company said in a statement regarding its new global party ban.
Guests will be informed of Airbnb’s party rules when they book, and Airbnb will also notify guests that there could be legal repercussions if they violate the policy. Violators could also be banned from the platform.
“We recognize that there will always be those who try to break the rules. That’s why we’ve implemented severe consequences for hosts or guests who attempt to circumvent them,” Airbnb said.
This article was originally published on August 21, 2020. It has been updated with new information.
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