Ahead of the 4th of July weekend, Airbnb is trying to reduce unauthorized parties at its short-term rental properties by preventing guests under 25 who don’t have enough positive reviews from booking full homes in their properties. region, the company said Thursday. .
“Reduce the number of unauthorized parties on Airbnb has always been a priority, and it’s more important than ever,” Airbnb said. “With public health mandates in place across the country, we are taking steps to support safe and responsible travel to the United States.”
US guests under the age of 25 with less than three positive reviews are now unable to book whole-home listings that are “close” to where they live. These customers can still book any type of accommodation outside of their local area, the company said.
Airbnb said it launched the same initiative in Canada earlier this year, and since then the number of unauthorized parties hosted by guests under 25 has seen a “significant drop”.
All guests under 25 are still free to book private rooms and hotel rooms through Airbnb, regardless of where they live.
Younger travelers with at least three positive reviews and no negative reviews on Airbnb are not subject to this restriction and can continue to book whole-home listings in their area.
Airbnb said most customers treat rental homes as if they were in their own homes and neighborhoods, and 99.95% of bookings reported no safety issues.
The company said there will “always be people working to find ways around our trust and security protections, and we know that people over the age of 24 are perfectly capable of booking a home for bad reasons as well.
But the company said that given the policy’s success in Canada, it was the right step to take.
Last year, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky banned “party houses” and instituted a 24/7 neighborhood hotline for neighbors to report concerns and help resolve enforce this ban.
Last week, Airbnb announced a new compliance system to help the city of Los Angeles enforce its home-sharing ordinance and support tourism growth. The system will streamline the guest registration process, promote compliance and automate the city’s enforcement.
Around midnight Tuesday, an armed robbery occurred at an Airbnb home where people were hosting a party in the 800 block of North Orange Grove Avenue near Fairfax Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Victims at the home were posting photos of the event on social media when at least five armed men entered the home and took personal property, police said.
The suspects took cash, jewelry and purses from people inside the home, which was often rented out on Airbnb for parties, NBC4 reported.
A description of the suspects was not immediately available and no injuries were reported.
–City News Service
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