Airbnb to permanently ban parties in rental properties around the world, says a company Announcement Today. The party ban was first instituted in August 2020 designed to curtail large social gatherings during the pandemic, especially when bars and restaurants were off limits due to public health restrictions.
The company said the August 2020 ban is a direct correlation with a 44% year-over-year decline in party reports on hosting sites. In 2021 alone, more than 6,600 guests were banned from listing their homes on Airbnb after violating the company’s strict party ban.
“Over time, the party ban became much more than a public health measure,” Airbnb said in its announcement today. “It evolved into a basic community policy to support our hosts and their neighbors.”
The new permanent policy includes a ban on disruptive events, public gatherings and “party houses” included in property descriptions. After several previous security issues, including: a 2019 shooting that took place in a property listed as a ‘party house’ on Airbnb’s site, the company banned similar properties and introduced a new listing verification process to ensure guest safety.
This official ban follows the measures taken by the company recent summer announcement of Airbnb categories, a new way to search for tenants by subgroups such as “tent”, “surf” or “cabin” and Split Stays, a feature that now allows guests to split their trip across multiple homes. The company is even taking submissions for structures that offer experience stays in so-called “OMG” houses, wildly creative accommodations that currently contain UFOs and a giant boot.
One change from the original 2020 policy: lifting the 16-person occupancy limit designed specifically to address concerns about the spread of Covid-19 among large groups of guests. Going forward, hosts with properties that can accommodate 16 or more residents will be allowed to re-rent to their full capacity.
By removing the capacity cap of 16 guests while limiting disruptive social contacts, travelers can explore these expanding options, the company said. “Great properties like this one thrive when hosting multi-generational family outings and larger groups, and removing this limit is intended to allow those hosts to responsibly use the space in their homes while still complying our ban on disruptive parties,” the company said.