Over the past few months, Airbnb has ramped up its efforts to crack down on unauthorized parties in their listed properties. These efforts reached a peak on the week of the 4th of July as the platform blocked thousands of suspicious bookings across the country.
Airbnb Blocked More Than 100,000 Bookings on Its Rental Platform Since the Launch of Its Anti-Party Safety System
Airbnb party ban is in full effect
Since launching in July of last year, Airbnb’s anti-party system has blocked more than 100,000 bookings that were deemed suspicious by the platform. As part of this system, the platform prevents guests who are younger than 25 years old and have fewer than three positive reviews from renting a property in their local area. The idea is to prevent young adults without a history of positive reviews from booking one-night reservations, throwing disruptive parties, and damaging the property of an Airbnb host in the process.
Airbnb has released data that highlights the effectiveness of the anti-party safety system. Here is a breakdown of the markets with the highest number of blocked Airbnb listings:
- Los Angeles, California: 15,000 blocked bookings
- Atlanta, Georgia: 12,000 blocked bookings
- Chicago, Illinois: 10,000 blocked bookings
- Dallas, Texas: 7,000 blocked bookings
- San Diego, California: 6,000 blocked bookings
- Charlotte, North Carolina: 5,100 blocked bookings
- Phoenix, Arizona: 5,000 blocked bookings
- Las Vegas, Nevada: 4,500 blocked bookings
- Seattle, Washington: 4,500 blocked bookings
- Austin, Texas: 3,800 blocked bookings
- St. Louis, Missouri: 3,500 blocked bookings
- Columbus, Ohio: 3,000 blocked bookings
- New Orleans, Louisiana: 2,700 blocked bookings
- Denver, Colorado: 2,600 blocked bookings
- Portland, Oregon: 2,600 blocked bookings
- Cincinnati, Ohio: 2,000 blocked bookings
- Salt Lake City, Utah: 1,800 blocked bookings
- Albuquerque, New Mexico: 1,500 blocked bookings
It is worth noting that the anti-party system does not prevent prospective guests from renting single rooms or making a boutique hotel reservation. Users who are younger than 25 but have a long history of positive reviews can also book an entire house in their local area without any restrictions.
House Parties: A Problem for Both Airbnb and Real Estate Investors
Airbnb party houses have been a thorn in the side of Airbnb, property owners, and real estate investors for some time now. As a matter of fact, a number of these illegal parties have ended in violence, shootings, and lawsuits. A few months ago, CEO Brian Chesky reiterated the company’s commitment to cracking down on an issue that has been plaguing short-term rental properties for years:
“We want to make sure that Airbnb are good partners to neighborhoods. We’re working our very best to try to make sure that people have a great experience at Airbnb. You can gather with people and have a good time; we just don’t want you to be a nuisance to your neighbors. “
Last month, Airbnb took these efforts a step further by inking a partnership with competitor Vrbo. The aim is for both companies to join efforts in eradicating party houses from their platforms and alleviate some of the stress that marketplace hosts experience.
This development comes as a long-awaited positive signal to many real estate investors and homeowners. For many, the hesitancy to list properties on the Airbnb platform has long been rooted in the fear of sustaining significant property damage as a result of illegal parties or other inconsiderate activities.
Airbnb’s push to stop house parties isn’t solely motivated by the interests of the hosts. In fact, one of the common issues that the company has faced in the past was the barrage of complaints that were regularly submitted by neighbors who live near Airbnb properties. Banning Airbnb party houses helps the platform reduce the number of these complaints as well as avoid the legal headaches that may come with them down the line.
The Airbnb Party Ban Will Continue Through the Summer
The good news for hosts is that the Airbnb party ban is expected to last through the end of summer. As the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions continue to ease, the summer of 2021 is shaping up to be one of the hottest periods for short-term rental properties.
Demand for short-term rentals has been consistently high in 2021. These rentals have emerged as a convenient and spacious escape from the restrictions of city life in the COVID-19 pandemic era. Vaccine rollouts have also contributed to this immediate surge in demand. According to Airbnb, searches for summer travel increased by more than 60% between February and March 2021 for guests aged 60 and above.
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