Airbnb announced Monday it is blocking people from booking one-night reservations for houses in Los Angeles and throughout the U.S. during the Fourth of July weekend in an effort to stop people from throwing unauthorized parties.
On Aug. 20, 2020, Airbnb enacted a ban on all gatherings of more than 16 people at its listings throughout the world. The ban is in effect until further notice, but it hasn’t stopped some in Los Angeles from throwing parties in Airbnb listings.
People who have a history of positive reviews will be able to book one- night reservations during July Fourth weekend, Airbnb said.
“Guests who are reported for throwing a disruptive party or violating our rules on gatherings of more than 16 people are subject to suspension or removal from Airbnb’s platform,” according to Airbnb’s rules.
Airbnb’s policy also states that it will remove listings if the host has authorized a party. If Airbnb receives reports that a listing is disrupting the community, it may suspend the listing or tell the host to update their rules to emphasize that no parties are allowed.
Airbnb suspended more than 50 listings in Los Angeles County for violating the ban a few days after it was enacted, the company said. The listings had been the subject of complaints.
“Stopping large gatherings is more important than ever in this current environment, and we support local efforts by Mayor Garcetti and others to crackdown on party houses,” Airbnb’s Director of Public Policy in Los Angeles, John Choi, said on Aug. 24.
“We also hope that sharing out these steps today can raise further awareness of our 24/7 neighbor hotline so that we can continue to strengthen the enforcement of our policies throughout the county.”
