Online hospitality major Airbnb on Tuesday, June 28, announced that a temporary ban on house parties and events, announced in August 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, is now permanent. In a statement, Airbnb said that the temporary ban has proved effective and the company has now "officially codifying the ban as our policy". "We focus on trying to deter the very rare cases of Hosts who do not operate responsibly, or guests who try to throw unauthorised parties," it said.
As per the company’s policy, there will be “serious consequences” for guests who attempt to violate the rules, varying from account suspension to full removal from the platform. In 2021, over 6,600 guests were suspended from Airbnb for attempting to violate its party ban. "In these cases, we also work to support our Hosts with property damage protection via AirCover for Hosts," said the company.
Disruptive parties and events will continue to be prohibited, including open-invite gatherings. "Party house" properties will continue to be strictly prohibited as well, Airbnb said. The temporary party ban policy announced in summer 2020 included a 16-person occupancy cap. "As part of the updated policy, and based on feedback from a number of Hosts who have listings that can house above 16 people comfortably, we will remove this cap," said Airbnb.
In late 2019, the company tightened its measures to prohibit both "open-invite" parties (those advertised on social media) as well as "chronic party houses" that had developed into neighbourhood nuisances. Later, as COVID-19 restrictions were put in place and bars and restaurants were closed, many began renting homes on Airbnb and hosted parties there, as per the company’s website, and it implemented a temporary ban in the interest of public health. "Over time, the party ban became much more than a public health measure. It developed into a bedrock community policy to support our Hosts and their neighbours," Airbnb noted.