An update on our work to crack down on parties and disruptive behavior
Airbnb is built on trust. And each and every day, our teams work hard to help ensure we’re continuing to earn the trust of our guests, Hosts and the neighborhoods and communities in which we operate. As part of this work, we implemented a ban on parties in August 2020, which we then codified in 2022. But, we have never viewed this as a ‘set-and-forget’ policy, and in the time since we have continued to put in place concrete measures to help enforce this ban.
Recently, we rolled out our proprietary reservation screening technology throughout the world. This system aims to help reduce the risk of disruptive parties on Airbnb by taking steps to identify potential higher-risk reservations and to prevent those bookings from being made.
This technology works in tandem with a variety of other measures we’ve implemented as part of our efforts to crack down on disruptive behavior. This includes our Neighborhood Support Line, which enables neighbors to speak directly to us with urgent concerns about a nearby property that they believe is listed on Airbnb, like a potential party in progress, so that our teams can investigate. We’ve also put in place heightened measures in certain countries and regions at certain times of year that can potentially be higher risk for parties, like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Halloween and New Year’s Eve. Moreover, for our Hosts and guests during an active stay, our 24-hour safety line is available for them to quickly reach our specialized Safety team for help, including to report unauthorized parties.
We’ve seen tangible results from these efforts, including a 55 percent year-over-two-year drop in the rate of party reports we’ve received globally since introducing the party ban. And, in 2022, just 0.039 percent of global reservations resulted in an allegation of a party. Overall, the percentage of stays in 2022 globally that resulted in a safety-related report by a Host or guest was approximately 0.09 percent. That same year, approximately just 0.02 percent of reservations on Airbnb globally led to property damage reimbursement of $1000 or more. Nevertheless, our team continues to look for new ways to innovate and further strengthen our systems.
Importantly, on the rare occasions something does go wrong, we have a specialized Safety team that investigates and takes action to enforce our policies, including by removing guests, listings and Hosts from our platform where appropriate. We also have a dedicated team and channel in place to provide assistance to law enforcement with relevant investigations, and this team holds engagement sessions with law enforcement agencies globally, educating on how we can assist and how to reach us. We also continue to work closely with experts and external partners, including through our Airbnb Trust and Safety Advisory Coalition, as we look to keep enhancing our defenses.
Alongside this, we provide Hosts with tips on how to help prevent parties in their listing, and have collaborated to offer Hosts in more than 60 countries a free noise sensor to help them get ahead of issues while respecting guest privacy.
These efforts are supported by our broader measures to build trust on Airbnb, such as requiring booking guests and primary Hosts getting booked to go through our identity verification process before they either book a stay or list their home on the platform.
We’ve also rolled out a comprehensive set of ground rules for guests that aim to provide Hosts and neighborhoods with additional peace of mind and cover issues like damage, noise and approved guests, among others. At the same time, these ground rules also aim to give travelers greater clarity with regards to our expectations. Since late June alone, we’ve provided reactive guidance and education to more than 50,000 guests* globally as part of our efforts to enforce these ground rules. Meanwhile, we’ve also suspended thousands of listings this year through our hosting quality system.
We believe these standards can help make stays more enjoyable for both parties, as well as foster a greater sense of connection.
Since the beginning, Airbnb has been designed with trust at the forefront – and these are just some of the measures we’ve introduced over the years aimed at helping to ensure each stay is a positive experience for Hosts, guests and local neighborhoods. We are focused on being a constructive and collaborative partner to communities, and we continue to work relentlessly to bolster our systems, enforce our policies and even further reduce the risk of these rare incidents.
* Additionally, Airbnb takes action on guest accounts for safety reasons and violations of other policies and community standards, where necessary.