Newsroom

Airbnb Pilots New Policy To Tackle Antisocial Behaviour

By ·
·
  • New pilot restriction will prevent bookings for some under 25 year olds booking locally across the UK
  • Major initiative follows successful pilots in Canada and US launched earlier this year
  • Online platform also launches Summer Safety Campaign encouraging safe travels

Airbnb has today launched a new pilot restriction to crackdown on antisocial behaviour and reduce unauthorised parties to protect the safety of everyone using Airbnb this summer. 

Starting today, this measure will restrict certain bookings by UK guests under the age of 25 for entire home listings in their local area, as similar pilots in the US and Canada have cut the number of unauthorised parties. 

The restriction is intended to protect local communities while still allowing younger guests to book listings outside of their local area. 

Here’s how it works:

  • UK guests under the age of 25 with less than three positive reviews are not able to book entire home listings that are close to where they live. These guests can still book any type of listing outside their local area.
  • All guests under the age of 25 are still free to book private rooms and hotel rooms through Airbnb, regardless of where they live.  
  • Most importantly, younger guests with at least three positive reviews and no negative reviews on Airbnb or with long-term plans are not subject to this restriction, and they’re welcome to continue to book entire home listings in their local area.

While the vast majority of stays on Airbnb are for responsible guests and just 0.03% of stays result in a significant Host Guarantee claim, Airbnb is committed to being good partners to communities and today’s announcement follows a series of measures taken by the platform to clampdown on antisocial behavior and unauthorised parties. 

Last year, Airbnb banned all unauthorised parties and events in Airbnb listings globally and has since temporarily disabled the platform’s “event-friendly” search filter. In response to COVID-19, Airbnb also strengthened its policies to ban gatherings that violate public health mandates. 

“We want everyone to enjoy the summer safely and while the overwhelming majority of guests on our platform are responsible neighbours, we are absolutely determined to obstruct and weed-out anyone intent on causing antisocial behaviour. We want to do everything we can to be good partners to the communities where hosts live and we hope that our new restriction will make it abundantly clear that there is no home for any unauthorised parties on Airbnb.”

Director of Public Policy Patrick Robinson

Starting today, Airbnb is also launching a Summer Safety Campaign for hosts and guests in the UK to encourage safe and considerate travels amidst a busy summer season. The platform will be reaching out to the community with information and resources to ensure everyone can enjoy their stays safely over the coming weeks. 

Throughout the four week campaign, all guests will be reminded to follow house rules, as well as local COVID-19 restrictions and Airbnb’s party policy. Violation of these policies and community standards may lead to the removal of guests from Airbnb.
Hosts will receive tips such as setting clear expectations to guests on the house rules and prioritising cleaning whilst hosting during COVID-19, and being considerate of local neighbours. Airbnb launched its enhanced Enhanced Cleaning Protocol for UK hosts in June which includes expert cleanliness and hygiene guidance from international experts.
Read more about: trust, Trust & Safety Hub

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.

Download logo assets