Airbnb will revive rules aimed at curbing summer parties

SAN FRANCISCO — Airbnb said Wednesday it will impose new rules regarding parties over the Memorial Day and July 4 holidays, bringing back measures that the company claims worked last summer.

Renters who don’t have a “history of positive reviews on Airbnb” will be barred from making one-night reservations for houses, and there will also be limits on who can make two-night bookings, the company said.

Airbnb said it will require renters to confirm that they understand the company’s ban on parties and that Airbnb could take legal action against violators.

The company said guests who have received positive marks in the past won’t be affected by the changes.

San Francisco-based Airbnb said similar measures prevented 126,000 people from renting properties over the July 4 holiday last year because they lacked positive reviews from hosts.

Airbnb has long faced criticism over large parties, some of which have turned violent, at properties listed by its hosts.

Last month, two teens were killed and several others injured by gunfire during an Easter weekend party at an Airbnb in Pittsburgh. Airbnb has said it plans legal action against the person who booked the house. The company banned parties after five people were shot dead during a Halloween party in 2019 at a rental in Orinda, California, a San Francisco suburb.