LOS ANGELES, CA – Short-term rental giant Airbnb will attempt to enforce its party ban and rule breakers in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve, the company announced on Monday.
Los Angeles has long been a hotspot for boisterous parties on short-term rentals, and the company has faced pressure from the city to curb party houses that disrupt residential areas. The company announced this week expanded measures to discourage night owls from using short-term rentals to host large parties.
The vacation rental platform first announced on November 2nd that it would forbid guests without positive reviews on Airbnb in the past to reserve a night in full apartment listings on December 31st – night reservations during this period from guests without positive reviews in the past.
On Monday, the platform announced that it would extend its restrictions on bookings for two nights to bookings for three nights. The decision was made based on positive feedback from hosts using the platform, according to Airbnb.
Last year, Airbnb announced it was removing 28 properties from listings in the Hollywood Hills that Los Angeles police identified as significant neighborhood harassment.
Hollywood Hills’ neighbors have long struggled with homes being rented out for large parties, causing noise, traffic and parking problems.
“LAPD has provided Airbnb with information on ‘chronic party houses’, some of which have resulted in subpoenas and injunctions,” Airbnb said in a statement at the time.
Also in 2020, Airbnb announced a global ban on parties and events with more than 16 people on Airbnb lists to prevent nuisance that disrupts surrounding neighborhoods.
During holidays, which attract more trespassers, the platform is stepping up its preventative measures, according to Airbnb, which says the program aims to keep its hosts safe and minimize disruption to the neighborhood.
The platform first introduced its restrictions on New Year’s Eve 2020 for the mainland of the United States, Canada, Australia, France, Spain and the United Kingdom. According to Airbnb, around 243,000 guests worldwide encountered the restrictions when attempting to book before New Year’s Eve.
The restrictions for 2021 will apply to Brazil and New Zealand for the same countries as in 2020. The US restrictions have also been extended to Puerto Rico.
The same restrictions applied in the US and Canada on July 4th and Halloween in 2021.
City News Service and Patch Representative Paige Austin contributed to this report.
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