Airbnb tackles 'disruptive party houses' in new partnership
Airbnb is teaming up with Expedia Group company, Vrbo
Airbnb is tackling what it calls a "threat" imposed on communities by repeat party house offenders.
To solve the issue, the home-sharing company announced plans – in partnership with Vrbo, which is an Expedia Group company – to develop the Community Integrity Program, which is a combined effort to address community safety through sharing information on listings.
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The companies will utilize a third-party intermediary to develop "a process that identifies properties that have been permanently removed from each platform due to repeated violations of respective community policies," Airbnb said.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABNB | AIRBNB INC. | 137.49 | +1.38 | +1.01% |
Information about those properties will be available for both companies to evaluate and "take the appropriate action."
Both companies are already well-versed in addressing the challenge of disruptive party houses. Although Vrbo’s Stay Neighborly and Airbnb’s Neighborhood Support Line allow community members and hosts to "elevate" any issues, Airbnb cautioned that "the challenge persists."
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For instance, "repeat offenders may be delisted by one platform, only to pop up on another," according to Airbnb.
People partying inside a home. (iStock)
Although "rare," these types of disruptive parties can impact the quality of life within a community, according to Airbnb.
"This pertains to a very small minority of short-term rental properties, however, for the neighbors these can be genuine neighborhood nuisances," Airbnb said. "Neither Airbnb nor Vrbo have tolerance for this type of irresponsible activity."
To properly handle this issue, Airbnb says it takes an entire industry.
"Neighbors don’t care if a party house is getting its reservations through any particular platform – they just want the parties to stop," Airbnb said. "That’s why one platform alone can’t solve this problem – it requires an industry-wide effort."
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The companies are urging other short-term rental industry platforms to join the Community Integrity Program when it kicks off in order to narrow "enforcement gaps and prioritizing the safety of the communities."
According to Airbnb, the program is slated to hit the U.S. in the coming months. In the meantime, Airbnb said additional details about the program will be provided "soon."