WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Airbnb has introduced few new rules to control parties and nuisances amidst the backlash the service received after the Halloween shooting at an Airbnb rental in a San Francisco.
San Francisco-based Airbnb said it is banning 'open invite' parties at all of its accommodations. The company is also banning large parties at apartment buildings and condos.
Airbnb says boutique hotels and professional event venues will be exempt from the new rule.
'This policy does not impact parties that are authorised by hosts and convened respectfully by guests,' the company said in a news release. 'Instead, our goal with this new policy is to address the small number of guests who act irresponsibly and those rare hosts whose homes become persistent neighbourhood nuisances.'
Airbnb is also issuing new guest behaviour rules. In early 2020, guests will get a warning for one instance of excessive noise, unauthorized guests, unauthorized parking, unauthorized smoking or excessive messiness reported by a host or a neighbor. Further violations will result in account suspension or removal.
Airbnb's new changes follows the killing of five people at a Halloween party shooting in Orinda. The owner of the Airbnb rental didn't authorize the party, which had more than 100 guests.
'While home sharing is a time-honored tradition in many cultures around the world, the rise of digital platforms like Airbnb has brought it within reach of more people than ever before,' Airbnb's vice president of trust Margaret Richardson writes in today's announcement. 'In turn, Airbnb has worked to collaborate with cities around the world and with our host and guest communities to ensure we are creating a framework that allows millions of people to trust one another.'
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