Airbnb bans parties and groups over 16 people amid public health concerns

Airbnb announced this week it would ban “all parties and events at Airbnb listings,” setting a cap of 16 people per rental property.

The home-sharing platform said the move was in the best interest of public health.

The new policy is harsher than previous warnings that Airbnb users must follow local COVID-19-related public health guidance.

Airbnb says it will ban users who skirt the 16-person cap and could take legal action as well.

Scrutiny on Airbnb “party houses” pre-dates the pandemic as several violent episodes have erupted at parties hosted at Airbnb rentals.

Three men died in a shooting at a Toronto condo party in February and a 19-year-old student launched a lawsuit against the company in 2019 after being shot in the back during a party at a house rented through Airbnb in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2020