Cancel Your Party Plans Because Airbnb Has Banned House Parties for Good

Keep your social gatherings socially distant.

House-sharing/online rental company Airbnb has put a worldwide ban on house parties for all its properties due to the coronavirus pandemic and public health concerns.

Airbnb have capped their persons limit at 16 in larger properties and have stated that the new restrictions will be in place indefinitely and until further notice.

If you break the rules and attend a party anyways you could risk a hefty fine from the police depending on what your states restrictions are, but now Airbnb is warning customers that they may also be pursued for legal action by the house sharing service if they breach policy.

Restrictions like this aren’t exactly new for Airbnb. Shortly after coronavirus was declared a global pandemic, the company got rid of the 'event-friendly' tag from its search options and required all users to follow their local restrictions on gatherings and social distancing.

Despite their efforts it seems like the closure of bars, clubs and regular activities has caused social gatherings to migrate to homes, rather than stop altogether.

House parties have always been a tough problem for the house-sharing service as constant complaints from neighbors and damage to property are becoming all too frequent.

In July dozens of party goers were facing fines of up to $1000 after a house party got out of control at an Airbnb in Sydney’s north west. At the time, the maximum number of guests allowed at a home was 20, but more than 60 people were partying at the Sydney home when police arrived.

Police also put a stop to a similar party earlier in the month, in Melbourne’s Southbank. More than 15 people were caught partying and fined for breaching social gathering restrictions.

Airbnb has previously tried to put a stop to house parties in their rentals due to all of the dangers they present. In November the house-sharing service also banned 'party houses' after a deadly shooting during a Halloween party in California with more than 100 attendees.

Most of Airbnb’s global listings have already banned parties and any unauthorised events were always barred while smaller gatherings were historically allowed with the hosts permission.

Depending on where you are right now, life may look like its going back to normal, or you may be stuck indoors for a few more weeks.

Either way, we’d recommend avoiding any big gatherings for the time being, to keep yourself safe, and your community safe.

Header Image: Chesnot via Getty Images