Airbnb to ban ‘party houses’ after mass shooting

Airbnb is to crackdown on unauthorised house parties after five people were shot dead over Halloween at one of its rental properties, the company’s CEO has said.

Brian Chesky announced on Twitter than the company is banning “house parties” in the wake of the mass shooting in California on Thursday.

The four-bedroom home had been rented on Airbnb by a woman who told the owner her dozen family members had asthma and needed to escape smoke from a wildfire, a person with knowledge of the transaction told the Associated Press.

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The rental specifically prohibited parties but the event was advertised on social media and had more than 100 people in attendance, CNN reports.

Responding to the shooting, Chesky laid out a three-point plan, which includes expanding manual screening of high-risk reservations, creating a response team dedicated to house parties and taking action against users who violate enhanced guest policies.

“First, we are expanding manual screening of high-risk reservations flagged by our risk detection technology. Second, we are creating a dedicated ‘party house" rapid response team. Third, we are taking immediate action against users who violate these enhanced guest policies, including removal,” he tweeted.

While a number of cities have banned Airbnb, Orinda where the shooting took place merely requires homeowners to register their properties with the authorities and observe a 13-person limit on a short-term rental, reports The Daily Telegraph.

In 2018, Airbnb permanently banned a man who had more than 250 people in an Airbnb rental in Seven Hills, Ohio, for an unauthorised New Year party, while the host hid in the bathroom.

In July, two people were killed during a party at an Airbnb in Pittsburgh.

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