UPDATE: Airbnb to ban house parties following Halloween killings

Airbnb, the United States-based global accommodation rental company, has announced that it is taking steps to ban “party houses”.

The move comes days after a shooting during a Halloween-themed party at an Airbnb rental in the San Francisco Bay Area left five people dead.

Airbnb co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky disclosed, in a series of tweets today, that the company is stepping up efforts to combat unauthorised parties and get rid of abusive hosts and guest conduct.

Chesky said Airbnb is expanding manual screening of “high risk” reservations that are flagged by its system and is forming a rapid response team that will be dedicated to house parties.

“The company will remove guests who fail to comply,” he said.

The five people were killed on Thursday during a Halloween-themed party at a four-bedroom home in the suburb of Orinda.

People with knowledge of the transaction say the woman who rented the home lied to her Airbnb host, indicating that she was renting it so her asthmatic family members could escape wildfire smoke.

More than 100 people had gathered for the party, police said.

“What happened on Thursday night in Orinda was horrible. I feel for the families and neighbours impacted by this tragedy. We are working to support them,” Chesky said in a tweet.

House parties have long been an issue for Airbnb.

In 2018, Airbnb permanently banned a man who crammed more than 250 people into an Airbnb rental in Seven Hills, Ohio, for an unauthorised New Year’s party while his host hid in a bedroom.

Two people were killed in July during a party at an Airbnb in Pittsburgh.

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