Airbnb issues warning against house parties this Halloween weekend

Airbnb has said in a statement that in an effort to protect public health and prevent house parties over Halloween weekend this year, they will not be allowing single-night reservations of entire homes in the United States and Canada.

Guests looking to use the service will not be able to make one-night bookings for entire homes on either Friday, October 30, or Saturday, October 31, and the company has said that they may take legal action against guests who violate their rules prohibiting parties.

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“To continue to strengthen hosts’ protection against parties, we won’t be allowing one-night reservations during the upcoming Halloween weekend for entire home listings in the U.S. or Canada,” said Airbnb on its website. “We’re also bolstering our existing protections and technologies designed to stop as many large gatherings as possible that weekend.”

Airbnb will be canceling any reservations made for either of those days this weekend and will be reimbursing its guests. The company will also be paying for any canceled reservations, so hosts who have confirmed bookings canceled will still receive the expected payout for those reservations.

“Due to COVID-19, we’ve taken extra steps to prevent parties from happening at spaces booked on Airbnb. Among other actions, we’ve banned parties globally and put new restrictions in place for certain local and last-minute reservations in the U.S. and Canada,” said Airbnb.

Guests with reservations of two days or more this weekend have been asked to attest that they understand they may be subject to removal from Airbnb or legal action if they violate Airbnb’s rules against partying.

“The great majority of guests are respectful of our hosts’ homes and neighbors, and we understand that this initiative will disrupt many one-night reservations that might not have led to parties. This action is designed to help protect our hosts and the communities they live in,” said Airbnb.