Airbnb rolls out strict policies cracking down on Halloween parties

Airbnb doesn’t want any toil and trouble at its homes this Halloween.

If you were looking into Airbnbs to host a spooky rager, good luck.

The vacation rental company is taking no chances, rolling out strict policies aimed at reducing disruptive parties over Halloween weekend.

“Airbnb will take action on certain local reservations made by guests without a history of positive reviews, as part of our ongoing mission to promote responsible behaviour and crack down on parties,” stated the company in a news release.

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How renting will work this spooky season

One-night reservations — Guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb will be prohibited from making one-night reservations on entire home listings.

Two-night reservations — Guests attempting to book entire home listings without a history of positive reviews, within a certain locale, and/or last-minute reservations, will be redirected to listings that are not entire home listings or blocked altogether.

So, unfortunately, if you’re stained with negative reviews, you won’t be able to rent the scariest cottage on the rental site.

get in ghouls, we’re going to the hocus pocus cottage 🧹

the sanderson sisters are hosting a magical stay in salem, massachusetts, just in time for the new @hocuspocusmovie. booking opens on october 12 at 1pm ET: https://t.co/xV0LDS7DLZ pic.twitter.com/IbPVINeuJh

— Airbnb (@Airbnb) September 28, 2022

But what about the good ghouls?

Airbnb says guests who have a history of positive reviews on Airbnb won’t be subject to these restrictions.

The company has a warning for all guests attempting to make a reservation on Halloween weekend.

“They must affirmatively attest that they understand that Airbnb bans parties and if they break that rule, they may be subject to legal action from the company,” stated Airbnb.

Doubling down on party ban

These policies come on the heels of two anti-party updates from Airbnb.

In June, the company codified its ban on parties, and two months later it introduced new anti-party technology in Canada and the US.

“This special Halloween system we’re sharing today works on top of the 24/7 anti-party technology since we know that certain holidays, like Halloween and New Year’s Eve, are more likely to encourage attempts to throw unauthorized parties,” stated Airbnb.

It isn’t the first time it has implemented these defences.

In Halloween 2021, the company estimates that this crackdown resulted in a drop in unauthorized parties by roughly 37% in Canada and the US.

Moreover, in Canada, over 114,000 people were deterred by Airbnb’s anti-party policies over Halloween 2021, and specifically in Ontario, over 5,000 people were deterred.