UnSplash / Kelsey Chance
Rental platform Airbnb said it's implementing new safeguards to prevent people from using it for NYE house parties.
Rental platform Airbnb has implemented new anti-party rules will make it harder for people to rent San Antonio homes through its app to hold New Year's Eve parties.
Guests without a history of positive reviews on its platform won't be able to make one-night reservations for entire houses. What's more, the company is flagging certain two-night and three-night rentals made by guests without a positive review record — among those, rentals made at the last minute.
"We are publicly communicating this initiative to help support our SA-area hosts and send a message to would-be partiers that we won’t tolerate that type of behavior on our platform," Airbnb spokesman Ben Breit said in an emailed statement.
Those with histories of positive reviews won't be affected by the new safeguards, Breit added.
Airbnb piloted a similar initiative last New Year's Eve. According to its estimates, its "anti-party defenses" deterred more than 200 people from booking San Antonio home listings last year. It also blocked more than 50 would-be partiers in nearby Fredericksburg.
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