Airbnb CEO says company is banning 'party houses'

Airbnb stepping up efforts to combat unauthorised parties. Photo / 123RF

Airbnb Inc. says it's banning "party houses" in the wake of a deadly shooting at an Airbnb rental in California.

In a series of tweets Saturday, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said that the San Francisco-based company is stepping up efforts to "combat unauthorised parties and get rid of abusive host and guest conduct."

Chesky said Airbnb is expanding manual screening of "high risk" reservations that are flagged by its system. It's also forming a rapid response team dedicated to house parties.

The company will remove guests who fail to comply, Chesky said.

Five people were killed in a Halloween party shooting in the San Francisco suburb of Orinda.

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

People with knowledge of the transaction say the woman who rented the home lied to her Airbnb host, saying she was renting it so her asthmatic family members could escape wildfire smoke. More than 100 people had gathered for the party, police said.

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.

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

- AP