HOUSTON — Airbnb is making its ban on parties permanent at homes listed on the site for short-term rentals.
Violators could have their accounts suspended.
The San Francisco company believes the temporary ban has worked, saying Tuesday that reports of parties at listed properties have dropped 44% from a year ago.
Editor's note: The surveillance video above of an Airbnb party shootout originally aired on June 13.
"We are seeing a steady decrease in reports of parties at both the global rate and throughout the state of Texas," said Ben Breit, Airbnb's director of trust & safety communications. "Vast majority of our hosts always prohibited parties."
Parties aren't always just a neighborhood nuisance.
There have also been high-profile violent crimes at Airbnb locations, including a deadly shootout at a graduation party in Houston earlier this month. A man in his 20s was killed. The party in EaDo had been advertised on social media, which is against the rules and included in the ban.
In April, someone opened fire on guests during a 16th birthday party at a Manvel Airbnb leaving two people injured. That party was also posted on social media, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office.
RELATED: Teen's birthday party at Airbnb rental turns into shootout in Manvel, sheriff's office says
Airbnb began to crack down on parties in 2019 after a fatal shooting at a party in a house in California.
The company began prohibiting advertising parties at Airbnb locations on social media. Party hosts who break the rules can face legal consequences.
"There have been instances where we have taken affirmative legal action against people who have thrown particularly disruptive unauthorized parties," Breit said.
The number of parties at Airbnb locations increased during the pandemic, Airbnb said, as people moved gatherings from bars and clubs to rented homes. That led to the temporary ban in 2020.
More than 6,600 accounts were suspended last year for related violations, Airbnb said. Multiple listings across the Houston area were also removed.
While making the ban permanent, Airbnb said it will lift a limit of 16 people at rented properties. It said the cap was prompted by health concerns before vaccines against COVID-19 were available.
4th of July Airbnb restrictions
Airbnb also introduced strict anti-party measures for the upcoming 4th of July weekend, similar to initiatives last July 4 and this past Memorial Day.
- For one-night reservations: Guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb will be prohibited from making one-night reservations in entire home listings.
- For two-night reservations: As July 4 approaches, we will deploy more stringent restrictions on certain two-night reservation attempts. For example, we will leverage and amplify our technology that restricts certain local or last-minute bookings by guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb.
- Guests who have a history of positive reviews on Airbnb will not be subject to these restrictions.
- We will also be introducing anti-party attestations to guests attempting to make local reservations, in which 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.
Where to report parties to Airbnb
If there's an Airbnb party breaking the rules in your area, you can report it at their Neighborhood Support Line.
If there's a crime occurring, you should call 911 first.