Airbnb cracks down on Covid ‘party houses’ by removing 200 listings from its site

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Airbnb has today launched a UK crackdown on ‘party houses’ on its site, amid fears revellers will use the properties to host Covid rule-breaking raves.

The holiday-home rental site has vowed to toughen its stance on customers who advertise their properties for parties.

More than 200 listings with terms such as ‘available for a stag do’ and ‘open for hen parties’ have been dropped from the site as part of the firm’s ‘zero-tolerance’ policy.

Properties in London, Brighton, Manchester and Bristol are among the latest to be removed, bosses say.

It means more than 1,000 listings have now been ditched in the last six months, according to Airbnb chiefs.

The crackdown comes after revellers used homes listed on Airbnb to hold Covid-rule breaching bashes last year.

One shocked landlord discovered 12 revellers had sneaked into his flat for a drink-and-drug fuelled lockdown party in May last year.

Police also slapped a teenage party host with a £10,000 fine in November after breaking-up a 25-strong gathering at an Airbnb property in Manchester.

And earlier this year officers handed out more than a dozen £800 fines to partygoers in Portsmouth after breaking up a lockdown-flouting rave.

Now Airbnb chiefs have promised to toughen up on party listings, ahead of plans to allow bookings for self-contained accommodation from April 12. Full listings are due to return when measures are further lifted on May 17.

Patrick Robinson, Director of Public Policy at Airbnb told MailOnline: ‘We want to be clear beyond doubt that we have zero tolerance for antisocial behaviour on Airbnb,’ 

‘The vast majority of hosts and guests are good neighbours, and bad actors have no place in our community.

‘Our measures are working and as the UK looks forward to the reopening of tourism, we are committed to being good partners to communities and helping people stay safe.’ 

The site, which links those looking for short-term holiday home rentals with property owners, came under fire last year after revellers began using the site to hold lockdown-breaching parties.

The site has always had a ‘no unauthorised party’ policy. 

But last year it introduced a global party ban in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, determined UK revellers continued to defy the rules, by booking rooms for two and later inviting their friends.

In August last year, furious Londoners were kept awake until 3am after around 160 guests attended an illegal house party, said to have been held at an Airbnb property in Tavistock Terrace, Archway.   

Last April, MailOnline also revealed how an Airbnb landlord discovered 12 revellers had sneaked into his flat for a drink-and-drugs lockdown party on CCTV doorbell footage.

The landlord, who asked not to be identified, said he received a booking for the apartment in Notting Hill, London at around 9pm on April 18, and warned the customer that only two people could be inside the property at once.

He continued to monitor the situation throughout the evening due to similarities the booking had with another from a few days earlier, after which he said the property was left ‘in a mess’ with evidence of drug use and drinking.

The property owner was then awoken at 1am due to phone notifications from his Ring video doorbell alerting him to activity outside the front door.

In a CCTV clip from the doorbell, at least 12 men and women are seen sneaking inside the property, despite earlier warnings that more than two guests would be evicted if caught.

Footage shows two men initially unlocking the front door, before a woman attempts to duck down below the shot of the doorbell to avoid being seen.

The landlord, who was abroad at the time, said he sent a relative to the property after he was awoken by the Ring alerts, who reportedly found 11 people smoking cannabis, drinking and socialising.  

Then, in November last year, an Airbnb booking for two people descended into a huge illegal lockdown party with more than 25 revellers drinking and taking ‘hippy crack’.

Police were called to the property in locked-down Manchester after the landlord’s front door camera flagged beer-carrying revellers arriving at the flat. 

But the hostess, believed to be around 18 years old, refused the landlords request to shut down the party – which took place when tough Tier Three restrictions were in place.

Despite warnings of a £10,000 fine under Covid rules, the hostess replied: ‘I’ll pay for everyone’.

The landlord was forced to shut the party down himself – later finding £3,000 worth of damage and nitrous oxide canisters strewn across a table. He later submitted a claim for compensation to Airbnb.

Then, in the latest incident, police In Portsmouth handed out £800 fines to 19 partygoers at an Airbnb after breaking up the lockdown-flouting rave in February.

Horrified neighbours said one man even climbed onto the roof of the terrace house to escape police and then had to be rescued by the fire brigade.

Three men were arrested – one for criminal damage, one for assaulting an emergency worker and one on suspicion of affray.

Dozens of patrol cars descended on the property after outraged locals complained to police about large numbers of young men and women turning up at the house in the North End area of the city on Saturday night.

One neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said many of the women – believed to be in their teens and early 20s – looked like they were ‘dressed for a nightclub’.

He said: ‘It was obvious from the way that they were dressed that those in attendance weren’t heading out for some late night exercise. Many of the girls looked like they were dressed for a night in a nightclub. 

‘Their parents need to hold themselves accountable – if they had done more to stop their kids heading out in the evening dressed the way they were, they wouldn’t be waking up to the fines that will need paying.

‘It is this shameful behaviour that brought us to lockdown, and it is the attitude that will keep us here for far longer than is necessary.’

Chief Inspector Rob Mitchell, of Hampshire Constabulary, said: ‘This was a blatant breach of the Health Protection Regulations that are in force to keep people safe during the pandemic.

‘The people attending this party were putting themselves and their loved ones at risk from the virus.

‘It’s actions like this that place increased and unnecessary pressure on the NHS. Anyone who does not follow the regulations faces a fixed penalty notice.’

A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, and another, also 27, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.

A third man was released after being arrested on suspicion of affray and using threatening, abusive words or behaviour.

While many Airbnb owners have been left infuriated by the party antics of their guests, a survey earlier this year revealed how dozens of the sites users were happy to break Covid restrictions.

Some even said they suggest would-be guests lie about the reason for their stay.

Of the 45 landlords who were contacted by KentOnline, 11 said they were happy to hand over the keys, with some even offering to reduce prices.  

Based in San Francisco, Airbnb was launched by entrepreneurs Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk and Joe Gebbia in 2008.

The site, which operates around the world, lists short-term holiday home lets via its website and app.

It has more 220,000 UK listings – and seven million worldwide – and makes its money by taking a commission.

Last month, Airbnb launched its Neighbour Support Line in the UK, offering neighbours in the community with urgent concerns about a listing the ability to talk to someone directly at Airbnb. 

The company has also announced it is working with charity Crimestoppers to help provide more information to its hosts about how to spot potential problems.