An Airbnb logo is shown during an event in San Francisco on Feb. 22, 2018. Airbnb announced this week it would ban “all parties and events at Airbnb listings,” setting a cap of 16 people per rental property. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Eric Risberg
August 21, 2020 - 11:52 AM
Airbnb announced this week it would ban "all parties and events at Airbnb listings," setting a cap of 16 people per rental property.
The home-sharing platform said the move was in the best interest of public health.
The new policy is harsher than previous warnings that Airbnb users must follow local COVID-19-related public health guidance.
Airbnb says it will ban users who skirt the 16-person cap and could take legal action as well.
Scrutiny on Airbnb "party houses" pre-dates the pandemic as several violent episodes have erupted at parties hosted at Airbnb rentals.
Three men died in a shooting at a Toronto condo party in February and a 19-year-old student launched a lawsuit against the company in 2019 after being shot in the back during a party at a house rented through Airbnb in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2020
News from © The Canadian Press, 2020