Airbnb to restrict under 25s from renting in the US
Airbnb has long been popular with young people, who like the platform’s budget-friendly prices and the promise of a more authentic ‘host’ experience. But their continued use of the Airbnb may be in question, as the company cracks down on under 25s renting properties.
Airbnb is now banning users under 25 from making certain bookings in the US, and has published a new set of rules targeted at ‘problem’ guests. The main problem Airbnb is looking to solve with these changes is large, unauthorised house parties.
Measures will be put in place to stop under 25s booking large properties close to where they live – previously a bad sign that guests were hoping to throw a party without being liable for the consequences.
Young people hoping to book will also need at least three positive reviews in order to do so.
Airbnb has previously launched the same set of rules in Canada, another hotspot for large house parties, and reported significant success with the measures. Now, the US is seeing the same rules, which may signify the start of a broader roll-out across the globe.
“Reducing the number of unauthorised house parties on Airbnb has always been a priority, and it’s more important now than ever,” said Airbnb in a statement. However, young people who are fans of Airbnb shouldn’t despair.
The company in no way wants to ban under 25s entirely, and has emphasised that young guests are still entirely free to book private rooms and hotel rooms wherever they want. Only larger houses are subject to these new restrictions.
“There will always be people who work to find ways around our trust and safety protections, and we know that people over the age of 24 are perfectly capable of booking a home for the wrong reasons, too.”
Airbnb was also keen to highlight that 99.95 per cent of its bookings have zero reports of safety-related issues. This is a move designed to get the company closer to a perfect score on this front, rather than prevent a prolific issue.
“Based on the positive impact this policy has had on unauthorised parties booked by guests under 25, we believe this is the right action to continue to protect the safety of our community,” added the company.
