Airbnb parties are strictly banned in Toronto on New Year's Eve

Anyone planning to throw a New Year's Eve bash in a Toronto Airbnb (or anywhere, for that matter) would be wise to find some other way to ring in the new year, because the company just announced an extensive plan to prevent unauthorized house parties and large gatherings on Dec. 31. 

Airbnb instituted a global party ban earlier this year to help protect public health throughout the pandemic, and they also prohibited all one-night reservations in entire home listings on Halloween in Canada and the U.S. to reduce unauthorized parties. 

They say the initiative was successful, and they've since listened to feedback from hosts in an effort to develop an even better plan for NYE. 

Effective immediately, customers in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Mexico, Australia, France and Spain without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb will be prohibited from making one-night reservations of entire home listings on New Year's Eve.

Guests who do have a history of positive reviews on Airbnb, however, will not be subject to this restriction.

Anyone that previously booked a one-night reservation for NYE will be able to keep their reservation, though, because "data has historically shown that one-night New Year's Eve bookings made prior to now very rarely lead to unauthorized parties."

And according to Airbnb, customers that are able to book one-night reservations as a result of positive reviews will have to attest that they will not throw an unauthorized party, and that they may be pursued legally by Airbnb if they break the rules on parties and events. 

"We are providing guidance to hosts in those countries on how to further reduce the likelihood of unauthorized parties, including updating and proactively communicating their house rules to guests," said the company in a statement.

"Airbnb will be operating a virtual command center to get ahead of any issues, along with trained safety agents on call throughout New Year's Eve."

The news comes as Airbnb has had some trouble cracking down on out-of-control parties in the past, with many in Toronto leading to violent and sometimes tragic outcomes.

This, combined with the public health dangers of hosting a party during a pandemic, illustrates the dire need to prevent house parties from taking place in Airbnb rentals on NYE and every other day for the foreseeable future. 

"This is the latest step we have taken since the declaration of the pandemic to prioritize safe and responsible travel," said Airbnb.

"We believe this plan will help prevent large gatherings while supporting the type of safe, responsible travel that benefits guests, hosts and the neighborhoods they call home."