Airbnb is banning New Year's Eve parties at Toronto listings and here's how it will check

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Airbnb is continuing with its new practice of cracking down on huge house parties at its listings by limiting certain bookings around holidays, which it did most recently on Halloween and on New Year's Eve 2021.

The short-term rental giant has just announced that it is yet again prohibiting guests from renting out properties to hold NYE festivities, which is part of its global party ban and includes a cap of 16 people in a home at any given time, as well as a moratorium on any loud or disruptive events.

"Certain holidays, such as New Year's Eve, attract higher risks of unauthorized or disruptive parties. That's why we’re introducing new products and policies to crack down on disruptive NYE parties, helping to protect our Hosts and minimizing neighborhood disruption," the company explained in a release on Tuesday.

It then went on to detail how it will vet bookings, starting immediately, in Canada, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., France, Spain and Brazil.

Toronto woman charged after throwing large party at Airbnb rental https://t.co/O8NKAsGGV0 #Toronto #Airbnb
— blogTO (@blogTO) May 6, 2021

Firstly, guests without a history of positive reviews will not be able to make any one-night booking of an entire home, as these types of bookings can often mean someone is just looking for a party pad rather than an actual place to stay while on a trip.

There will also be new rules for reservations of two nights, with the brand stating that it will "deploy more stringent restrictions on two-night reservations that may pose heightened risk for disruptive parties."

This will include using technology to catch last-minute bookings and/or those made by people who live in the area.

According to the release, nearly 250,000 guests encountered last year's "defenses" against NYE shindigs, meaning that, ostensibly, a lot of party plans were thwarted before they were able to begin.

In the past, gatherings at short-term rentals in T.O. have led to shootings, stabbings, and other dangerous behaviour, including people throwing glass bottles off of balconies of highrise condos in the downtown core.

Some buildings are notorious for their ghost hotels, many of which have continued to operate outside of Airbnb's pandemic rules.