RALEIGH – Airbnb has removed dozens of North Carolina sites from its online rental database in an effort to eliminate so-called “party houses” during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Twenty-one of the listings are in the Triangle, with another 20 in the Charlotte area and 17 in the Triad, according to Airbnb spokesman Ben Breit. Some of the suspensions are temporary, while others are permanent, he said, adding that hosts can appeal the decisions.
Breit said more people have decided to use Airbnb to find a place for a party this year while bars and restaurants have been closed or curtailed operations because of the pandemic.
“We’ve got to step up. We’ve got to try to stop them,” he said.
Parties were banned in August at Airbnb listings worldwide.
MeiLani Hock, who has 13 Airbnb properties in the Triangle, wasn’t one of the suspended hosts, but she said the company should target the renters and not the hosts.
“I still don’t understand why we are being punished,” Hock said. “It drives me bonkers.”
Hock said she’s had only two parties at her properties in the past three years that have generated complaints. She said she’s installed cameras so she can see who’s coming and going from the homes, requires a minimum two-night stay and blocks people who live within a two-hour drive of the listing to discourage party rentals.
“Do they take Shirley or Nancy from across the street’s opinion that there were 20 people in there, or was there a cop that went in and validated it?” she asked. “There have been times that Airbnb in the last year will listen to the neighbor instead of me, will listen to the guest instead of me as the host.”
Breit said some of the North Carolina suspensions are as a result of neighbor complaints, but he said the complaints against the affected properties have piled up over time.
“We are not going to ban a host because there was just one unauthorized party. That doesn’t happen,” he said, noting hosts are notified about complaints. “If we are not seeing the improvement and the parties keep getting reported, then we have to take additional measures.”
Airbnb also takes into account how rentals are listed on its site, he said.
“A listing may say ‘no parties,’ but the host is not doing enough to enforce that policy,” he said. “Sometimes it’s right there in the listing page, ‘Here’s a great place to have a party.’ That is not something we are remotely tolerant of, especially during this time.”
Breit said renters who throw parties at Airbnb properties have been banned from using the site, and some have been sued.
For New Year’s Eve, the site is requiring renters to attest that they’re aware of the party ban and the possibility of legal consequences if they break the rules, he said.
The crackdown follows recent Airbnb declarations of bans on certain guests for one-night reservations and also restrictions on renters under the age of 25.
Airbnb has become big business in North Carolina, paying well over $20 million in taxes and fees to state and local government, according to company figures.
