Airbnb suspends 300+ NZ listings in party house purge

16th November 2020 By Staff Reporter | news@tourismticker.com | @tourismticker

Airbnb has suspended more than 300 listings across New Zealand from its platform as part of a crackdown on party houses.

The enforcement action followed Airbnb’s policy change to ban parties from its listings globally until further notice.

Derek Nolan, Airbnb’s head of public policy for New Zealand and Australia, said the actions taken addressed “the very small minority of hosts” who had previously received warnings about hosting responsibilities or had otherwise violated policies.

“Our message to everyone who uses Airbnb could not be clearer; bad behaviour has no place on Airbnb and those who willfully fail to adhere to our policies face removal from our platform,” he said.

“We know that the vast majority of Kiwis are considerate neighbours and respectful travellers who care about the communities in which they live and stay.

“They’re making a positive contribution to surrounding neighbourhoods, including by supporting jobs and helping to ensure tourism dollars flow into local businesses.”

Nolan said Kiwi hosts were already taking steps to prevent unauthorised parties, such as establishing clear houses rules, quiet hours, and communicating in advance with guests and asking appropriate screening questions.

The recent enforcement actions had been communicated to impacted hosts, with the suspensions and removals having recently taken immediate effect.

“While negative incidents are extremely rare on Airbnb, our team continues to work diligently to make them even rarer,” Nolan said.

“We remain committed to upholding our community standards, which require everyone on Airbnb to behave in a manner that’s safe and respectful of the local community.”

Airbnb said it encouraged neighbours to make use of its Neighbourhood Support Page, which allowed community members to submit concerns or complaints regarding specific listings.

Concerns raised by neighbours using this tool had led to some suspensions.