Airbnb Guests Having a Party? Here’s What to Do

If you’re an Airbnb host who prohibits parties, you make up a strong majority: 73% of hosts ban these large, disruptive gatherings. Of course, now and then, a renter might try to take advantage of you, so you must know what to do if your Airbnb guests are having a party.

If your Airbnb guests are having a party, let them know this defies the company’s policies. Immediately contact Airbnb and local authorities if someone might be in danger. You can also cancel the rest of your guest’s reservation and leave a negative review, and Airbnb may take legal action.

Check out a quick video we made explaining what you should know about kicking out your Airbnb guests:

Keep reading to learn more about Airbnb’s party policies, immediate action you can take to halt the gathering, further steps you can follow, and ways to prevent similar situations from happening in the future.

What Is Airbnb’s Party Policy?

Before we get into what you should do if your Airbnb guest is throwing a party, we should clarify what Airbnb’s party policy is exactly.

In the past, Airbnb has allowed hosts to use their own discretion regarding parties. Hosts had the option to declare their homes “event-friendly” or include “parties and events allowed” in their House Rules.

Despite this, most hosts around the world have opted against these gatherings. And while some hosts may also not allow parties, they may have forgotten to exclude them in their listing.

If you’re one of many hosts who’d prefer to limit their guests to just the renters, Airbnb fully supports your decision. The rental company has always been cognizant of excessive noise and neighborhood disruption, so it’s no surprise that they take their gathering policies seriously.

Parties are a nuisance that hurts the Airbnb brand and costs them a lot of money in reimbursing hosts for damages.

Airbnb recently began implementing preventive measures to honor the majority of their hosts who’d prefer to keep parties out of their homes. The company struck down on party house listings that were notorious for community disruption and changed their booking policy.

Now, guests under the age of 25 lacking a history of positive feedback can no longer book full-house rentals in their own area.

In light of recent COVID-19 public health orders, Airbnb implemented a global ban on house parties on August 20, 2020. The aforementioned “event-friendly” filters and House Rules that allowed “parties and events” were removed in favor of this.

Hosts can breathe a sigh of relief as Airbnb took this sensitive decision out of their hands.

How Does Airbnb Define a Party?

Airbnb does not have an explicitly clear definition of what a “party” is to them. However, if you, the host, didn’t authorize a gathering, you can safely call that a party.

Some hosts even consider the visitation of any non-registered guests to be a party. The company also has a strict rule that bans any “disruptive” event. So, as you can see, the definition is fluid, not black and white.

Ultimately, if it feels like a party, it probably is one.

Above all else, remember that trust is an integral aspect of the rental platform’s value. So, if your guests violate that trust, you can count on Airbnb to hold them accountable.

Currently, Airbnb prohibits gatherings of 16 or more people. Even if your property can hold a greater quantity of guests, Airbnb will cap the number of visitors you can host officially. If your guests bring more than the allotted number of people, you can consider this a party.

The most pressing question is this: what can I do now? It can be overwhelming, frustrating, and downright scary to have guests on your property disobeying the rules.

First, take a deep breath. Then, keep reading to find out what kind of immediate action you can take.

Attempt to Resolve the Problem Directly With Your Guest

Before getting anyone else involved, try contacting or visiting your guest to see if you can privately remedy the situation. Approach the problem professionally and try to remain calm. This is the best way to prevent the situation from escalating to needing outside resources.

Explain to your guest that parties are prohibited and ask them to end their gathering.

If your guest understands and concludes the party, you may not need to take any further action. Still, you can mention this in your guest review, which we will talk about later.

Contact Airbnb for Help

If your guest does not respond when you ask them to end their gathering, let Airbnb know what’s going on.

Mediation services are accessible 24/7 for Airbnb hosts via phone, email, and live chat. You can also reach out to Airbnb’s Twitter account for support, though you may have to wait a bit longer for a response.

Alert Local Authorities if Necessary

Call emergency services like your local police or first responders immediately if you feel like someone is in danger or the situation has escalated beyond control.

This is your property after all, and you’re on the hook regarding any liabilities. And you’ll be the one to clean up the mess and suffer any damages – so don’t be timid about enforcing your house rules.

If your guests are refusing to bring an end to their party, the police may be able to help you out. In case you or Airbnb decide to take legal action (we’ll get to that soon), you’ll have a solid paper trail too.

Depending on your police department, they may be slow to respond if at all. Generally speaking, they tend to respond very quickly if you think there are minors or under age occupants at the party.

Cancel the Rest of Your Guest’s Reservation

If your guest is disobeying strict Airbnb rules, you can cancel the rest of their reservation.

It’s best to contact Airbnb support first to ensure that you are doing the right thing and to give them a heads up about the situation at play.

Note that Airbnb may ask you to refund your guests the rest of their unused nights. Stand your ground regarding your cancellation policy and remember that these people blocked off your calendar, preventing you from booking other guests for those days.

What Else Can Be Done?

You can take further action once your guests have left to prevent others from having to deal with similar situations in the future.

Leave Your Renters a Negative Review on Airbnb

Once your guests check out, Airbnb will prompt you to rate and review your renters.

Your guests will also have the chance to rate you, but your comments will be hidden until they submit their responses as well, so you can be fully transparent. Remember, you want to maintain professionalism while also warning other hosts of their behavior.

Since you kicked out your guest, you’ll likely face a retaliatory review that can hurt future bookings. It is for this reason you’ll want to be strategic regarding when to leave your review.

Technically you can fight to have reviews like this removed, especially if they broke your house rules.

If you wait until the last day to leave your review, the review they left you won’t become public until the very end which will give you the opportunity to secure some more bookings before a possible negative review affects your listing.

If your guest didn’t leave you a review, waiting until the last minute can also prevent them from leaving a review for you in case they forgot.

Airbnb Can Take Action

If a guest breaks Airbnb’s policies, they’re fully prepared to remove the renter’s profile.

However, it doesn’t just stop there. If they find out that you advertised an event-friendly space or were complicit with your guest hosting a party, you, too, may have your listing removed from the site.

The rental company has made it clear that legal action may be taken against individuals who violate the house party ban. States like California are even imposing legislation such as a $5,000 fine to deter renters from disobeying these rules.

How to Prevent Parties in the Future

The best way to deal with guests throwing a party is to prevent it from happening in the first place—or at least nip it in the bud. Here are some things you can do to prevent more parties from occurring in your rental:

• Clearly state in your House Rules that parties are prohibited. While Airbnb already has this in their company-wide policies, it doesn’t hurt to reiterate in your House Rules that parties and unauthorized guests are not allowed on your property.
• Install a Party Prevention device to catch gatherings early on. Party prevention devices alert you early on when there is too much noise and allow you to gather the evidence you need for filing a resolution against your guest.
• Encourage your neighbors to contact Airbnb’s Neighborhood Support hotline. If your property is in the United States or Canada, your neighbors can contact Airbnb’s Neighborhood Support hotline at any time of the day to report a disruptive event. This is a great community tool, especially if you don’t reside near your rental and can’t keep an eye on it at all times. Airbnb should then follow up with you and investigate the situation.

Final Thoughts

Airbnb has prohibited parties worldwide, but unfortunately, that does not mean that all visitors will comply.

If you find out that your Airbnb guests are having a party, try to resolve it privately if you feel comfortable doing so. If this does not work, contact Airbnb customer service and local authorities, if necessary.

You can also cancel the remainder of your guest’s reservation and leave them a negative review. Airbnb may also take legal action against the party-throwers. Consider rewriting your House Rules or installing a party prevention device to prevent this from happening again.