Airbnb to ban ‘party houses’ after California Halloween shooting

Airbnb has said it will ban “party houses” after five people died at a Halloween party hosted at a rented Airbnb home in Orinda, California.

In a series of tweets co-founder and chief executive of Airbnb Brian Chesky said the company is stepping up efforts to fight unauthorised parties and “get rid of abusive host and guest conduct”.

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Chesky also announced other measures to increase safety. These include more screening of high-risk property reservations and creating a dedicated “party house” rapid response team.

The company will also now take immediate action against users who violate guest policies, including removing them.

Margaret Richardson, from Airbnb’s executive team, has been told to enact these new policies within ten days, Chesky added.

The party was said to have been advertised on social media as a mansion party.

Describing the event as “unacceptable”, Chesky said, “we must do better and we will”.

Airbnb recently made a lead investment in Dutch startup Tiqets, a platform for booking tickets for tourist attractions.