Airbnb blocks ‘thousands’ of Charlotte partiers from renting, wrecking homes
Airbnb, the popular home rental app, blocked thousands of “potentially risky reservation attempts” over the past year by Charlotte residents the company was concerned would host “disruptive parties,” a spokeswoman said this week.
San Francisco-based Airbnb “blocked or redirected” about 5,100 people in Charlotte from renting apartments and other homes during a year-long crackdown on “unauthorized parties” in the Queen City and nationwide, spokeswoman Lisa Cohen told The Charlotte Observer in an email.
“Parties are rare, and the great majority of guests to Charlotte contribute positively and are respectful,” Cohen said. “However, when parties happen, we know it can be disruptive for Hosts and neighbors, which is why we’ve continued to invest in trust and safety.”
Airbnb revealed the data ahead of the popular home-rental period of July 4 through Labor Day.
By 2019, Mecklenburg County had become Airbnb’s second most-popular market in North Carolina, trailing only Asheville, according to a report at the time by The Urban Institute at UNC Charlotte.
“Airbnb hosts in Mecklenburg County, most of whom are in Charlotte, earned $16.4 million in 2018 from 141,000 guests, according to company figures,” The Urban Institute reported. “That amount is nearly double the $8.7 million earned in 2017 and more than triple the $4.6 million earned in 2016.”
But the short-term rental market also has drawn concerns by police.
Safety concerns
In January 2020, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police asked owners of short-term rentals such as Airbnb to voluntarily register their properties due to underage drinking, parties and armed robberies.
At a news conference, CMPD Capt. Brad Koch said “a number” of such incidents had occurred. By having landlords register, police would know the right contact when responding to 911 calls, he said.
In a June 2019 case, a graduation party turned fatal when 24-year-old Calvin Haines was shot and three others were wounded. According to Observer news partner WBTV, the party was at an uptown Airbnb rental.
“A lot of the times they look like a nightclub in a condo or an apartment or even a residence,” CMPD Lt. Mike Ford said at the news conference in January 2020. “Obviously that’s concerning.”
More recently, in a June 21 cover story titled “Airbnb’s Nightmare,” Bloomberg Businessweek detailed what the magazine called “violent crimes, millions of dollars in settlements and a stressed-out team that keeps the bad things quiet.”
‘Tougher rules’
Airbnb’s yearlong crackdown banned guests 24 and younger “without a history of positive reviews from booking entire home listings in their local area under certain circumstances,” Cohen said. “The objective was to try to reduce the rate of unauthorized parties.”
Over the July 4 weekend, guests in the U.S. who lack a history of positive reviews on Airbnb are blocked from making “one-night reservations in entire home listings ... whether or not they’re local bookings,” Cohen said.
The additional restriction is part of the company’s Summer of Responsible Travel safety effort that includes “tough new rules to ban parties” and 50% more staff on Airbnb’s 24/7 traveler help line, according to a post on Airbnb.com.
The party ban will continue at least through the end of summer, company officials previously announced.
On June 11, Airbnb and Vrbo, the vacation home rental site, said they would share information about “repeat ‘party house’ offenders.”
In her email to the Observer, Cohen said: “With travel opening back up in different parts of the world, we will continue to stay committed to community safety.”