AIRBNB BANNING GUESTS UNDER 25 TO BOOK HOMES - THANK YOU AIRBNB!!!!

Sean433
Level 10
Toronto, Canada

AIRBNB BANNING GUESTS UNDER 25 TO BOOK HOMES - THANK YOU AIRBNB!!!!

--In an effort to “reduce instances of unauthorized parties,” Airbnb has announced it will begin banning local guests under the age of 25 from booking entire homes here in Canada. Spokesperson Chris Lehane made the statement during a news conference in Toronto Wednesday afternoon.

 

Airbnb guests under 25 years old will still be able to book a private room within a host’s primary residence, but Lehane says the changes they are testing out this month mean those guests won’t be able to rent an “unhosted home” within a certain geographical distance of where they’re living. Lehane never specified what that distance would be. However, people under 25 with positive Airbnb reviews will still be allowed to book entire homes locally.

 

In a statement, Airbnb said the changes are backed by data suggesting issues related to house parties often occur in areas where the renter lives. Lehane announced a new “24/7 neighbourhood support telephone hotline” in Canada for people dealing with Airbnb-related problems. --

 

I AM VERY HAPPY AIRBNB IS MAKING THIS POLICY CHANGE AS I AM SURE A LOT OF HOSTS IN TORONTO ARE. JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, I POSTED A CONVERSATION AROUND A LARGE SCALE SHOOTING THAT HAPPENED. THIS IS A GREAT START. THANK YOU AIRBNB!!!

 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Violent-Shooting-in-Airbnb-3-Dead-2-Injured-in-Toronto-Cana...

40 Replies 40

I agree it’s often locals. That said some are hosts themselves (good to check this too) and some (like myself once or twice) stayed at another host’s Airbnb in the city if there was a one day overlap booking my own place.

David
LisaRoxanne0
Level 1
New York, NY

I think this just happened to a prospective guest....trying to find out why was a bit annoying,  but I must say, I'm glad.....since the pandemic,  my guest profile has gone from 80% international to 80% local and anytime I've had issues with smoking, parties, unauthorized guests, etc., it is always young locals.  

Hi there! Has this policy been officially

put into place or have they just announced that it will be in the future? 

If it has been put into place already, is it possible to book an AirBNB outside of your own city if you are under the age of 25? 

My three friends and I are just looking to book a cottage for a few nights for a staycation and can’t seem to find real guidelines to abide by and would obviously like to avoid breaking any rules. 

Thanks in advance for anyone who can help! 

@Lydia396  The policy has been in place for some time. It isn't breaking any rules for you to try to book a place- it's just that the Airbnb algorithm will prevent you from booking under certain parameters. What would be breaking the rules is misrepresenting your intentions and throwing a party or getting loud and disturbing the neighbors if you told the host you were just looking for a mellow holiday with 3 friends.

 

If you book well in advance, and it's a place out-of-town, and it's booked for several nights, hopefully that algorithm won't kick in.

 

Just make sure, if you are new to Airbnb, that you thoroughly read through the listing description and house rules, and have good communication with the host and ask about expectations as far as what the host wants guests to do before checking out in terms of clean-up. Airbnb guests are generally expected to clean up their own messes, wash their dirty dishes, make sure all garbage is properly disposed of, etc. Respect the furnishings- don't eat pizza on the bed or spill wine on the couch. If you do get a stain on something, don't try to remove it yourself- you could make it worse. Let the host know- most hosts have methods of getting things clean and will not likely be mad as long as you don't try to hide the evidence or just leave without mentioning it.

Don't book a non-smoking place if any of you smoke.

 

If there's a cleaning fee, that's not for the host to clean up your personal mess- it's to cover the heavy duty cleaning the host does, wash the sheets and towels, etc. Many guests don't understand that.

 

Also take some time to write up something about yourself on your profile account page as well as upload ID and face photo. Because you are a new user and have no reviews, a booking will be more apt to be accepted if you don't seem like just some anonymous stranger.

DAK-Design-and-Home0
Level 3
Montreal, Canada

This is a ban on renting entire houses correct? As opposed to a flat / apartment or does this apply also to an entire apartment or condo rental? I think it's one of several things Airbnb could do to weed out parties but it has to come hand in hand with educating hosts on how to spot trouble from a mile sway aka what are the signs that a house party is being planned and what steps have you taken to assure it doesn't happen?

David
Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

I had this happen to a guest recently who couldn't book, but the guest did not seem to understand what was happening, so whatever message that Airbnb is showing to guests who fit the profile of under 25, locals, is not very transparent or clear to them.

 

I support this policy, but it should be made apparent to guests why they can't book.  

Nirman1
Level 2
Halton Hills, Canada

I am almost 27 years old and have been trying to book a cottage 2 hours away from me and I am getting this error message that I cannot, so I am confused why it states 25 and under when my profile clearly shows I am older than 25, plus I wouldn't consider a property 2 hours away within my vicinity. This is ridiculous. I tried 2-3 cottages and the same error message. I'll have to bring my business elsewhere!

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

@Nirman1  Having looked at your profile, It’s likely you are being blocked from booking not because of your age but your previous poor reviews 

 

If hosts gave you less than 3 stars you can’t Instant Book but have to send a request. 

I think it's 24 and under that can't rent.

Darren296
Level 1
Toronto, Canada

I will NEVER rent to someone under 25 again. AIRBNB needs to make this policy!

Can I rent them if I am exactly 25 years old?