New Year's Party

[Ronald61]

Hi All,

I have only been hosting for about a month now and received the following request last evening.  I have a very nice, large home that I cannot afford to be damaged or destroyed in any way.  This guest has no expericence on Airbnb, no reviews, etc.  My gut tells me no way on this request, but I would like to hear what others think as well.  I was also 19......a long time ago......very scary.  Thoughts???

Hi, my name is Nicholas, and I was just messaging you because I was interested in your listing for New Years Eve Night. I'm currently in college, 19 years of age, and I wanted to get together with a few of my friends from home who I have not seen in a couple years, so I was wondering how open you would be to us having a party that night. Not everybody would be staying the night and we'd be carpooling as well. I was just wondering if this was a possibility for us to do because looking at the pictures of this place, it looks incredible, and it seems like a really nice place to kick back and catch up with friends. I'm really looking forward to your response, and hope you have a fantastic rest of your day.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Ronald61 😄 lol , no way!

[Jeff158]

As @Branka-and-Silvia0 say NO WAY

[Clare0]

@Ronald61 Ha! If my 19 year old self sent this message to me now, I would decline!

[Allison2]

Does anyone know where we legally sit with something like this?

As a (private) homeowner, I'd imagine you're responsible for underage drinking taking place on your property. But if you're permitted (I have a tourist home permit, same as a bed & breakfast) are you liable for whatever guests bring/do on your property?

I'd decline simply because of the under 21. On one hand, that violates Airbnb's age discrimination policy, on the other it avoids underage drinking on my property.

[Clare0]

@Allison2. Good question!  While I'm not a lawyer, I can't see how you can be held responsible for underage drinking unless you provided the alcohol and / or you somehow consented or otherwise had full knowledge of the minor's intent to drink.

Personally, I always block off New Year's simply not to have any of these kinds of issues.  I would recommend that you reinforce to the guests that having a New Year's party is not allowed if you have this in your House Rules to begin with. 

[Harriet-and-Stu0]

@Ronald61 for the future you might want to update your house rules to include "no parties or events" or "no unregistered guests", etc.  In which case you could decline (or, with AirBnB help, cancel an instant book) without running afoul of discrimination policies.

You could also make New Year's Eve unavailable in your calendar if all else fails.  Although if this was a request (and not an inquiry) not sure if it might be too late, others will know better!

[Kelly149]

Yes @Ronald61 please look up some posts about recommendations for rules & get some listed for your place pronto. 

It is absolute lunacy to believe that a simple “treat my house like your own” is sufficient or enforceable as guidelines for a rental where you are off-site. On that note, I’d make your listing say “we’re just around the corner so very quickly available to check on th house should you need us. “ Rather than indicating that you’re not around. You want guests to believe that you are very aware of your place at all times. 

[Helen3]

As others have said...absolutely not.

Suprised you are even considering it.

Good shout to amend your listing to say no parties or events.

Make sure you have a minimum three night stay over new year's to deter party animals.

Make sure you have CCTV at your listing.

[Moira21]

@Ronald61 If I had an entire place to rent I would not rent it out to anyone on New Year's Eve no matter how the guest comes across in their message. It's only one night and not worth the worry. 

[Matthew285]

@Ronald61, I'm not accustomed to seeing listings without the "No Parties" house rule.

The advice usually would be "They said they are having a party, and parties aren't allowed", but you have chosen to allow parties.

Is allowing parties something you had envisioned for your listing?

It seems unclear what you want, because while you are obviously hesitant about this upcoming party request, you chose to allow parties and you seem somewhat sympathetic to the request.

It is your listing and your call; just be prepared for many people asking you later about how it went.

[Edwin57]

Come on now you know what I mean party time

[Edwin57]

Seand it to all Airbnb office 

[Kelly149]

@Ronald61 as per ABB standards any 18 YO may rent anyone's place and they may have as many 18YO friends over as allowed by your listing. Unless your listing states that there is some legal reason that you have an age requirement (HOA, insurance, etc). If ABB believes that you decline this request simply bc of the guest age you WILL be in violation of ToS.

My listing allows parties BUT with fees and strict requirements. So, for a 19YO my message is "Yes, of course we'd be happy to have you. We will need name, age, contact numbers for ALL guests, we will verify IDs and there will be absolutely no alcohol allowed on premises when there are any underage guests. Also, please tell me more about how many guests you're expecting and from when to when so that I can get you a quote for the party. (allowing parties does not mean they are free!!) We do not allow unregistered guests on property and there are security cameras at the entrance/parking area. I look forward to hearing from you."

This usually means that I will never hear back from them, but I'm in the clear with ABB ToS.

Also, you could consider making "party days" have a multi-day rental requirement so as to avoid the folks who want to swoop in, party it up and be gone...

[Ronald61]

Thank you for your excellent response.  I am very new to this and so far all has went very with ABB.  I want to keep it that way.  It is a learning experience for me and I decided to put it out there for the community help me.  

It is people like you that make this experience better and taking the time to watch out for the "Newbies" is so much appreciated.

Thanks Again.....Ronald