ARIZONA, USA — Summer temperatures are sneaking into the forecast and with the unofficial start to summertime already underway, tourists may be booking Airbnbs here in the Valley.
However, the rental company is cracking down on single-day stays, especially over holiday weekends to avoid rowdy and reckless renters.
Ben Breit, Director of Trust and Safety Communications for Airbnb says, while the ban on one-night stays is blunt, it's beneficial to hosts and nearby neighbors.
"That's the goal, to try and deter people who are trying to break the rules and who are trying to throw an unauthorized party, which is not something we're going to tolerate. Even before we banned parties, the vast majority of our Arizona hosts and really hosts throughout the country, were already prohibiting parties in their own house rules," he explained.
Breit added, that this "holiday" policy is to not only prevent damage to a rental property but to respect others living near those listings, as they are major stakeholders in the company's success and safety.
"We recognize that there are certain holidays, where someone may be more likely to try to throw a party, Memorial Day and 4th of July would be two of them, Halloween and New Year’s Eve would be two more," Breit said.
Last year, he says more than 1,400 Airbnb customers were “banned” from booking one-night stays in both Phoenix and Scottsdale to sidestep potential safety issues.
"Are we saying that every single one of those people was going to throw a party, no I don't think we have any way of knowing that but I hope we stopped a bunch of parties from happening, we saw a quiet weekend over the 4th of July," he said.
Plus, they’ve added a neighbor helpline 480-312-RENT (7368) to keep rowdy bookings at bay and create a beeline of communication for concerned residents.
"This is a really important feature, this neighborhood support line that we want the Scottsdale and Phoenix community to know about, Breit added. If you do not have a history of positive reviews, you will not be able to make a one-night booking."
Basically, it's best to be in good standing from a reviews standpoint, before planning a short-term stay
More details:
Airbnb Terms of Service
Neighbor hotline: 480-312-RENT (7368)
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