Airbnb Brings Back Stricter Rules to Prevent Summer House Parties

Airbnb will once again block short-term stays for some guests over the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holiday weekends in an attempt to crack down on house parties.

The home-share company will block one-night, entire home reservations for guests without a history of positive reviews on the site starting Memorial Day Weekend throughout the United States, including in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the company. Then for July 4th, Airbnb will enact even stricter rules, blocking some two-day reservations, including last-minute bookings by guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb.

The company will also ask guests who make local reservations to sign "anti-party attestations" in which they have to "affirmatively attest that they understand that Airbnb bans parties and if they break that rule, they may be subject to legal action from the company."

Guests who do have an established history of positive reviews on the site will not be subject to the same rules, according to Airbnb.

"We do not take these measures lightly. Both Memorial Day and the 4th of July are meaningful weekends that allow our Hosts to facilitate all kinds of responsible travelers including families," the company wrote in a statement. "We also understand that the simple fact of not yet having reviews does not mean that a guest is trying to throw a party — this is a trade-off we are willing to make in the interest of trust and safety."

Airbnb first vowed to implement stricter rules on house parties in 2019 following a fatal shooting at a California rental property. The company has since restricted reservations for several other holidays, including Halloween in 2020 and New Year's Eve in 2021.

Airbnb also restricted certain short-term reservations for July 4th last year, which the company said resulted in "a substantial decrease in reports of disruptive and unauthorized parties," blocking more than 126,000 guests without histories of positive reviews from making these reservations.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.