'Neighborhood nuisances': Airbnb permanently adopts unauthorized party ban

​​​​​Looking to host a party via Airbnb without permission from your host? Think again.

On Tuesday, Airbnb announced that it has officially banned unauthorized parties and events globally. The company previously allowed hosts to approve parties at their own discretion.

In late 2019, Airbnb tightened its policies to nix open-invite parties advertised on social media, as well as "chronic party houses" that turned into "neighborhood nuisances," the company said in a news release.

That year, Airbnb also launched its Neighborhood Support Line in some areas – a direct line for neighbors to let the company know about concerns.

In August 2020, Airbnb capped occupancy at 16 people worldwide and temporarily banned all parties and events in listings globally; because it has gone so well and hosts have given the company feedback, the cap will be removed, the company said Tuesday.

"When the pandemic hit, as many bars and clubs closed or restricted their occupancy, we began to see some people taking partying behavior to rented homes, including through Airbnb," the company said.

But parties were an issue for the company even before the pandemic. Past Airbnb parties have drawn groups of more than 700 people, fights and shootings, including one in mid-April in Pittsburgh.

The company was concerned about the ruckus created by unauthorized parties and the potential for them to spread COVID. Soon, the company said, the party ban turned into more than a public health measure, but also a way to protect hosts and their neighbors.

"It’s been working," the company said. "We believe there is a direct correlation between our implementation of the policy in August 2020 and a 44% year-over-year drop in the rate of party reports."

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How will the party ban work, and what's new?

Disruptive parties and open-invite events will still be banned and party house properties will continue to be "strictly prohibited" too, the company said.

The company has launched multiple products to try and stop unauthorized parties, an Airbnb spokesperson told USA TODAY. The company's strict anti-party measures will go into effect this summer, particularly over Memorial Day weekend and July 4 weekend in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands).

Measures include:

• Guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb will be prohibited from making one-night reservations in entire home listings.

• For two-night reservations, Airbnb will use technology that restricts certain local or last-minute bookings by guests without a history of positive reviews.

Guests who have a history of positive reviews on Airbnb will not be subject to these restrictions, the spokesperson said.

Airbnb will also be introducing anti-party attestations to guests attempting to make local reservations, in which they must 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.

The company also has a new partnership with Vrbo to share information on repeat “party house” offenders in the U.S.

The company has also introduced categories that highlight larger homes that can comfortably and safely house more than 16 people, such as European castles, U.S. vineyards and beachfront villas in the Caribbean.

"Amazing properties like these thrive on hosting multi-generational family trips and larger groups, and removing this cap is meant to allow those hosts to responsibly utilize the space in their homes while still complying with our ban on disruptive parties," Airbnb said.

Airbnb told USA TODAY that about 1.6% of Airbnb listings globally can fit more than 16 people. The rest of the listings, about 98.4% of them, have host-inputted occupancy rates of 16 or fewer, but guests will still be required to abide by house rules.

Also to come are plans to create a potential exception process for specialty and traditional hospitality venues. The plans were announced in 2020 and they are still being sorted out, the company said.

Airbnb said those who violate company rules will still face consequences such as account suspension or full removal from the platform. Just ask the 6,600+ guests were suspended from Airbnb for attempting to violate the party ban last year.

"This new and long-term policy was enacted to help encourage and support community safety," Airbnb said.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas, and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Airbnb party ban: Unauthorized parties, events banned permanently