Airbnb has announced it will be testing out new measures to prevent most young people from renting suites or homes, in a bid to combat unauthorized parties at short-term rentals.
The company announced the pilot project Wednesday in Toronto, in addition to a $300,000 donation to the gun awareness group the Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns.
The new measures will prevent Canadian guests under the age of 25 from booking entire home listings in Canada, unless they have an established track record of positive reviews. Guests of all ages will still be able to book hosted listings, such as private rooms or hotel rooms.
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The move is part of the company’s efforts of “reducing incidents of unauthorized parties,” Airbnb said in a news release. Over the weekend, three men in Toronto were killed at a party in a downtown Airbnb rental.
In November, Airbnb announced a ban on part houses after five people were killed at a Halloween party in Orinda, Calif. The company said it has since suspended listings in cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa and Edmonton.
In April, a Humber College student in Toronto was shot in the pelvis while attending an “Airbnb mansion party” in April that was advertised online
The short-term rental company also announced a new 24-7 neighbourhood support telephone hotline, which is set to go live on Monday. The hotline’s phone number will be announced next week, and provide neighbours with an immediate and easy-to-access way to flag concerns to specialized Airbnb rapid response agents.
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– with a file from The Canadian Press
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