Airbnb is banning people who are closely associated with already-banned guests, according to a report from Vice on Wednesday.
The short-term-rental company confirmed to Vice that, as a “necessary safety precaution,” it sometimes bans users it deems as “likely to travel” with a person who’s been previously banned. Airbnb wouldn’t say when it started doing this or how often it does so, according to Vice.
Airbnb didn’t immediately respond to CNET’s request for comment.
Airbnb uses a background check system to vet its large number of users. On Airbnb’s website, the company says it’s had 1.4 billion “guest arrivals” as of December 2022. The system, however, can end up banning users for smaller misdemeanor charges on their record, according to a previous Vice report.
There’s reportedly an appeals process for those who feel they’ve been unfairly banned.
The caution put forward by short-term-rental companies like Airbnb and Vrbo comes as stories have percolated over the years of problem guests turning homes into party houses. Such stories have included complaints by neighbors and in some instances, deaths. To combat this, Airbnb implemented a permanent party ban in the summer of 2022 and launched anti-party tech at the end of last year. Ahead of Super Bowl 2023, Vrbo too implemented tech to prevent renters from turning homes into party houses.
