580 high-risk bookings rejected by Airbnb Australia in crackdown on wild parties

It’s been revealed hundreds of dodgy bookings were rejected in a nationwide crackdown on wild Airbnb parties as police arrested eight men over an alleged mass stabbing at a short-term rental.

Hundreds of dodgy short-term rental bookings have been rejected by Airbnb in the past six months as part of a nationwide crackdown on out-of-control parties.

It can be revealed the company’s high-risk reservation system has stopped more than 580 bookings from occurring since its rollout across Australia last August.

The platform was forced to act after a rise in complaints over customers booking properties to throw large, loud and sometimes wild parties, some of which required a police response.

It comes as police in Melbourne arrested seven teenagers and a 20-year-old man after six revellers were allegedly stabbed at a party at a short-term rental property in the CBD on Monday morning.

While police have not revealed if the property was booked through Airbnb, officers said at least 50 partygoers were inside the Spencer Street apartment at the time of the incident.

Three 17-year-olds, two 19-year-olds and a 20-year-old allegedly sustained stab wounds when a fight broke out at the short-term rental property about 2am.

Two police officers were also injured in November last year when they were called to break up a rowdy party involving more than 100 people at an Airbnb rental in Surry Hills in inner Sydney.

Police investigating an incident where several people were allegedly stabbed at a short-term rental property on Spencer Street in the Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Paul Jeffers

Victoria Police Gang Crime Squad arrested eight people six revellers were allegedly stabbed at a party at a short-term rental property in Spencer Street on March 8, 2021. Picture: Victoria Police

It follows an number of incidents across Melbourne during 2020 where police issued fines for breaches of COVID-19 restrictions when called to break up gatherings at short-term rental properties.

Since August 20, 2020, all parties and events at Airbnb listings across the world have been banned with a cap on occupants of 16.

The 580 prevented bookings across Australia since August were on top of at least 1400 high-risk reservations stopped in their tracks as part of a previous two-year pilot of the screening system in Melbourne.

Airbnb has also recently suspended or removed more than 400 property listings in Australia from the platform for violating Airbnb policies on parties and events or for having received multiple serious complaints.

The company’s head of public policy for Australia, Derek Nolan, said bad behaviour had no place on Airbnb and those who failed to adhere to the rules faced removal from the platform.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to enforce our global ban on parties, we continue to proactively and collaboratively work with police, take action against guests and hosts who breach our policies, and invest in measures such as our high-risk reservation screening system and neighbour support line,” he told NCA NewsWire.

“The overwhelming majority of our community are respectful travellers and considerate neighbours who genuinely care about the neighbourhoods in which they’re staying and living.”

Police investigating outside a short-term rental property on Spencer Street after an alleged mass stabbing. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Paul Jeffers

Victoria Police Acting Commander Darren Franks said officers worked with booking platforms. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano

Mr Nolan said the company would continue to improve their system and explore new ways to keep people safe.

Victoria Police Melbourne CBD Acting Commander Darren Franks said Airbnb had been “very co-operative” in teaming up with officers to minimise incidents and communicate the coronavirus directions.

“There are thousands of short-term rentals in the CBD, and generally speaking, we don’t have a great problem with them,” he said.

“But every now and again we do, and as we’ve seen throughout 2020 with COVID there were times that we required a policing response to enforce the COVID restrictions.”

Airbnb said globally only 0.086 per cent of bookings in the 2019-20 financial year included a safety issue reported by a host or guest.

[e-mail]