Airbnb launches new support line for annoyed neighbours

Has your neighbour’s Airbnb erupted into a noisy gathering? Now you can call a new hotline and dob in the offending partygoers within minutes.

Neighbours who are sick of noisy Airbnb parties will now be able to call a hotline and get quick help.

Airbnb has launched an Australian support line where frustrated neighbours can expect to get a call back from an agent within 10 minutes or less.

“Measures such as this aim to give communities additional peace of mind and help make it easier for us to investigate potential issues if they occur,” the company’s head of public policy for Australia Derek Nolan said.

The holiday accommodation company said safety issues are rare.

Less than 0.1 per cent of global bookings in a 12-month period ending last June were associated with a reported safety issue, Airbnb said.

Airbnb guests – including at Magnificent Mansion in Bayview, NT, can now be dobbed in by their neighbours.

“While safety incidents are extremely rare on Airbnb, our team works diligently every day to make them even rarer,” Mr Nolan said.

The rollout of the new hotline comes after Airbnb has cracked down on parties in Australia and abroad.

Prior to August 2020, people renting Airbnb properties were allowed to throw parties if the host agreed. But since then, no parties have been allowed at all.

Last month Airbnb said a new screening system blocked hundreds of Aussies suspected of planning parties from booking accommodations.

Airbnb suspended more than 400 Australian listings in October last year over allegations of party rule violations.

And for New Year’s Eve, the company instituted a temporary freeze on one-night bookings for users without a history of positive reviews.

The global crackdown on parties came after a deadly shooting at an Airbnb listing in Sacramento, California in August.

That incident and a separate shootout at a party in Orinda, California in 2019 left eight people dead.

Originally published as Airbnb launches new support line for annoyed neighbours