Sorry gen Z, Airbnb restricts under 25-year-olds from booking properties in France, Spain, US, Canada and UK
Some under-25s wanting to holiday with their friends or partners will no longer be able to book entire properties on Airbnb, particularly within their neighbourhood or nearby areas.
The company announced today, August 14, that it will begin imposing bans in Spain, Britain as well as France that will see some under 25-years-olds face booking restrictions on entire properties listed on the platform. It comes after the company introduced these restrictions in the US in July and Canada earlier in the year. That’s right, no more Airbnb vacays for many young people looking to spend a holiday with their friends (unless you have what Airbnb considers to be an ‘adult’ with you). That means no cute city escapes or villas in Ibiza.
The restriction itself is still unclear, but reportedly it will be imposed on under-25s who have less than three positive reviews and who are looking to rent entire properties within their own neighbourhood.
The decision came as a surprise, especially as the company has taken a hard hit from the global pandemic—alongside all other travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. It has been reported by AFP that Airbnb’s goals behind this new announcement are to both reduce unauthorised parties—an issue the booking platform has long been struggling with—as well as reducing the spread of COVID-19.
The silicon valley giant began cracking down on unauthorised parties taking place within its listings last year, as the number of complaints had reportedly increased, causing not only damage to properties but also leading to neighbours complaints. It has also been reported that the company is taking legal action against a guest for the first time after three people were shot at an unauthorised party in Sacramento, California, US.
“Reducing the number of unauthorised house parties on Airbnb has always been a priority, and it’s more important now than ever,” Airbnb said in a statement.
Airbnb and coronavirus
The California-based company, which was set to go into IPO earlier this year before the coronavirus pandemic changed the course of 2020, has taken a massive hit over the past few months as travel restrictions and lockdown measures brought the world to a standstill for 5 months, and counting.
In May, it was reported that the company was set to lay off one-quarter of its workforce, coming to some 1,900 employees.
