If you plan to have a little below or more than 16 friends, Airbnb is not your go-to, especially since there will be neighbors around. Moreover, Airbnb is very clear about restricting loud parties or related activities. So, unless your party will be a quiet one, which would not be possible, then we will discuss safe and neighbor-friendly ways to throw a party using Airbnb.
A Super Bowl get-together makes a party, even if you or your friends don’t plan on doing anything messy or loud, just drinking, listening to low-volume music, and staying up late. But it’s still a party. Airbnb will not check if you’re throwing a loud party or not. But if your host finds out or a neighbor reports you, your account could get banned. Airbnb may also take legal action against you.
Does Airbnb Allow Parties?
Generally, Airbnb’s community standards do not allow members to throw parties. Parties create a nuisance, which disturbs the next-door neighbors or surrounding neighborhood. You may meet Airbnb’s standards by informing your potential host to make sure your expectations align for gatherings. Airbnb will not allow disruptive parties and events.
Airbnb now allows hosts with capable listings to host more than 16 people. If Airbnb determines that a host’s listing has authorized a party that violates Airbnb’s party policy, which prohibits disrupting the surrounding community, the host may be contacted to update their rules or suspend the listing. The host may also be suspended indefinitely if they go ahead with the booking.
How to Throw a Party Using Airbnb
It is not difficult to find an Airbnb that allows you to throw a party. Just make sure to book the right Airbnb where the potential host is willing to host multiple guests.
1. Make Sure You Have a Great Profile
Your Airbnb profile says a lot about you. If you have excessively bad reviews, hosts will never want you to occupy their property, even if you don’t need it to throw a party. Your review record with other hosts needs to be great too. If your profile shows you’ve been unfairly giving negative reviews to other hosts, no Airbnb host will want to associate with you. Make sure to have an attractive and complete Airbnb profile. You should also complete your details as much as possible and add a clear profile picture of yourself. If your profile is not the best, you can use one of your friends’ Airbnb account for the booking instead.
2. Book a Listing Suitable for Events
The second method you can use to throw a party using Airbnb is to book a listing suitable for events. Airbnb’s website features a filter search, which you can use to find a listing that suits your criteria. Just select the Suitable for Events filters under House Rules. This filter shows that the host and the property are okay for guests to have an event or party that is not destructive and loud. However, most of the listings are not suitable for events and parties.
3. Inform Your Potential Host About a Party
Don’t hide the fact that you need the listing for a party. Besides, if you are more than 5 people, a host will already suspect that it could be a party gathering. Hosts have their own policies and house rules, so it’s left for you to inform them beforehand. They may make an exception if they are strongly against partying or if they believe that your kind of party will not constitute a nuisance. Also, Airbnb does not personally interfere with how hosts set up their apartments. If you lie to your host about throwing a party and then proceed to party, they will leave you a bad review and still report you to Airbnb, who may:
- Suspend your account
- Ban you from the community
- Or take legal action against you
Don’t even think of lying about your number of guests, even though Airbnb will not stop by to verify that. But the neighbors can report, or if the host finds out that the number of guests is more than you specified, hosts can evict you.
4. Don’t Give Too Many Details
If you are going to throw a party using Airbnb, try not to give too many unnecessary details. Sometimes, you might end up giving a bad impression, and the potential host may misunderstand your request. While you need to focus the discussion on Airbnb, don’t go into too much detail about the party. However, make sure to honestly answer any questions the hosts ask regarding the party. Do not try to sneak extra guests into the reservation. The host knows you will be hosting a party, but you need to be sure your party won’t be disruptive. Ask for the house rules to be sure about what you can and can’t do and how to avoid trouble with neighbors.
5. Let the Host Make the Decision
Don’t force the host to approve your booking or try to please the host by making too many promises (you may not be able to fulfill). If the host’s apartment won’t make a great fit for your party, then it’s not worth it—you don’t want neighbors calling the cops or ending up with a bad review from the said host. You may consider other options, such as booking a party-friendly hotel or hostel, to avoid problems during your stay.
6. Book with the host
The types of places to stay on Airbnb include:
- Entire place
- Private rooms
- Hotel rooms
- Shared rooms
If the host listed their apartment as anything other than ‘Entire Place’, there is a workaround, and the host has a little work to do on their end. Both you and the host need to be on the Airbnb app or desktop at the same time. The host will then change their listing to “entire place” for you to complete the booking. However, if the host already set their place type to “entire place” but Airbnb thinks you want to throw a loud party and won’t let you book, discuss with the host to change it to ‘Private Place’. You have to be online in your account to book them immediately. Note that this is lawful on Airbnb.
7. Do Not Be Loud or Disruptive
The most important thing is to maintain some peace. You do not want neighbors complaining about loud music or any activities that take away the serenity of the rental. Throughout your stay, make sure to be in control. Do not allow your friends or other members to ruin your Airbnb reputation since they may not know what you staked to make the party possible on Airbnb. The host may be keeping in touch often to make sure everything is going smoothly. You do not want to disturb the neighbors. Besides, some neighbors will not hesitate to shut down the host’s Airbnb or even have you and your friends removed from the property for causing a nuisance.
When leaving the apartment, make sure to keep everything in place. Avoid breaking anything. But in events where anything is damaged due to the party, inform the host and offer to cover the cost if you can. The point is to treat the Airbnb place like your own. Remember that you’re also using this booking to build your Airbnb profile.
8. Leave a Generic Review
When it’s time to write a review about the host, you want to leave a simple and concise generic review without mentioning ‘Party’. Otherwise, Airbnb may be tempted to look into the host and suspend or ban their account.
Your generic review could be something like:
Mr./Mrs. B is a great host. They have a clean apartment and will make sure you have a homely experience. I will recommend his/her property at any time.
Before then, follow this guide to know the likely review you will be getting from your host after the stay. Also, if you potentially miss the Airbnb 14-day review window, you may consider these review options.
What Happens If I Throw a Party at an Airbnb?
If your host reports you for throwing a disruptive party (especially without their permission) or violating Airbnb rules on gatherings (of more than 16 people), your account can be suspended or removed from Airbnb. Also, your reviews left as a guest may also be removed. Airbnb won’t know or check the number of guests that show up on a booking. It’s the host who reports after finding more than the specified number of guests booked on their property. Thus, it’s important to talk things out with the host and make sure to stick to the agreement. Along with your friends, make sure you do not cause any property damage. In some cases, an unscrupulous host may lie about Airbnb damages, so make sure you take photos and videos of the apartment before and after the reasonably hosted party.
Conclusion
The whole idea is to keep the party noise as minimal as possible after the host’s approval. You do not also want Airbnb to think that you had a bursting party at the host’s apartment. This way, you can throw a party using Airbnb, and you won’t have any problems with it. Keep it simple. Inform other guests about your agreement with the host and Airbnb’s party standards. Get them to be reasonable and treat the property like it is their own.
Read Also: What to Do if Airbnb Restricts You
