Airbnb says it'll introduce several safeguards in the wake of a shooting on Halloween that killed five people.
The shooting took place at a rental property located in Odina, California. Initially, the renter said she would use the property to escape the state's wildfires; however, it turned out as the hub for a Halloween party. Guests arrived at the rental property after advertisements on social media promoted a "mansion party," and the Associated Press reports approximately 100 people showed up.
Neighbors spotted unusual activity and alerted the rental property's owner, who allegedly warned the renter that no parties are allowed. The renter denied any interest in gathering for a party on Halloween, but she and guests did so anyway. As the rental property's owner traveled to the location for a check-in, gunfire started and left five people dead and others injured.
Police are still investigating the matter, and no arrests have been made despite obtaining two guns at the scene.
"Starting today, we are banning 'party houses' and we are redoubling our efforts to combat unauthorized parties and get rid of abusive host and guest conduct, including conduct that leads to the terrible events we saw in Orinda," Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky tweeted on Saturday.
Airbnb's manual screening will expand. The platform already tries to pick up on high-risk reservations automatically and manually, but now there's a dedicated team to monitor potential house parties. With these activities banned, users who decide to host house parties anyway will be subject to immediate action such as removal from the service.
"We must do better, and we will. This is unacceptable," Chesky said in his closing statement.