Airbnb has said that it will be verifying all 7 million of its property listings and ensuring that the homes are being offered for short-term stays.
This comes after the company announced that it banned ‘party houses’ following a shooting at a rental home on Halloween night that killed five people in California.
Additionally, a recent report from Vice determined that scammers have been taking advantage of renters by putting them in inferior locations and claiming that the initial properties they booked were unavailable.
The company says that along with verifying the listings, it will also rebook guests to new locations or refund them if their location doesn’t meet the company’s standards.
It says it will also launch a 24-hour hotline in the U.S. by December 31st, which will be staffed by rapid response teams. The company has plans to expand the hotline globally sometime next year.
Lastly, Airbnb says it will also be implementing a more rigorous form of manual checks of “high-risk” reservations to prevent unauthorized parties.
Airbnb says that although these actions will be costly, they are necessary steps to take to protect its users.
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