Airbnb has added a so-called “Animal House button” for neighbors to complain about overly lit guests.
Loud, annoying Airbnb soirees have become a common concern in certain cities, including Chicago, where residents are campaigning for laws to regulate the service’s usage and abnormal disturbances. Airbnb had previously done little to address excessive partying.
This new feature appears on the Airbnb site, alongside a list of specific gripes about hosts. Frustrated neighbors now have the option to complain about “Noise, party, or disturbance,” in addition to things like “General concerns with my neighbor hosting.” (Still no “Why I oughta…” or “You damn kids” option. Shrug.)
According to Fast Company:
If a host is violating the site’s policies, the company may suspend or remove them from the Airbnb site. The company will field inquiries through the current customer service team, with which neighbors had previously connected through a little-publicized neighbor hotline.
It’s Neighbors 3, starring Airbnb.
“We believe this issue is talked about far more than it actually occurs,” says Airbnb cofounder Nathan Blecharczyk. “We don’t want neighbors or anyone else to be upset at us. We want to be, as their neighbor, we want to be a responsible company.”
