Airbnb says they’ll cooperate with the Jersey City Police Department if their guests are suspected of violating state orders, including unauthorized parties.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Governor Murphy’s executive order very clearly bans social gatherings in the state, meaning our new policy means we are not allowing any type of party in Jersey City until further notice,” Airbnb said in a statement.
“We want to be very clear — not only will we ban guests who attempt to throw an unauthorized party in a Jersey City Airbnb listing, we will be cooperating with Jersey City police in any investigations relating to parties and violations of public health mandates, consistent with our Terms of Service.”
Murphy issued a stay-at-home order on March 21st that closed non-essential businesses and public gatherings statewide.
On April 17th, an Airbnb party at an undisclosed location in Jersey City with 15 people led to four people being charged with emergency order violations, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said at the time.
Airbnb had made a broader announcement on April 3rd, indicating that hosts who have parties could face a suspension or even full removal from the home-sharing platform.
“Additionally, we have reinforced this policy by temporarily disabling the ‘event-friendly’ search filter, which is typically used so that guests can seek out venues for responsible parties and gatherings,” they added.
“We continue to temporarily remove the ‘parties and events allowed’ rule from the House Rules of any Jersey City listings that formerly authorized parties.”
Airbnb and Jersey City officials engaged in a bitter campaign back in November that saw over $5 million spent on a referendum about placing more restrictions on short-term rentals.
The ballot question passed by a roughly 2.5 to 1 margin.
