Three positive reviews and not a single negative one. That is what a young Airbnb guest in Canada needs before the platform will let them book an entire home close to where they live.
The rule applies to guests aged 18 to 24 in a handful of countries: Canada, the US, the UK, France and Spain. Canada came first, and the others followed. A guest under 25 who lives locally and lacks that review record is steered to private rooms and hotel-room listings instead. Booking a whole house or flat nearby is off the table.
Where it began
The policy grew out of a long-running headache. Airbnb lets hosts open their homes to strangers, and the company has always had to weigh that openness against the interests of the hosts and the neighbours next door. Open-invite parties in rented homes had gone on for years. Some upset neighbours. Some left property damaged.
By Airbnb’s own count they were rare. Just 0.05% of listings reported a safety-related issue. The company still wanted that figure lower.
What may have tipped the balance was a Halloween party in late 2019. A single-night rental ended in a shooting that killed five people, and it happened even though the guest and the host had signed a no-party agreement. Within a year, Airbnb had introduced the age-and-reviews rule.
Who it touches
A young guest who wants to travel somewhere far from home is not affected, because the restriction covers only local listings. Under-18s cannot open an account at all. And there is no ceiling at the other end: a guest who is 25 or older, with an account in good standing, meets no booking restrictions.
Families have it easier on one point. Children are not barred from a stay, though they must be counted as guests on the booking.
The rule has plenty of critics. Guests under 25 object to it. So do hosts who would gladly take younger renters. Others call it plain age discrimination.
Airbnb says the policy works. The company told the public it has seen a “meaningful drop” in unauthorized house parties in Canada since it took effect. A workaround exists, of course. A friend over 25 can make the booking on someone’s behalf, and the rule does nothing about that. Still, the policy has probably put off a good many would-be party hosts.
Whether Airbnb will extend it to more countries, or drop it where it now applies, is anyone’s guess. With Canada showing fewer unauthorized parties, there is little sign it is going away.
