Airbnb Cracks Down On Bridgewater, Watchung 'Party Houses'

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Airbnb is taking action to crack down on party houses throughout the state of New Jersey, including in Bridgewater and Watchung.

The vacation rental company suspended and/or removed 35 listings across New Jersey that have received complaints or otherwise violated the Airbnb's policies on parties and events.

Specific addresses or violations were not disclosed by the company, yet listings in Bridgewater and Watchung were among the 35 to have their listing suspended and/or removed from Airbnb.

"I'm not able to share specific addresses or additional information outside of what's in the press release at this time," a spokesman with Airbnb said.

This move follows Airbnb's previous ban on party houses and commitment to safe and responsible travel. Officials noted the vast majority of hosts in New Jersey take important steps to prevent unauthorized parties like:

• establishing clear house rules
• quiet hours
• communicating in advance with their guests

Due to current public-health concerns revolving around the coronavirus pandemic, Airbnb's ban on party houses is more important.

"We stand with Governor Murphy, and we support his call to action to stop parties and promote behavior that respects the public’s health," said Chris Lehane, SVP of Global Policy & Communications for Airbnb. "We ban party houses and will not tolerate irresponsible behavior on our platform. We know that there is still more work to be done, we ask that neighbors contact us as soon as possible through our Neighborhood Support Hotline, to directly communicate any concerns, which will help us continue to effectively enforce our party house ban."

Late last year, Airbnb launched a 24/7 Neighborhood Support Hotline, where neighbors can call to report their concerns. Issues raised by New Jersey residents through this hotline led directly to many of the listing suspensions announced.

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