Woodbridge, Piscataway Homes Identified As Airbnb 'Party Houses'

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A Woodbridge home that was being rented out on Airbnb has been determined by the company to be a "party house" and was suspended from the platform. Airbnb made the decision after those who lived nearby complained to the company.

That Woodbridge home is one of 35 listings in New Jersey that were suspended or removed from Airbnb, including homes in Piscataway, Watchung, East Brunswick and Bridgewater.

The announcement comes at a time when Airbnb appears to be trying to work more with local municipalities, especially when large gatherings are discouraged due to COVID. A party last week at an Airbnb rental in Jackson attracted 700 people, and three people were issued summonses for violating the governor's executive order limiting gatherings to 500 people or fewer.

The party was advertised on Instagram as a "mansion party," and included free food and alcohol, News 12 New Jersey reported.

Out of respect for the privacy of the homeowners, Airbnb said the company could not provide addresses or street names of the 35 homes. However, these homes can no longer be listed on the Airbnb platform. The homeowners were notified last week they can no longer list.

Here are all the New Jersey towns with suspended listings:

• North Jersey
• Hoboken
• Guttenberg
• Irvington
• Jersey City
• Long Hill
• Montclair
• New Milford
• Newark
• Nutley
• Sparta Township
• Wood-Ridge
• Central Jersey
• Bridgewater Township
• East Brunswick
• Jackson Township
• Pennington
• Piscataway Township
• Toms River
• Trenton
• Watchung
• Woodbridge Township
• South Jersey
• Atlantic City
• Brigantine
• Stafford Township
• Ventnor City

In late 2019, Airbnb announced a 24/7 Neighborhood Support Hotline in the United States, where neighbors can call the company anytime and reach a real person. Airbnb then deploys a "rapid response team."

Also, Airbnb started limiting guests under 25 from booking an entire house listing in their immediate area. Fore example, a 20-year-old who lives in Hoboken would not be able to book a house, apartment or other entire home listing in Hoboken — unless they have a history of positive reviews on Airbnb. However, that same 20-year-old would be able to book a home in say, Ocean City.

“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, senior vice president 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."

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