Airbnb cracks down on party houses in the Hollywood Hills, removes 28 'nuisance' property listings

HOLLYWOOD HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Airbnb announced it is removing 28 property listings in the Hollywood Hills area after the Los Angeles Police Department identified them as "chronic party houses."

Police say the listings have created a "substantial nuisance" in the neighborhood, some generating citations and "cease and desist" orders.

Airbnb says any reservations for those locations have been canceled. Some of the properties will be removed from Airbnb based on the severity of the issues identified and shared by LAPD. Other properties will face lengthy suspensions, according to an Airbnb statement.

Owners for properties facing suspensions will need to verify they are in good standing with the city by submitting documentation to Airbnb.

"We are grateful to the LAPD for their partnership in helping us identify listings that do not reflect the overwhelming majority of Los Angeles Airbnb hosts who share their homes responsibly," Airbnb's Public Policy ManagerJohn Choi said in a statement. "Building trust in the communities our hosts call home is our top priority."

Some residents have complained of loud parties and hope a crackdown will alleviate noise and other issues.

Residents say one home over the summer of 2019 and into the fall was the scene of wild, late night parties every weekend.

One neighbor told Eyewitness News they were forced to take their family to a hotel multiple times. LAPD frequented the address, but it took months to stop the parties and others like them because many homes in the area are now rented out as Airbnbs, then taken over by club promoters.

"It's the commercial parties that have become an issue," said Anastasia Mann, president of the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council.

"They will put it on social media. They'll send it out so when all the bars close, everyone comes out to these quiet neighborhoods at 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock in the morning, and they pay entry fees," she added. "They're loud and obnoxious. People are doing drugs in the street."

Residents are hopeful other short-term rental companies have a similar response to party houses as Airbnb.