Airbnb is trying to crack down on fake listings by verifying all listings in its five largest markets – the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and France. The company is trying to crack down on fake listings through this program by requiring hosts to provide information such as photos with GPS data.
The company said it will begin the verification process in the first batch of countries later this year, and will expand the program to include 30 more countries by next fall.
Brian Chesky, the company’s CEO, said verified codes will start appearing next to the list starting in February.
Airbnb is trying to solve the problem of listing properties that don’t exist, contain incorrect information, or are owned by someone other than the listed host.
In 2019, after five people died at a Halloween party hosted by Airbnb, the company began cracking down on parties. I also started checking information on all of their listings. The company is now ramping up its verification program by asking hosts for more details.
Airbnb said it uses its own anti-fraud technology along with a combination of “artificial intelligence and human review” to verify the listing. Hosts listing a new property will need to upload photos of the property using GPS data through the Airbnb app. For existing listings, the company will consider booking history data and reviews as well as details provided by the host. In all cases, hosts must list properties on an accurate location and must have access to it.
While Airbnb did not provide a timeline, it said the company will provide “sufficient time” to hosts of existing properties. However, if Airbnb does not get details from hosts, it can take action including restricting their accounts. The travel company did not specify whether it plans to remove unverified properties in the future.
In a scenario where a place is real, but belongs to someone other than the host, Airbnb says it looks for the host’s reputation, sample messages, duplicate photos, and other inconsistencies.
Airbnb stressed that fake content “has no place” on its platform. However, it will be interesting to see how the company handles the property as the host has appointed a concierge to manage the menu.
This year, the company said it prevented 157,000 fake listens from joining the platform and removed 59,000 fraudulent listings.
Earlier this month, new rules were put in place for short-term rentals for New York City went into effectWhich forces hosts to register with the city. Additionally, for short-term rentals of less than 30 days, hosts must be physically present at the rental. Estimates from travel website Skift indicate that at last few monthsProperty listings on Airbnb are down 77% in New York City.
Airbnb has not specified whether it plans to use registration data to verify listings.