Short-term rental company Airbnb has seemingly set another punishment for young Canadians as it banned all individuals, aged 25 below, from booking whole properties in their community.
The tightened booking rules came after the death of three people in an Airbnb-rented flat in Toronto last week.
But instead of directly punishing those who were responsible for the crimes, Airbnb has penalized all law-abiding citizens of Canada, specifically those aged between 18 to 25 who are lawfully in the age of majority. They are all strictly disciplined even without committing any wrongdoings.
Analysts suggest that the firm should instead focus on improving its security measures to effectively curb dangerous activities that transpire in its rental rooms.
According to reports, an 18-year-old was also killed in a company’s rental house in Ottawa last month. While in November, five people were shot dead during a Halloween party that took place inside an Airbnb-booked house in California.
The firm explained that Canadians under 25s will only be allowed to book whole properties if they maintain a positive review on the company’s website.
Airbnb also plans to apply the new rules in other countries if these become successful in Canada.
Some affected citizens strongly negate this idea as the company will then hold the entire population at fault and therefore penalize even those who are innocent and have good intentions.
Meanwhile, local officials urged Airbnb to speedily take necessary actions that would have significant contributions to halt hazardous activities.
“We have put in place regulations for companies like Airbnb to crack down on dangerous behavior and keep neighborhoods safe … This would represent a significant commitment to helping keep our city safe,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said.
