From a shooting in California to a company wide scam, Airbnb has been in the spotlight in the worst possible ways the past few weeks. 

Following the California shooting, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky released a statement on Twitter: 

Starting today, we are banning “party houses” and we are redoubling our efforts to combat unauthorized parties and get rid of abusive host and guest conduct, including conduct that leads to the terrible events we saw in Orinda. Here is what we are doing:

— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) November 2, 2019

Airbnb’s reach is far and wide. Even the small village of Pleasantville is home to two Airbnb locations. 

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Local Airbnb host Len Ferch does not believe the recent problems are specific to the company. Regarding the party ban, Ferch said it is the responsibility of the host to set rules.

“Most Airbnb hosts already have a ‘no parties’ rule, so a ‘ban’ sounds redundant,” Ferch said. “If Airbnb intends to help hosts ensure that unauthorized parties do not occur, that’s fine, but it’s really up to the host to take appropriate precautions.”

Ferch said he also trusts that Airbnb will correct its mistakes regarding verifying listings. 

“There will always be criminals looking for ways to game a system, but I also think Airbnb is highly motivated to make the necessary adjustments to reduce scams, since their livelihood depends on retaining user trust just as much as it does for hosts,” Ferch said.

“Airbnb scams are much more likely to occur in high demand situations such as big city events and vacation hot spots, so I think our guests know that our little rental in Pleasantville, with its huge history of detailed, glowing reviews is not likely to be involved in any type of scam.” 

Ferch described Pleasantville as a place with a high demand for Airbnb options, since the village does not have hotels. He receives guests from New York City and other tourists. 

“We have many guests that are in town for events that are in the village or surrounding areas, such as Jacob Burns film events, the annual music festival, table tennis tournaments, The Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze, seminars and conferences at various places such as Stone Barns, or a dinner at Blue Hill,” Ferch said.

“We also get many guests from NYC for a weekend getaway from the city to somewhere quieter and closer to nature.”