Airbnb doubles down on multifamily initiative

The company has announced plans to expand its Airbnb Friendly Buildings Program

Airbnb doubles down on multifamily initiative

Airbnb has announced plans to roll out new tools and products as it continues to build upon its Airbnb Friendly Buildings Program.

Launched in 2016, the program saw landlords allow residents in their buildings and communities to host on Airbnb. The program featured a number of benefits for property owners, including the establishment of hosting rules, entitlement to a share of hosting revenue, as well as $1 million of primary property and $1 million in liability insurance.

The Friendly Buildings Program has now enrolled buildings with tens of thousands of units as of July 30 as a result of Airbnb working with major REITs and private ownership groups.

Now, Airbnb is taking steps to expand the program. The company will introduce a series of changes to the program in the coming weeks and months.

The company’s product teams are working on new tools that will enable property managers to have more control over home sharing in their buildings. Features would include the capability of setting reasonable limits on how often spaces in their buildings can be shared.

Airbnb is also building a new set of API’s so that property managers and apartments who use systems like Yardi, RealPage, Appfolio, and Entrata to manage their portfolios can manage Airbnb listings from within these systems.

Another tool would allow hosts to include in their listings the rules drafted by building managers. Airbnb’s expanded initiative also includes new online and offline resident education materials.

“We are thrilled to work with our community of building owners in the Friendly Buildings Program and support their residents who enjoy home sharing. Our team is excited to develop these new product features, and we will provide a series of updates as we move forward,” the company said.