A drug-induced orgy was held in this Canadian family home. Photo / Star King, Instagram
A drug-induced orgy was held in this Canadian family home. Photo / Star King, Instagram
Coming home to a ransacked flat, abandoned crack pipes, or strangers having sex in your bed. How likely are you to have an Airbnb disaster?
"Our apartment has been turned into what I can best describe as a junkie's den."
A Sydney woman, and first time Airbnb user, thought she was renting her flat to a mother whose sick baby needed treatment at a nearby hospital. It was a far cry from the sinister reality.
The guest's name was Michelle, and her profile featured a beautiful photo with her son.
"Everything seemed to check out," the host told Pedestrian. "We actually felt very happy to help her during what we thought must have been a very sad time for her, and left coffee, milk, muesli, towels on the bed and all of that to make her stay as enjoyable as possible."
Imagine coming home to find your property had been trashed. Photo / Star King, Instagram
The place was ransacked. Heroin residue stained the floor. Cigarette stubs were all over the apartment. Table lamps were kicked in. A crack pipe was left in a vase.
"Not only that, but there was all this random green liquid on a lot of walls and all over the floor and two towels covered in blood were left on the bathroom floor," she said.
But while it's every host's worse nightmare, the chance of it happening it extremely low. In fact, the company has hosted 100 million guests since it was founded in 2008 — and in past 12 months, only 0.00002 per cent of hosts claimed damages above $1000.
Manhattan lawyer Christian Pugaczewski is currently fighting Airbnb in court, after he was duped into shelling out over $12,000 for a dingy apartment on New York's East River.
Described as a "Comfortable Spatial Island Retreat", the 38-year-old told the New York Post he was "horrified" when he found out it was actually a dilapidated flat in a drug-ridden building recently converted from public housing.
He'd booked it for three months, but he stayed just one night before moving — shelling out an additional $27,000 for a last-minute replacement.
Several people have complained the company is difficult to deal with when things go wrong.
"I called so many times to report what happened and asked to be put through to security but the call centre people just brushed me off, promising someone would call me," the Sydney woman told Pedestrian.
In the past year, only 0.00002% of Airbnb hosts reported damage over $1000. Photo / Star King, Instagram
And yet, it continues to grow at an exponential rate, with the number of guests almost doubling from year to year. The company says it's because the community is built on trust.
"We have a zero tolerance for this sort of behaviour and we'll work with police to make sure these folks are held accountable for their actions," spokesman Dylan Smith told news.com.au.
"We were deeply concerned to learn about this incident and we've been working with the host to offer our assistance through our host guarantee."
Once an issue is reported, the guest has 72 hours to make things right before the company steps in, and they offer a guarantee of up to $1 million.
"We know that every industry, and every city grapples with safety issues," Mr Smith said. "And while no one has an absolutely perfect record that's what we strive for."
