A brand new home in South-East London was listed by its owner, Nigel Broome, through the Airbnb site but instead of cashing in some money, he is now facing $12000 worth of damages left by guests who used the home for a New Year's Eve party.
According to Mirror UK, Broome went for a vacation in Colombia so he thought of renting out his newly-built luxury home in Forest Hill. However, when the Londoner got back from his trip, he was shocked to find out the flooring was damaged. Add to this, his kitchen was flooded and the house's walls had holes in them.
The Guardian also reported that pieces of furniture were also damaged, including a window taken out to create an extra door. Broome also mentioned that a sexual assault was reported on the night of the party prompting the police to visit the property to investigate.
The owner of the house said, "The people who rented it from me presented themselves as holidaymakers, but they basically came and just held a massive New Year's Eve party."
Broome found out about the ruckus of a party when one of his neighbors called him while he was still in Colombia. "She gathered from one of them that they had booked it on Airbnb, so she got on Airbnb and contacted me via an enquiry form about the property," Broome continued.
Apparently, the unfortunate incident wasn't the only Airbnb-related distress story which happened during the New Year. An 18-year-old renter of a Californian couple invited 200 guests for a party held at the rental home. Also in London, a woman also made the headlines after reporting that she was punched in the stomach when she tried to break up a fight happening at her apartment, which she listed through the rental home website.
Airbnb had already released a statement regarding the untoward incident that happened in Broome's home. According to the company, "We have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior and this guest is no longer on Airbnb."
Although Airbnb is in contact with the police regarding the property damage in the Forest Hill home, Broome is left unconvinced with the host guarantee clause of the terms and conditions. Broome said that although Airbnb seems to offer homeowners with the "best possible insurance," the terms give the impression that it would be under the company's discretion whether to provide it or not.
