Ever tempted to make a bit of money letting your home through Airbnb? Then read on...
WHEN Ela Boyd planned a trip to America for New Year, she thought she would make a little extra cash by letting out her flat.
She found what seemed like the perfect guest through property- sharing website Airbnb. Unfortunately, the ‘young woman’ was not planning to visit the Royal Albert Hall with her sister as she claimed ... but to host a house-trashing party.
Miss Boyd, 36, realised she had fallen victim to a fake profile on the site when she received a message from a concerned neighbour on New Year’s Eve.
They said her ground floor flat in Holloway, north London, had been taken over by a group of thugs. Neighbours even claimed to see men walking round with knives and machetes. Police were called and dispersed the revellers. But when artist Miss Boyd returned from visiting her family in America, she was met with a scene of devastation.
Her bed had been urinated on and cigarettes stubbed out on furniture.
‘The flat looked like when you leave a festival – with bottles and cigarettes everywhere,’ she said. ‘The damage to the sofa and mattress makes the place unlivable now. They stole clothes, jewellery and even took my hair straighteners. They took prints from the walls given to me by friends as well as my own artwork.’
Miss Boyd, who rents her flat for £1,625 a month, is now raising money to cover her losses and help her move back to the US. She also warned other Airbnb users to be vigilant when hosting strangers, and called on the firm to introduce more checks.
A spokesman for Airbnb said: ‘We have zero tolerance for this kind of behaviour and have removed the guest from Airbnb.’
He added that the firm had provided Miss Boyd with alternative accommodation and was working to recoup some of her losses under its host guarantee, which offers damage protection of up to £600,000.