NEW ORLEANS – A New Orleans Airbnb owner says never again after a guest caused thousands of dollars in damages and theft.
The homeowner says her guests used a stolen identity to rent her home and then stole her and her husband’s identities in the process. The owner is worried her family is not the only victim along the Gulf Coast.
The owner was excited about the month long rental income, but things quickly changed when her guests checked out.
“When we got to our home, we realized they completely turned it upside down, they had stolen a bunch of items, they kicked open our closet door to access the attic,” the owner said.
Once upstairs, the guests found boxes of personal information.
The owner said, “Pretty soon we were getting credit card applications and thank you for signing up for accounts in our name.”
As the owner and her husband were taking inventory of their home, they noticed her grandmother’s ring was stolen from the locked attic, items were stolen off furniture and their antique wood floors were scratched up. They also found used syringes and blood splattered on the walls.
“They’ve left a trail,” she said. “They’re not super smart criminals and it’s time to come to an end.”
The guests were verified by Airbnb before the stay.
“At the end of the day, it’s up to the homeowners,” the owner said. “We had no way of knowing these people weren’t who they said they were. They were verified with id’s and everything else.”
WGNO reached out to Airbnb following owner’s concerns over the verification process and her damage claims.
A spokesperson said they’re working with the family on their claim.
Ben Breit with Airbnb said, “Airbnb is a community based on a foundation of trust, and as such we have removed the guest associated with this reservation from our platform.”
The owner has filed a police report with NOPD.
Airbnb said they stand ready to support police if they need assistance in this case.
Airbnb full statement:
Today, in the U.S., hosts and guests who transact on the platform must first undergo identity verification processes and background check processes. More here.
We also provide the Host Guarantee for free on every booking to support with property damage protection, and we are supporting this host with a claim currently. More here: https://www.airbnb.com/d/guarantee
We also take action to suspend or ban users who violate our policies.
We employ a multi-layer defense strategy to prevent bad actors from ever accessing our platform. Our team is constantly working to strengthen our defenses and stay ahead of bad actors. More information on our identity verification system can be found here: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1237/how-does-it-work-when-airbnb-verifies-your-identity
