Guest Trashed Flat and Told Doorman about Illegal Airbnb

I was constantly sold by Airbnb and third-party management companies that the “bad stories” from Airbnb are rare and that I had nothing to worry about. I have a water facing Manhattan condo in a doorman building. Manhattan and New York have banned any Airbnb listings. However, I noticed a Superhost from my very building who was making a ton of money and getting away with Airbnb. I figured I would give it a try. I contacted a third-party NYC management company, MetroButler, which handles everything for 25%  of the cost: cleaning, guest communication, and guest screening (not sure how much of a “screening” there was).

I had only reached my sixth guest when I walked into my apartment after a guest left and observed the mess. There was human feces on the bathroom mat, sugar spilled on the coffee table, dishwasher liquid in the dishwasher, and stolen items. This guest deliberately did all of this. He even forwarded MetroButler’s check-in instructions email to my doorman, to which my building fined me $1,000. This guest had the audacity to trash, steal, and go the extra Satanic mile and complain to my front desk. I complained to MetroButler and was able to get some sort of money for my stolen goods, but nothing else. I cancelled my bookings and paid the fine. Never will I allow my place to be abused by childish entitled guests, especially on Airbnb. If I do choose to sublet, it’ll be to someone I know and trust. Do not use MetroButler and do not allow guests like this.

Posted in Airbnb Host Stories and tagged , , , , , , .

8 Comments

  1. I have no sympathy for people who illegally (sub)let their (rented) accommodation. It’s not right for people to trash other people’s belonging but you knew full well that you aren’t allowed to use AirBnB either due to legal restrictions in your region (because you are not a hotel), and/or restrictions in your rental contract/mortgage. You wanted to make a quick buck without doing anything for it, and probably didn’t intend to report your earnings to the tax office, so you really shouldn’t be complaining.

  2. Wow, way to support, you previous commenters! Just because NYC implemented a ban on Airbnb subletting doesn’t make it a good thing. I wouldn’t say to someone who got hit by a car when jaywalking that “you got what you deserved, jaywalking is indeed banned in NYC”. Self-righteous load of BS.

  3. Not sure where all the hate in the comments comes from… If the cities are so stupid to forbid services, people are ready to pay for it’s plain stupid. In the end it’s the owners flat and he should be free to do with it whatever he/she wants.
    And especially saying “It’s all your fault” when a guest is just a disgusting idiot is pointless- it’s not the owner’s fault and I definately would’t want to be in his shoes. The 1000$ fee is the only thing I understand – if you do sthg illegal, you have to face the consequences, but feces? Seriously, this is on a different level.

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