A guest was staying in a LA apartment when an angry Airbnb host stormed in and yelled at her to “get the f*** out.”
The incident occurred in April of this year after Airbnb visitor Kristin Eardley, 39, of Chicago, Illinois, “complained about a mouldy sandwich and unemptied trashcan.”
For a work trip, the director of ad tech had reserved a two-night stay at an Airbnb unit in Los Angeles, California, for April 26–28.
She captured on camera the moment the apartment host, pilates instructor Ashley Green, stormed in and began yelling, sending Ms. Eardley fleeing the building in tears and without a place to stay.
She received the whole amount of her booking back from Airbnb after reporting the event.
The presenter even reported Ms. Eardley’s theft of $10,000 worth of jewels to the police, and the guest claimed that her laptop was stolen and later discovered by detectives in a garbage.
The Airbnb host responded to the allegations by calling her a “superstar renter.”
If you look at my reviews, they are wonderful, she claimed. I’ve never experienced a problem. The apartment is spotless; it appears to be a hotel.
I began receiving bizarre texts, such as one about dust on a glass from a cupboard that she wasn’t even permitted to be in.
She entered cabinets with small strap locks and broke them before wiping her finger and beginning to take many photos of her finger covered in dust.
‘There was a broken glass – my cleaning lady apparently broke a glass and there were tiny little pieces that she didn’t get.
‘She said there was a sandwich with mould on it – that’s not true. I think that my cleaning lady threw her sandwich in the garbage which I had already emptied, just the wrapper, and forgot to bring it out. I don’t think there was mould on it.
‘I started getting texts from her saying that she was running around to my neighbours saying I don’t have a parking spot. I do have a parking spot, I’ve lived here for 14 years.
‘I called Airbnb and said now I feel uncomfortable with this guest – she’s not only disturbing me but she’s disturbing my neighbours.
‘They said they contacted her and she should be checked out at 11.30am. I walked in at 11.30am and she literally shoved the door in my face. She was telling me she wouldn’t leave.
‘So I opened back the door. I said ‘I want you out, I don’t feel comfortable’.
‘I took her laptop because she literally threw me out of my apartment and locked the door with my phone and car keys in the apartment. I had to call 911.
‘Nobody put anything in a dumpster. I took her laptop so she would get out of the house. I put it right on the side next to my door.
‘Out of probably 60 rentals I’ve only had one bad experience and it was this woman.’
Ms. Eardley reported that when Ms. Green yelled at her, she was “terrified.”
The host appeared to shove Ms. Eardley while telling her to “get the f*ck out.”
Two months after the incident, the incensed ad tech director alleges that she is still waiting for reimbursement from Airbnb for the hotel she was forced to pay as a result of the host’s eviction.
The Airbnb owner acknowledged there was shattered glass in the house, but said she had previously told the woman to leave because she had made her feel “uncomfortable.”
I took pictures of the flat to illustrate how I left it so she couldn’t claim that I had changed anything about it, and I packed up my belongings in less than seven minutes, according to Ms. Eardley.
She screamed even after I opened the door. In two hours, I had to be at this function.
Where is my laptop, I asked? Please hand me my laptop; I need to leave. I have no idea what you’re talking about, she replied.
I probably argued with her about my laptop for five or ten minutes before deciding to leave, phone the police, and handle the situation with them. I was in tears as I drove to Beverly Hills.
The ad tech director reserved the studio apartment in Los Angeles as a less expensive option to the area’s pricy hotels for her trip to participate in an industry panel.
She claims that the host frequently phoned her on the day she was scheduled to arrive at the rental and provided her a different address from the one listed on Airbnb—one that was two doors down.
According to her, the host stated that, for her own protection, she preferred not to post the genuine address on the app.
She complained to Airbnb about this and asked for a reimbursement for the $125 cleaning fee after telling the host she was dissatisfied with her stay thus far.
I observed that [the flat] had obviously not been cleaned, as it was extremely dusty and the trash had not been removed, which is where I discovered the broken wine glass and a moldy sandwich.
The host apparently denied knowing where Ms. Eardley’s laptop was after the violent argument, despite being shown on camera taking it outside the flat.
After being made to leave without it, Ms. Eardley reported a theft to the police.
She claims that when the host contacted to accuse her of taking jewelry valued at $10,000 from the apartment, an officer told her that they were already on their way to the woman’s residence.
After her work event, Ms. Eardley consented to travel back to Los Angeles to speak with police, where she claims they
Her laptop was recovered after she discovered it in a dumpster close to the address.
She asserts that after seeing the video footage, which she claims proved that all of the drawers in the apartment were locked and unaltered, police ignored the host’s complaint of jewelry theft.
Airbnb issued a full refund for the entire booking, but Ms. Eardley said that she is still awaiting the $400 reimbursement that Airbnb reportedly promised her in relation to the $660 nightly hotel bill after the host ejected her.
I’ve used Airbnb for 10 years or so, and this is the first truly awful experience I’ve had, claimed Ms. Eardley. It’s been a nightmare, really.
“How they handled it is unacceptable,” I said.
“This has been one of the scariest and most distressing things that has happened to me while traveling,” she continued.
“I feel completely shocked.” It was very scary. I won’t ever use Airbnb once more.
Police acknowledged that they had gone to a call at the residence, but no arrests or reports were filed.
According to Airbnb, they removed the host from the system as soon as they learned about the occurrence. They also claimed to have a 24-hour safety line where hosts and visitors may speak with support staff.
‘This type of behavior goes against everything Airbnb stands for,’ a representative for the company said. “We took action as soon as this incident was brought to our attention in April, including removing the Host and giving the Guest our support.”
Although individual difficulties on Airbnb are uncommon, where they do occur, our Community Support team is there 24/7 to help. This is because “the safety of our community is our priority.”