A Pepper Pike homeowner said she was expecting two Airbnb guests for the weekend but discovered evidence of a large group of people at the house who left behind several used condoms, soiled linens and vomit.
Neighbors alerted the homeowner, who has asked not to be identified, to the large number of vehicles parked in her driveway, spilling out into the street.
“They asked if everything was okay,” she told newsnet5.com, “because there were 20 cars pouring out of the driveway.”
The homeowner said that a maid entered the house the next morning to find six used condoms in different locations in the home, soiled linens and towels, what she believed to be “bodily fluids” on counters and sinks, a urine-soaked bathmat and vomit splatter on a toilet.
“I mean if there’s meant to be two people and there’s six condoms, that sounds like less than innocent to me,” she said.
The homeowner contacted Airbnb about receiving additional compensation for the extra cleaning and extra guests.
“While presence of condoms may be upsetting, it is not a physical damage,” an Airbnb employee wrote to the homeowner in an email obtained by newsnet5.com.
Airbnb asked for invoices and/or receipts for the cleaning and repair estimates on “official company letterhead.”
The homeowner said she did not have the time or resources to obtain the documentation in the window she was given.
“Please submit a qualifying invoice or receipt within the next 24 hours. If we do not receive this documentation within that timeframe we will be closing your case,” an email stated.
Newsnet5.com reached out to Airbnb. A representative acknowledged receipt of the inquiry but did not provide a statement.
Michael Christopher, a fellow Airbnb host in Cleveland, has been helping the homeowner with her case.
“We are inviting these people into our homes and we have an expectation that they’re going to behave reasonably,” Christopher said. “And I think this case is anything but reasonable.”
Airbnb has it’s policies clearly stated in the Host Guarantee section of the site, but Christopher said few hosts really dig into the fine print.
“This covers property damage but doesn’t necessarily cover things like extra guests so in this situation the homeowner really had no recourse with Airnbn,” he said.
Pepper Pike police confirmed that a complaint had been made by the homeowner but because no physical damage was reported, the case is considered civil in nature.
