Airbnb is not well known for having the best rental experiences. Unlike normal hotel or motel experiences, Airbnb renters will rent out a room in their home or an entire house in some cases. This can sort of be like a Bed and Breakfast, and it can feel more intimate. While the idea makes sense, in theory, there are some horror stories from both owners and renters alike. In this case, the owners of an Airbnb in Seoul, South Korea were hit with an incredibly high $1,570 utility bill.
The renters decided to run the taps and the gas for their entire 25-day stay. The Chinese renters had attempted to cancel their booking at a villa in Seoul, which was located in the outer suburb of the capital. The couple wanted a place in the center of the city, and when they realized this was not what they wanted, they decided to cancel the booking. The issue? They had already paid in full for their entire 25-day stay.
It is possible that the owner lied about the location of the villa (or the renters misunderstood where it was located), yet now the renters were unable to cancel or get a refund. Rather than just sticking out the booking (which wasn’t too bad) or even making the issue known to Airbnb…they took things into their own hands.
Airbnb Rental Nightmare
[Image via SBS]
According to the host of the area, known as Mr. Lee, they contacted him and asked if there was any type of surveillance cameras on the property. Once he confirmed that there weren’t any, the renters proceeded with their wild revenge plot. They turned on as many lights, taps, electrical appliances, and gas taps as they could find. What’s so wild is that the couple did not bother to stay in the villa.
They traveled across South Korea and returned to the home roughly 5 times during their entire 25-day stay. They also did not stay very long when they returned, only remaining at the place for less than 10 minutes. All in all, they probably did not stay in the villa for an entire hour the entire time they were in South Korea. Mr. Lee claims that he only discovered there was a potential issue when the pair checked out.
His gas company called him about the massive increase in usage, assuming there might be a leak at the home.
When Mr. Lee went to the villa to check things out, he ended up finding it empty. The windows were open and the gas was on. While he was left with a $116 water and electricity bill respectively, there was a massive $730 gas bill. On top of that, he has a $728 bill for what was described as “miscellaneous expenses.”
The water bill only being $116 is quite lucky because the couple used up 120,000 liters of water during their stay!
Airbnb’s Response To It All
[Image via ViewImage/Shutterstock.com]
We all know there is some risk in being an owner that rents out a home or, in this case, an entire villa through Airbnb. The company is known for not being much help when it comes to rental owner issues. Most owners are given the option of using Airbnb’s AirCover, which essentially acts like an insurance policy that will provide money for any damages a renter leaves at a property or any belongings.
The problem is, Airbnb is pretty weird with their AirCover policy and has been known to turn down several requests for aid after a renter damages a home or causes problems, like the one that happened here. Mr. Lee reached out to Airbnb customer service about his problem and was told the company was “unable to make an exception and help with compensation.”
They wanted him to resolve the dispute with the couple directly. However, the Chinese renters had already left South Korea by this point. Therefore, he will likely be stuck paying for the damages himself.
Airbnb, everyone. This is more common than you’d think.