The elderly couple discovered their home was being listed for short term rentals after tourists began arriving on their doorstep.
An elderly couple are facing their worst nightmare with thousands in losses after discovering their ground floor flat listed for short term rental without their approval.
Robert and Yasmina Mathias’ had agreed to put a tenant into their two bedroom ground floor unit to help clear their mortgage, but unbeknown to them, the tenant has allegedly been sub-renting it out without their permission across multiple short term rental sites.
The property in dispute is still listed as available on Airbnb.
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The couple twigged after seeing various tourists arriving at their door and are now facing an uphill battle to get back the apartment – with their court date set for December, they told MyLondon. They were said to be out of pocket by almost $50,000 (25,000 pounds) because of the tenant allegedly not paying rent for months and their legal fees.
“It’s really awful. Our home is being invaded. It’s like burglary but worse. I can’t even go in the back garden to prune the bushes, which [the tenant] doesn’t bother doing and we stopped paying to have the front cleaned,” Mr Mathias said.
The host has a rating of 4.67 off three reviews in August.
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The couple – who now fear they will have to keep working to cover mounting costs – alleged the tenant installed a smart doorbell to track short term renters and also had cleaners hired to go in afterwards.
The listing is still live on Airbnb, where an attempt to book the apartment in dispute showed the “host” is charging a two-night minimum at $353.47 AUD a night, plus a $98 cleaning fee and a $125.03 Airbnb service fee.
The “host” did not answer when contacted via the Airbnb messaging service. A search of Airbnb showed the same “host” was also renting out three more apartments across the London area via the site and had been “hosting for two months” on all four units.
No clarification was available from Airbnb over the allegations, with the short term rental site’s messaging bot suggesting to “report the listing” or find another apartment.
The issue is set to raise red flags for property owners in Australia too over fears their homes could being used by tenants as short term rentals without their knowledge.
The flat has a little garden in te heart of London
Australian Airbnb numbers alone have exploded in the past decade, with the firm telling the Australian Federal Treasury’s Black Economy Division that it had more than 160,000 listings across the country in 2016 with “the typical host earning about $6,900 a year in extra income from sharing their space for just 33 nights a year”.
That figure reportedly surged to an estimated 330,000 just before the pandemic, and is believed to be significant now.
The property in dispute was listed as an “entire rental unit in Greater London” available for six guests, with two bedrooms, three beds and 1.5 baths.
The “host” wrote on the listing: “Welcome to your stylish retreat in one of London’s most prestigious neighbourhoods! This charming 2-bedroom lower ground apartment offers the perfect blend of comfort, convenience, and character, making it an ideal choice for both short and long stays.”
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