Farzana Rahman Airbnb host stiffed by guests who refuse to move out after 7 month contract comes to an end at Durham, North Carolina condo as she is now forced to take squatters to housing court before legally evicting them. The critical mistakes Airbnb hosts make renting out explored.
She sought to take advantage of the generally higher rates hosts can collect using Airbnb renting out their property to would be renters, but one North Carolina single mom has now found out the hard way, the easy money sometimes comes with risks.
Farzana Rahman, who owns a condo in Durham has told of being on the hook for lost income after Airbnb guests refused to leave following the completion of a 7 month contract.
‘No, we haven’t moved out,’
The unidentified tenants checked in on October 25, 2023 and were meant to leave by May 24 but have now signalled that they now intend to stay indefinitely and have now forced the single mom, who is struggling to put her son through college, to pursue matters in housing court, which could take months before the ’squatters’ could be made to legally leave the property.
Rahman’s listing stipulated her home being available to rent for a minimum of 28 days for the price of $2,684, which technically puts her in the remote risk of being put through civil law should a tenant (whether Airbnb guest, or rental contract) refuse to leave after having lived at a property for more than 30 days – the usual term most states deem a tenant being afforded tenants rights – and the right to have their case heard in a law of court.
Two weeks ago when Rahman’s agreement with the guests ended, the host was given a rude shock when her cleaners reached the property only to discover that the ‘renters’ had never left according to ABC7Chicago.
‘No trespassing’
‘’They answered the door and they said, “No, we haven’t moved out,’’ Rahman told the outlet.
She [cleaner] said “Should I come tomorrow?” And they said, “No, don’t come back”.
‘Now they’re refusing to leave until there’s an eviction order. I think they’re just trying to gain time to stay there for free because they haven’t paid.
‘This is my place, and I mean, I’m counting on this income; my son is in college. I’m a single parent,’ Rahman said.
But there’s more.
Critical mistakes Airbnb hosts should avoid
When Rahman came to the property with officers, the squatters assured them that they would leave the next day.
But the next morning, they were still occupying the condo and had instead posted a ‘no trespassing’ sign.
The sign read: ‘We will vacate the property when you filed the proper paperwork with the civil magistrate for an eviction, for we are legal residents of this home.’
Rahman has also contacted Airbnb for support but to no avail. She claims that the company has only sent her messages to get help for her safety and legal help to evict the squatters.
According to the Airbnb website, ‘guests who stay in a home or apartment for one month or longer—the exact number of days depends on the state—may establish rights as a tenant’ and therefore are protected under local tenancy laws.
It also advises landlords to seek a summary proceeding to evict illegal guests.
‘Statutes exist in nearly all jurisdictions that permit landlords to use summary proceedings to evict tenants. A summary proceeding is a judicial proceeding that lets a landlord regain possession of leased property in an expedited fashion.
‘You should contact a landlord-tenant attorney or your local county courts to learn more about eviction laws where you live, as they may affect your ability to evict a guest who overstays a monthly stay,’ the page reads.
Of note, Airbnb, despite being the middleman, bears no legal obligation to force the guests out, nor any legal stipulation to make good to the host that amount lost in future rent should the guest decide to stay put.
Airbnb policy specifically puts the onus on the host to accept or reject an offer from a would be guest, with the service, which bills itself as a facilitator, recommending that guests thoroughly vet guests by reviewing previous reports by other hosts, while common sense would also entail being weary renting out to a first time user of Airbnb beyond 30 days.
