
The Secret Life of an Obsessive Airbnb Host - Calcite
http://narrative.ly/couch-surfing-capers/secret-life-obsessive-airbnb-host/
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cpplinuxdude
Airbnb and a crazed host landed me in a police car once. My crime: having my
girlfriend over, and being male.

Airbnb offered me a 500 USD voucher, which barely covered the cost of my last
minute Holiday Inn stay that I had to make to, well, not spend the night on
the street after getting kicked out, and it's all water under the bridge now,
but nightmare stories happen both ways.

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watwut
What were you accused of?

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lodewijkadlp
Rape, I think.

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jacquesm
You made an account just to post this?

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dominotw
You can get fired for what you say on the internet these days.
[https://twitter.com/zivcjs](https://twitter.com/zivcjs)

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gedrap
Can you give more context/information?

I understand that he was fired for dropping the C bomb but couldn't find more
from his twitter profile.

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archagon
As a guest, I feel way more safe using Airbnb when I'm renting an extra room
in the host's home. Even better if there are strict-sounding house rules. It
makes me feel like I'm sharing a living space with a real person rather than
helping somebody play landlord with their rental-only flat. And judging by the
article, it's better for the hosts as well.

I've been living like this with different people for the past month or so.
It's been about the same price as a hostel and so much more comfortable and
interesting! It would be a shame if lack of trust brought prices up and made
this way of life no longer viable.

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gedrap
Great tip. I felt tempted to try AirBNB many times but I just didn't feel
comfortable with that. I guess geeky social awkwardness was taking over :)

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personlurking
Slightly similar to the guy who squatted at AOL around the same time (2012).

[http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/26/after-2-months-of-
squatting...](http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/26/after-2-months-of-squatting-at-
aol-eric-simons-launches-claco-the-github-for-teachers/)

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DanBC
> If used wisely and responsibly,

Being an illegal sublet and uninsured doesn't feel wise or responsible.

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xtracto
In addition to that, this man was illegally staying in his office overnight.
The fact that he used his office's resources doesn't make him clever, but
something else.

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wpietri
Would you mind finding me the relevant law that makes napping under the desk a
crime? I didn't realize that I was a serial offender until you mentioned it.
It's a wonder that Google hasn't been busted for their nap rooms yet.

Personally, I'd say it makes him clever as long as he didn't bother anybody.
Admittedly, I live in the savage lands of California, where practically
anything goes. But if somebody who worked for me had both the chutzpah to
attempt this and enough consideration for others to pull it off without us
catching on, I'd give 'em a standing ovation.

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bane
If you do it when you aren't supposed to be there, the property owner can have
you arrested and charged for trespassing.

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wpietri
Oh, please. Everybody knew he was there. He was never told not to be there at
night. They may not have realized how much time he was spending there, but
what he was doing was in no way illegal.

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pessimizer
Is that your legal advice? Because it's not good.

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wpietri
Well since you're a legal expert, please point me at the law that makes this
guy's behavior illegal. Sure, he could have been fired. But arrested, tried,
and convicted? I don't believe it.

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Theodores
I am looking forward to the Airbnb movie which is obviously a rom-com of sorts
with the pilot paid for by Airbnb rentals and the script written from true
life experiences such as this story (with some rom-com elements being pure
fantasy rather than grounded in reality).

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klenwell
Then you'll probably enjoy this. The Trixie episode of High Maintenance:

[http://vimeo.com/56895025](http://vimeo.com/56895025)

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Theodores
Having seen that I can now see that we can expect a lot more! Thanks for the
link.

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davedx
We've used AirBNB quite a lot now, with our most recent booking being a
cottage in the Lake District, UK for our whole family, kids, baby and all.
Never had a problem as a guest, but I would be more hesitant to use AirBNB as
a host, given the legal climate.

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omilu
I'm creeped out about the idea of some perv bugging his house with hidden
cameras then renting it on airBNB, this alone is why I havn't used airbnb for
me or my family.

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lifeisstillgood
> It’s no secret that Airbnb’s housing stock is partially composed of listings
> that are technically forbidden by a landlord, co-op board, or city ordinance

This sounds like you tubes early days - ignore the copies of DVDs and music
videos until have enough scale not tomworry anymore.

But ... That's not a proper strategy is it? And is there a class action means
of preventing it? If a landlord sues Airbnb can they be forced to stop renting
beds they have not legal right to?

Just catching up on the Airbnb story

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coldcode
Why do I have to give my email address in order to read this?

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eddieroger
You don't. I was able to click "No Thanks," and read the whole article.

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yardshop
Or just click outside of the newsletter subscription box.

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Paul_Morgan
Any website that throws up a subscribe dialog box like this I'm going to
avoid. (DR)

