Atlanta

AirBnB host comes home to ransacked house

ATLANTA — A local man says he found his place ransacked and thousands of dollars in electronics and jewelry missing after he rented the unit on AirBnB.

The host says it looks like the renters threw a party and even wore his clothes.%

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"Clearly, I was used in the matter," the host told Channel 2’s Carl Willis, asking not to be identified. “My electronics, my clothing, my designer clothing, jewelry -- so many things were stolen. Like pretty much anything in my home that held value that they could fit and take with them.”

In addition to having his place ransacked and his property stolen by the renter or one of the renter's guests, someone stole the host's personal information that could be used for identity theft.

The host told Willis the process of renting out his unit on the popular service started out smoothly.

"Literally got a listing in my first 12 hours. It was pretty swift," the host said.

He met with the renter, laid out the rules and secured his property.

"I basically locked everything into an individual closet. I bought a heavy-duty lock and put it on there and they literally took their time to pry open the lock, break it apart and go in there," the host said.

He returned to find his son's crib broken, and marijuana and cigarette ashes everywhere.

“It looks like they had a party in my home. There was liquor bottles, alcohol and stains everywhere,” the host said.

He filed a police report for the theft and filed a claim with AirBnB. But he has advice for anyone considering opening their doors.

"Anything that you feel is valuable, don't leave it in your home," the host said. "Definitely, take extra precaution outside of AirBnB. Just because, in my situation, I don't think they're handling the situation swiftly."

Willis contacted AirBnB Wednesday about the incident. They said they have an insurance guarantee for situations like this.