Tenant's Airbnb Apartment Rental Trashed For Manhattan Sex Party
NEW YORK (CBS SF) -- San Francisco-based home-sharing firm Airbnb has paid more than $20,000 to a man who unknowingly rented his Manhattan apartment for a sex party, that left his home ransacked and his belongings damaged or destroyed, according to published reports.
New York comedian Ari Teman said he had rented his studio apartment to man named "David" listed by Airbnb as a "verified Airbnb member" who told Teman he was looking to put up family members in town for a wedding, according to Gothamist. (link not safe for work)
After giving the man the keys on Friday afternoon, Teman said he returned to his apartment hours later to retrieve a suitcase and discovered "a huge posse of large men and women in hip-hop attire looking like they got tossed from a club, hanging out in front," Teman told the New York Daily News.
Teman Googled "David's" phone number and found people it was listed as the contact for a $20-per-person sex party for plus-sized people called "XXX Freak Fest" orgy at his address.
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Inside the apartment, Teman found damaged belongings, people moving his furniture outside the building to make room and condoms and liquor on the floor, the Daily News said.
Teman called 911 and his contact at Airbnb to report his apartment being prepared for to host an orgy.
Within 24 hours Airbnb had sent a locksmith to change Teman's locks, arranged for a hotel for a week, and wired him $23,817 to cover his damages, according to Gawker. (link NSFW)
Since then, Teman said Airbnb has been very receptive to his needs. "Airbnb has been in contact every day. Their staff has been helpful," Teman told Gothamist.
In a Tumblr post (link NSFW), Teman said his losses total $87,076 (including furniture, a drum set and guitar) and his landlord plans to evict him following the incident. Teman said he has now hired an attorney.
Airbnb sent Gawker this statement:
Over 11 million guests have had a safe and positive experience on Airbnb and problems for hosts and guests are incredibly rare, but when they happen, we try to help make things right. We were appalled when we learned about this incident and we took immediate action to help this host. The individual who rented this space has been permanently removed from our site. We've reimbursed the host for damages to his apartment and ensured he has a new place to stay. In the days ahead, we'll continue to work with the host to assist him with his additional needs and we will work cooperatively with any law enforcement agencies that investigate this matter.
Gawker reported it contacted "David" at the number provided and he insisted he did nothing wrong. David said his agreement with Teman stated that he could have up to 50 guests and denied he was having a party. Teman disputes the claim, according to Gawker.