This past Friday, a man named David contacted comedian Ari Teman about renting his Manhattan apartment for the night on AirBNB. Ari agreed, thinking nothing of David’s story about his “brother and sister in law…visiting for a wedding this weekend…I just don’t have the space for them,” and gave him the keys. Before temporarily leaving New York, Ari went to dinner but left a suitcase with his doorman. When he returned to retrieve it shortly thereafter, he overheard David saying, “They’re shutting us down.”
This is when things get gross and sticky:
Usually I am a fan of [AirBNB]. However, I have a minor bone to pick with you, in that it appears my apartment was reserved for some major boning. Also, it appears some stuffed animals were abused. We’ll get to the damage to my furniture and belongings – but first you’re gonna love this:
You just sent a porn sex fest into my apartment, and now I’ve got over $87,076 in losses. I had to call 911 and have these “XXX Freak Fest” people removed from my apartment, my super is having me evicted by my landlord, and I do not feel safe here anymore since hundreds of people got a text saying there’s an XXX sex fest in my apartment and continue showing up, according to the doormen who I’ll never be able to look in the face again.
Ari says he’s going to be evicted and even more traumatically, that all his stuff is wet:
You’re going to pay my moving expenses, because my landlord is certainly going to make me move after an “XXX Freak Fest” (and I can’t look these guys in the eye after this either).
You sent an “XXX Freak Fest” into my home and told me it was a “Verified” person with positive reviews. I had to call the police, and I will file a report. This can no longer be my home. The stress and fear that a large band of “XXX Freak Fest” individuals have my address and keys to my home is unreal and my friend (who helped me carry my wet and dirty stuff back into the apartment (I don’t even want to know how it’s wet) was even too afraid to stay here and encouraged me to leave.
The super is also working to have me evicted.
Is AirBNB truly at fault here? Maybe. Should you never allow anyone inside your home again? Definitely.