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A man shared a viral video that showed the mess and destruction that was left waiting for him in a unit he rented out to guests.
The video, posted by TikTok user Brandon Rodriguez to his account @mrloanofficer, amassed more than 1 million views as he walked through the apartment and pointed out disturbing graffiti, broken objects and something left burning on a bed.
"My guests destroyed my Airbnb apartment," the voiceover in the video said, though Rodriguez noted in the caption that the guests booked the property through Vrbo.
A spokesperson with Vrbo wrote to Newsweek that the company has processes and policies in place to help hosts protect their properties.
"Hosts can require travelers to purchase property damage protection to cover any damages that may occur during their stay, and purchasing it is part of our booking and check-out experience," she said.
She said that hosts can set the damage deposit amount guests are responsible for if there are any damages to the property. And, hosts have two weeks after the guest checks out to file a claim.
Per Vrbo's website, guests who paid a refundable damage deposit for their booking have it refunded as long as the host does not report any damage to the property.
If there are damages to the property, the guest is charged using the credit card that was used during the booking.
"Hosts can also require guests to sign a legal rental agreement before arrival to communicate exactly how they expect their property to be treated during their stay," the spokesperson said.
House rules can be established and determine what is allowed and what is not, like smoking, pets and events.
"We have a full-time trust and safety team that helps keep bad actors off our platform and prevent abuse of properties, and their actions include banning guests who violate house rules and our policies," she said.
The spokesperson said that Vrbo is trying to get in touch with @mrloanofficer to get additional information about the damages.
Rodriguez walked through the apartment and showed various names and messages scrawled on the walls and doors, while broken objects lay on the ground.
"Alexandrea is not a criminal or a hero," read one message written on the wall.
In the bedroom, the mattress was stripped and a bag was left to burn on the bed. The ceiling was singed, and a knife block was found on the bedside table.
"Kai's torture chamber," was scribbled on the bedroom door.
In a second video, @mrloanofficer said he did not understand how someone can destroy another person's property.
He showed the television that had two spots of damage.
"And you started a fire in the bedroom?" Rodriguez asked. "What kind of ritual were you trying to do here?"
At the time of posting the third video, Rodriguez said the damages cost $9,000 so far. He also said he decided to hide his listings with Vrbo.
He told Newsweek he's dealt with typical minor damages but said "this one takes the cake."
While the damages stand at $9,000 at the time of publication, Rodriguez said he is still waiting to hear whether he needs to repaint the walls and what will be needed to fix the ceiling from the fire.
He said one person made the reservation, but he believes at least two people were on the property. And, while the reservation was made for seven days, Rodriguez has reason to believe the guests stayed for just one day.
"When I checked the codes used to enter, it was only used for one day," he said.
The information Rodriguez has on the guest is their first and last name and phone number, but he said the phone number did not work.
The person responsible for cleaning the unit was the one who found it in its state.
"I felt bad for my cleaner," Rodriguez said. "She called me crying and asked for me to come."
He said he received an email from Vrbo about the incident and was told they would look into what can be done.
"I just want to clean it up and move on," Rodriguez said. "Otherwise, I'll just stress myself out over it."
Viewers were equally stunned by the state of the unit.
"My jaw dropped when I saw the bed," a viewer wrote.
"That looks like a literal crime scene," another commented.
"What is wrong with people, I literally don't even leave a single pillow out of place because I know it's someone's property and not [a] hotel," one viewer wrote.
In the comments section of one of his videos, @mrloanofficer said he called the police before he touched anything.
"They showed up and said he won't even enter, it's a civil matter," Rodriguez said. "I mentioned arson, vandalism."
Other stories have come out of people's experiences with rental properties.
A woman shared the many strange signs that were found around the Airbnb property she was staying in on Twitter.
Another woman shared a video on TikTok in which she said the property she booked through Airbnb was empty and undergoing renovations.
One host criticized high schoolers who attempted to use his property for an "after prom" party in a viral video.
Updated 10/12/2022, 4:44 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comments from Brandon Rodriguez and additional information.
About the writer
Catherine Ferris is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting for the U.S. Trends Team. She ... Read more