Airbnb Guest Refuses to Leave or Pay Rent for 540 Days

[Scott E.]

In an upscale neighborhood in Brentwood California a guy rented out his guest house on Airbnb.

His latest guest has now lived in his guest house for years, she hasn't paid rent in 540 days, and she is saying she will not leave unless the owner pays her a $100,000 fee to relocate.

The city building department determined that the guest house was technically never approved for occupancy and it also has an unpermitted shower, so at this time it's looking like they are going to rule in favor of the tenant. Meaning this landlord would literally have no way of getting this guest off of his property unless he pays her the $100,000 relocation fee.

As of now the case is not settled, there is a ton of back and forth litigation, and the guest has still not left the unit.

I've summarized the highlights in this post but I encourage anybody thinking about operating a short term rental (especially in a place like California) to read this article and understand the risks.

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