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All Forum Posts by: Cory T.

Cory T. has started 3 posts and replied 68 times.

@Aaron Mazzrillo Thank you for providing your prospective. I would not do any of the vindictive actions, although they did run through my head initially. My attorney already advised me against all that stuff, and was clear and basically echoed what you wrote above. That is good to hear that most of your evictions are straightforward. My fingers are crossed that this eviction will be swift, however time will tell. Good to hear Riverside judge is reasonable. You are right, in the end this will simply be a business loss. I must say I felt relieved once I knew an attorney was handling this. Its not cheap, but it is obviously necessary, and as you mention a cost of doing business. And I keep thinking of the thriller "Pacific Heights" and no landlord wants a situation to devolve in that way. Letter of the law all the way for me. Thanks for taking the time, and I will check out your blog post. -C

@Rolanda Eldridge Thank you. 

@Matthew Paul Thanks for ideas...I've been advised not to mess with anything in my condo, including cable and internet. This would only strengthen a potential case of retaliation. The police cannot enter the unit for suspected criminal activity. The laws in CA are likely more lax than where you are unfortunately.

@Amit M. Thank you...very good advice. 

Originally posted by @Karin Crompton:

@Cory T.   so sorry to read of all of your trouble, and I'm sure there are a lot of people here saying, "That could have been me." This thread will prove very useful to other vacation rental owners and is a cautionary tale w/great advice. I'm just sorry that the great advice and info is the result of something terrible you've had to go through.

I don't have much to offer on the eviction side of things, but I would like to stress how incredibly useful the press can be. I worked as a newspaper reporter for almost 20 years and have seen first-hand how powerful the negative publicity aspect can be. Reporters live for this kind of thing: a story where they can shine a light on wrongdoing and, through public pressure, change occurs or an organization that was ignoring the little guy suddenly finds a conscience (albeit for show). PR is an amazing thing. In this case, I have little doubt that AirBnB would become much more involved once your story gains some traction. Additionally, the scammer's name would most likely become public and be easily searchable forever - potentially helping future vacation rental owners and landlords alike.

I fully recommend touching base w/print and TV reporters. As others here have said, find out who covers the vacation rental industry and contact them asap. This is a great industry story (in reporter's terms, obviously, not great for you) - you've got the little guy being scammed, a dirtbag renter/squatter, a gigantic company trying to ignore the problem, and a laundry list of "Did you know?" type of info to inform and enlighten readers about the legalities of these situations.

I wish you luck and a fast resolution!

Yes Karin, I am hopeful that this situation will help others, and hopeful that airbnb will begin to take customer service more seriously. That is basically what we are paying them for... Yes thank you for the reminder about publicity, I am working on that part right now.Many good things could come from making this story/saga public. Thank you also for the specific examples--this is very very helpful! 

@Jean Lan Thanks good suggestion

@Dmitri L. Thank you. Reddit/Techcrunch have also been suggested.

@Jason Kha Thanks.

@J. Martin Hey J! Thanks for your suggestions. I have had a suggestion of picketing outside their headquarters...if I become an activist I'll hit you up to join me and hold a sign. :-)

@Account Closed Yes Michelle,  now is a good time to do that research. I like the creative idea) check out stay at hotel then come back). Good luck, and may you never have a professional aibnb squatter cross your path!

@Account Closed Good suggestion, thank you.

@Account Closed I cannot express how helpful all of your comments on this thread have been. You clearly have a wealth of knowledge, and I appreciate each piece of info you have shared. Thank you sincerely. I will udpate more related to your most recent post/proposed problem--the 30-day notice/issues with that if the squatter is now "paid up" through July 8th. In a nutshell, we may have found a loop hole due to the fact that he is operating a business out of the condo. I should know more tomorrow, 

@Lynn Currie True, and yes, I believe hold time has improved.

@Michaela G. 

Good suggestions...also have been advised to contact real estate beat reporters at SF Business Times, and the local equivelent.