Sophie Ellis-Bextor wants to ‘flip the script' regarding aging and pop music
Council tenant rented Soho flat on AirBnB after secret move to France
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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
I was given a five-star review by an Airbnb host... then came the biggest shock of my life a week later
A nursing student has lashed out at her Airbnb host, claiming she was slugged with a $2,000 bill to replace a damaged reclining sofa she didn't even use. Sydney nursing student Aleena Tiwari was given a five-star review by the owner of the Airbnb she recently rented for a single night. Ms Tiwari said in a TikTok she and her friends had a 'great time' during their stay and made sure to clean up before leaving. One week later, she said the owner accused her of damaging a reclining sofa at the property and demanded she fork out $2,000 for its replacement. 'Literally, we were in shock,' Ms Tiwari said. 'We didn't recline that sofa at all, and we didn't use that at all.' While Ms Tiwari had the forethought to film a video of the property upon arrival, she regretted not documenting the sofa in more detail. Unable to prove her claim, she now fears she will be forced to pay the hefty fine. Social media users were left appalled, with many sharing similar horror stories, including one woman who claimed to have been asked to pay $1,500 to repair the blinds at a property. 'It was a horrible experience,' she said. 'After that, I realised that it's important to take photos of every corner of the house after checking in on Airbnb.' Another woman said she had begun staying exclusively at hotels after suffering a similar experience with an Airbnb owner. A third claimed to have stayed at the same Airbnb and being stuck with a damage bill. 'A week after returning, the host claimed $450 for carpet and rug stains we didn't cause,' they wrote. 'I explained this calmly to Airbnb support, but got no positive response. Out of frustration, I sent a strong message after receiving an email saying the amount would be charged to my card. 'Eventually, they cancelled my appeal.' The nursing student ended the video with a warning to her followers to avoid falling prey to opportunistic hosts. 'Always make sure you always take a before-and-after video of the Airbnb,' Ms Tiwari said. Ms Tiwari is not the first to accuse an Airbnb host of wrongfully requesting payment for damages. Last December, a group of six high school graduates fired back at a Gold Coast host who accused them of causing $4,815 worth of damages during Schoolies. As with Ms Tiwari, the request was all the more surprising given the positive review the girls received after their stay. They had meticulously documented their stay and were able to refute many aspects of the host's claim, including pre-existing damages. Airbnb ultimately cancelled the claim after a reporter from A Current Affair reached out to them on behalf of the girls. According to Airbnb's website, guests have 24 hours to respond to a reimbursement request from a host. If the guest does not pay the amount in full, the host may involve Airbnb or its insurer for review, and the guest will be given the opportunity to appeal any fines. 'Dealing with damage is never fun, but this process is designed to be as fair as possible,' it said.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
North Finchley landlord fined £75,000 for illegal short-term lets
A landlord who illegally let out two flats for short-term rental bookings has been fined £75, Nathanel advertised the flats in North Finchley, north London, on Airbnb and Willesden Magistrates' Court was issued a notice by Barnet Council in November 2023 to cease use of the properties following complaints by neighbours, who requested an investigation into a potential breach of planning flats were booked via the two sites by large groups who often used them for parties, the council said. Victim statements were shared in court, including from a neighbour who described what happened as "stressful and devastating". 'Attentive and responsive host' The short-term lets had a "detrimental impact on his life, his work and mental health", the statement provided by the prosecution showed at least 220 days of occupancy across the two flats in the first 10 months of failed to appear at court hearings, claiming he was living in Russia with his children and was awaiting an sought in early correspondence to shift any blame on to what he described as "long-term tenants", the council also claimed he was unaware of any short-term rentals - but was described in Airbnb reviews as "an amazing, attentive and responsive host".Evidence of website listings were shown in court, and booking ads remain live Ross Houston said: "This is a great result for the neighbours whose lives were made a misery by the illegal letting of these flats on Airbnb and prosecution and huge fine highlights the seriousness of the case and will be a strong deterrent to other rogue landlords from breaking the rules in the borough of Barnet."Nathanel was sentenced on 26 June for failing to comply with the requirements of a Breach of Condition Notice. He was also ordered to pay council costs of £5,400 and a victim surcharge of £2,000.
Daily Record
17 hours ago
- Daily Record
Holiday home horror as riot police called to 'gender reveal' party
More than 200 drunken revellers piled into a plush 10-bed £635,000 home after a booking was made for just eight people. The owner of a holiday rental has told of his horror after a booking for a 'gender reveal' turned into a huge house party that had to be stopped by riot police. More than 200 drunken revellers piled into a plush 10-bed £635,000 home after a booking was made for just eight people who booked via Instagram saying it was for a gender reveal. As the Mirror reports, Matt Genesis, 33, said he was duped by the partygoers who turned his holiday let into a 'Project X' style disaster with hundreds of party-goers flooding to the venue causing chaos. Matt was left counting the cost with £2,000 worth of damage caused. Matt told how he was first alerted b y noise complaints and neighbours on June 25. He tried to long-in into the property's external security cameras only to discover they had been disconnected at the £450 a night rental. He was left stunned when he found that minibus loads of revellers had turned up at the quiet cul-de-sac in the village of Norden, Greater Manchester and others were parking over his neighbours driveways. Riot cops had to be called to the scene to disperse some of the party-goers some of whom had travelled as far as London to attend the illegal bash. Matt is a director of Fairway Building & Remedial Contractors, the company which owns the property. Shortly after arriving to the home at 9.30pm, he was shocked to find 150 people filing the streets and trying to get in to the 10-person home. Matt said: 'Whilst we were there, minibus after minibus was turning up – I'd say one every 15 minutes, a minibus full of six to eight people walking in. It was out of control – police turned up. We called them, obviously neighbours had called them. It was out of our control. 'Even the guy who booked it, it was out of his control on his behalf – he said he didn't expect anywhere near the amount of people, but it's been passed around group and groups.' Matt said the operation had been 'calculated' – with guests disabling the home's security systems. Matt said: 'Usually if guests are checking in we have cameras on the property, but as soon as they entered they turned the Wi-Fi off. 'That disabled the cameras, so we weren't able to deal with it any sooner than they could. It was very much 'Project X'.' The embarrassed Airbnb owners were forced to say sorry to neighbours and cancel their next booking as they worked to replace broken furniture and deep clean the damaged house, suffering a total £2,000 in losses. The property, which previously underwent a £200,000 renovation and includes a hot tub and pool tables, took three staff 12 hours to clean following the party. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The only money the owners received in return is the £450 per night charge, plus a £250 damage deposit - leaving them well out of pocket. The property is regularly rented out via Airbnb but on this occasion was booked via Instagram. Matt said: 'It was so structured, before we emptied the house out the people who were there said 'where do we go?' Guests had travelled from as far as London for it, so it was very, very calculated. It hit us – we seem like the bad guys, but at the same time it did ultimately hit us as well in the pocket.' Those living nearby were left miffed by the chaos. James Gartside, 80, and Jane Gartside, 84, have lived next door to the home for over 50 years, and remembered when it was previously owned by an older couple who had passed away. They first realised something was brewing after they were asked to allow a party-goer to park in their driveway. Jane said: 'I think I knew it was going to be quite busy, you just got that feeling quite quickly. 'Nine o'clock one of the owners arrived and said 'I'm sorry, this is what's happening' and said the police had been sent for. They got everybody out.' She added: 'It was just that night was out of control, when the police came. 'They calmed it all down – there was no fighting or anything like that. We had a meeting, we went around, they invited us all around and everybody felt very upset. They were very apologetic.' Mike Law, who lives on the other side of the property, said: 'They did very well to disperse them, in my opinion. In a way it was a problem at the time, but it's not lasted. There were certainly more than 200 people, I would say, it was a nuisance – but we can be a nuisance to our next door neighbours. 'Nuisance, OK, yeah, danger and that sort of thing didn't come in to it, in my opinion. I didn't know how they were going to fit in there. Before the big masses came I did offer our drive to park on, but I think the owners learnt a lesson on it and will obviously improve it.' Airbnb said it had looked in to the situation and found the booking had been made through a third party, with no reservations made for the property on its platform. Project X is a 2012 teen movie based on real life events when a house party attracts hundreds of unexpected revellers after details are posted on social media.
