A property developer has denounced Airbnb after being suspended for a vengeful guest’s false claim that he had a “hidden camera” inside his luxury vacation home.
Robert Serr, 48, says he felt like a ‘Peeping Tom’ when the guest left a review claiming a carbon monoxide detector in the bedroom had a hidden recording device.
Mr Serr, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, had rented his three-bedroom property near Palm Beach, Florida, to a guest who left the house in a ‘dirty and disgusting mess’ requiring a five-hour cleaning , leading him to give it a one-star review.
Mr Serr believes she retaliated by leaving her own review, which led to her suspension from the platform on January 8.
Robert Serr, 48, says he felt like a ‘Peeping Tom’ when guest left a review claiming a carbon monoxide detector in the bedroom had a hidden recording device
Although Mr Serr’s account has now been reinstated, he says he is considering boycotting Airbnb as he feels he has been treated as “guilty until proven guilty”.
She had claimed there were ‘two smoke detectors in the room’ and she feared one contained a ‘recording device’, but one was actually a carbon monoxide detector – required by law.
As a result, Mr. Serr faced a permanent ban on his account and the loss of the $30,000 he had spent renovating the property to make it more “Airbnb friendly”.
Although his account has now been reinstated, Mr Serr said he was considering boycotting Airbnb as he felt he had been treated as “guilty until proven guilty”.
Airbnb said it was only a “temporary suspension” while they investigate the matter and the guest has now been removed from the platform.
Mr Serr said: ‘It’s the vilest accusation to make against anyone, whether I’m some kind of sick voyeur or voyeur.’ It’s very damaging to my reputation.
“It’s a cut below to say I’m basically a sex offender.
Mr Serr described how he made it clear to the guest that there were to be no parties at the three-bedroom property.
When Mr Serr’s last guest checked in on December 29, he had already warned her that parties were banned – but he claims she held two rowdy gatherings anyway.
“To make this kind of accusation and then have Airbnb accept their claim without proof and ban me, it makes you feel disgusting.
“She was too stupid to realize that one of them is a smoke detector and the other is a carbon monoxide detector.
“Airbnb needs to change its ways. You are guilty until proven guilty.
Robert first listed his Airbnb property in November and claims he once had a bad experience with another partygoer who ruined his fruit machine and dart board.
When his last guest checked in on December 29, he had already warned her that parties were banned – but he claims she held two rowdy gatherings anyway.
After guests left, Robert says his housekeepers reported the rental to be “very dirty,” prompting him to leave the guest a one-star review.
But three days later he woke up to a review from the woman herself, who claimed that while the house was “beautiful” she was worried Robert had planted a hidden camera.
Robert said: “This woman messaged me after I booked [the house] wondering if I had a big back garden.
“Alarm bells rang right away and I contacted Airbnb.
Mr Serr says the murderous experience made him reconsider whether to use Airbnb as a platform for his vacation homes
“They told me to contact her and send a message that made it very clear that there would be no house party. She replied and said “absolutely there will be no parties”. I rent it for my mother, it’s her birthday”.
“She checks around the house. At 1:00 a.m. that night, I get a phone call from my neighbors to tell me that she is having a big house party.
‘[Then] the next night I get a phone call from the neighbors at 4am and there are a bunch of people coming in and out of the house.
The next day, Robert’s housekeepers visited the property and he claims it took them five hours to clean up after her – finding grease-covered towels and crumbling sheets.
Robert said: ‘It was so disgusting and dirty. They damaged my sheets and my towels.
“She wiped the grease from the kitchen with the sheets and towels. It was a filthy, disgusting mess.
‘Obviously the one star review I left prompted Airbnb to get in touch [with her] and because of that I believe she made up lies and said my carbon monoxide detector was a camera.
The carbon monoxide detector in question, which a guest falsely claimed was used for his hidden camera
‘I received an email from Airbnb [on Sunday, January 8] first thing in the morning saying they suspended the account pending investigation by their trust and safety team because someone felt unsafe in the house.
“I brought up the party I reported and asked if it wasn’t obvious enough to them what happened. They weren’t interested in talking about the party at all and didn’t care.
Robert claims that despite evidence that 16 people were seen entering and leaving the property, his account remained suspended for five days.
He is now considering taking his ad off the platform and potentially selling his recently renovated property.
Mr Serr said: ‘I am in the process of completing two more properties which I was originally going to turn into Airbnbs but I’m not going to do that now because of this.
‘Am I supposed to be grateful that they have now restored my account which should never have been suspended in the first place?
‘No. All of this made me see how easy it is to shut down your entire business in the snap of a finger with little or no recourse.
“Airbnb had so much documentation of my concerns with this booking from the start, but it seems all of that is irrelevant. Even up to the 4am phone calls to Airbnb.
An Airbnb spokesperson said, “We were disappointed to learn of this experience and have resolved this issue.
“A temporary suspension was in place as we investigate a safety request to help protect our community. We have contacted the host to reactivate the listing and have taken appropriate action regarding the guest who booked.’
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