In one case, an all-female party who rented a property called local police after discovering a motion sensor camera had been installed in their bathroom. Police have also been called to a case of ‘profession threatening’ after a landlord was annoyed for not getting top marks in an online exam.
Among the incidents were allegations of rape, drug taking, sexual assault, theft and even someone faking his death to avoid being paid.
The company was connected to almost 400 crime reports recorded by police forces in England and Wales last year.
However, the online giant believes many of the incidents have been wrongly linked to Airbnb, which it says has become a generic term for online vacation rentals.
The company also said it has measures in place to reduce incidents. These include a ban on party houses as well as a 24-hour security line.
In another police incident, officers from Devon and Cornwall were called after a suspicious neighbor suspected a nearby Airbnb property was being used as a brothel. The caller said a dozen women were staying at the house and a series of older men continued to visit the property.
In Bedfordshire, a converted pub was ransacked by a mob which left floors and walls covered in food and vomit. A total of £5,000 of damage was caused.
And tenants of a property in the West Midlands informed police that the property contained a cannabis plant, along with paraphernalia to start a bigger drug operation.
Airbnb was founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk. It dominates the online vacation real estate market.
Airbnb said, “We have industry-leading measures and policies in place to prevent and repress bad actors, and have zero tolerance for illegal behavior. Incidents on Airbnb are rare, and we take action on those that come to our attention, including working with law enforcement.
“Airbnb is a term used to describe an entire industry, and no evidence has been provided that this data relates to bookings made through Airbnb.”
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