Woman says her home was listed on Airbnb without her knowledge – WSOC TV

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Jan 27, 2023

CHARLOTTE — A Charlotte landlord said she didn’t know her home was listed on Airbnb until a man showed up on her doorstep saying he was her guest.

Natalie Siburt had just moved into a townhouse near SouthPark.

“I moved in that Saturday, and the following Tuesday is when the guy showed up with a suitcase,” she said.

She said the man told her he was an Airbnb guest and had a reservation. “At first I was really confused. I thought it was a scam,” she said.

She does not rent her house on Airbnb or on a website.

“Luckily he was nice,” she said.

She told her neighbors about it and eventually found out that the previous owner had a tenant and that person had listed the house on Airbnb and never checked it out.

“I’ve called Airbnb several times. Sent my ownership documents, everything,” Siburt told Action 9’s Jason Stoogenke.

Siburt said it took some effort, but the company eventually brought her home off her site.

Stoogenke asked Airbnb how this happens, what would prevent anyone from listing someone else’s property, and whether it plans to change any of its rules to avoid such situations.

The company didn’t answer all of those questions, but emailed him and said cases like Siburt’s are “rare” and that “(all) hosts on Airbnb must certify that they have permission to register their space.”

He said he deleted the listing and took action against the host, but did not specify what that action was.

“It’s not something I expected…I try not to let that get in the way of being an owner. But…when the list was still up, I had trouble sleeping at night,” Siburt said.

Stoogenke said if this happens to you:

– Go to www.Airbnb.com.

– Find your property.

– Scroll down and click on “Report this ad”.

– Double-up with a call or email to the company: 844-234-2500 or [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected].

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