BALTIMORE — The host of a Baltimore Airbnb says he got more than he bargained for after a guest's four day stay left him with a bill in the thousands for stolen property, damages and an extra cleaning charge.
But it was when he went to make a claim that the real problems started.
“All of my belongings were missing, valuables, TVs, sheets, duvets, pillows. Carpets, plates, bowls, pots, pans," Jordi Luke said. "They cleared me of everything you can imagine.”
Hear how the host of a Baltimore Airbnb is trying to recover after guests steal from and damage his home
Caught on outdoor security camera footage at Luke's Airbnb, the four expected guests appeared to be more like 20.
In total, Luke estimates a less than $500 stay in late April ending up costing him more than $7,600.
Luke's friend, Jhoseht Pineda, saw the damage first-hand.
He says Luke, who runs his own nonprofit, is the last person who deserved something like this.
“Jordi is very humble, very humanitarian," Pineda said, as translated from Spanish. "It pains me greatly to see good, generous people who always help the community, the people, suffer things like this because it's not fair.”
Luke filed a claim with Airbnb’s Host Damage Protection reimbursement policy under Aircover, which requires a claim to be submitted within 14 days of the stay.
According to the website it “reimburses hosts up to $3 million in the rare event [a] place or belongings are damaged by a guest during an Airbnb stay."
He provided estimated costs, photos and the number of a police report taken by the Baltimore City police officer.
But, the company declined the claim, citing for several claimed items that they lacked the backing of a police report. The company also denied a claim for a stain on the carpet because there was no "full-view photo evidence" and additional cleaning stating "[no] clear explanation or documentation justifying the additional cleaning.
On Baltimore City police report's website it states it can take up to a month if not more to produce a report. And though Luke provided contact information of the officer as well, Airbnb communications informed him that the company does not contact police departments.
Luke had told the company about the discrepancy, and even made a public post on LinkedIn.
It wasn't until after WMAR-2 News made a request for comment, also pointing out the timeline discrepancy that Luke received an email informing him that the company had "elevated" his request and gave him a deadline extension until June 2.
"It shouldn't have to lead to this, to put this much public pressure on the company to just uphold their commitment to take care of, to protect their host and and guest," Luke said.
It’s also unclear what, if any, consequences the guest behind the profile may have experienced.
"Fortunately, no one was hurt, but what would happen if someone was hurt? Would Airbnb still not call the police?" Luke said. "It just doesn't feel like safety is a priority for Airbnb right now," he added.
Luke took the initiative to change the locks, worried that the guests may have copied the keys putting others at risk.
He is also reconsidering continuing to open up his home through the company, even though it’s one of his main sources of income.
"This will certainly be an unexpected financial strain on me and my family, but there's also been so much time that I've had to take away from the work I'm doing at the community level to deal with this crisis," he said.
The Maryland Insurance Administration recommends anyone who rents rooms for profitshould make sure they have additional liability coverage and should consider only renting to guests who provide proof of their own liability insurance.
Airbnb did not provide an official comment in time for this story's deadline.
