Brothels? Sex parties? 3 Airbnb rentals gone horribly wrong.
The recent horror story in which a New York comedian rented his Chelsea apartment on Airbnb only to find it trashed after an all-night sex party/orgy just goes to show why New Yorkers can’t have nice things you should think twice before using the online housing service. And if that wasn't enough, here are three other Airbnb rentals gone awry that should cause you further pause.
1. Why bring clothes when the closet is full? -- San Francisco, CA
A woman in the Bay Area returned from a week-long business trip to find her apartment ransacked: the renters broke into a locked closet and stole her passport, cash, and jewelry, photocopied her birth certificate and social security card, and even wore her clothes. Inexplicably, they also burned a bunch of her stuff in the fireplace, rearranged some furniture, and hung up their own, odd art... all the while sending her friendly email updates about how much they were enjoying their stay.
2. At least the prostitutes were practicing safe sex -- Stockholm, Sweden
Two roommates in Stockholm returned from a month-long vacay to find that their apartment had been raided by the police after being used as a local brothel. They reportedly discovered used condoms, pubes, and a note from the police apologizing for the raid.
3. Meth pipes and frozen sweaters -- Oakland, CA
Learning that he had inadvertently rented his home to a meth addict with a stolen identity, an Oakland man returned to find his place littered with pipes, the walls destroyed with axe holes, and a stray cat wandering about. Oh yea, his birth certificate was also gone and there was a sweater in the freezer.
Sophie-Claire Hoeller is Thrillist's associate travel editor and once built a temporary home at LGA made of Panda Express chopsticks. Follow her latest carpentry projects at @Sohostyle.