Actually, in many locations, an Airbnb renter can gain LEGAL TENANT’S RIGHTS, if they stay 30 days or more. If such a tenant were to refuse to leave, Airbnb cannot and likely will not be able to help.
I met a man tonight whose longer term (2 months) guest has refused to leave, has WRITTEN (!) that he will not pay rent, and that he intends to remain an additional 3 months. The house belongs to this guy’s elderly (in her 90s) mother, who lives in the main unit.
This man has been trying to get help already for over a month from Airbnb, because the guest was wildly disruptive and repeatedly violated house rules. The renter has changed his Airbnb name numerous times, yet he’s been able to repeatedly gain a new Airbnb profile. Don’t assume guests have actually been vetted by Airbnb. They have most definitely not been vetted.
I found an article on Airhost Academy discussing this situation, which is a hidden, undisclosed nightmare for hosts in some US states and towns. This man’s mother’s home is in Berkeley, CA—probably the worst place on earth for an Airbnb host uninformed about tenant’s rights law.
From the article:
“The law regarding tenant rights is different in every state. In a nutshell, if someone develops tenant rights, you could be unable to get them to leave your property unless you go through the formal eviction process. This can take several months and thousands of dollars.
Unfortunately, Airbnb doesn’t yet have a comprehensive way to handle the situation where an Airbnb guest won’t leave. Because the laws vary state-to-state, and dealing with this problem often requires independent legal assistance, it can be difficult for Airbnb to resolve this issue themselves. Airbnb does their best to help hosts caught in this situation, but you should do everything in your power to avoid this.“
How avoid this?
1. Learn your local Tenant Rights laws.
2. Think hard about allowing anyone to stay longer than 29 days.
3. Independently vet any long-term guest BEFORE accepting.
4. Clarify house rules in multiple ways, in multiple places, in writing and have your guest CONFIRM in writing that they understand and ageee. Note: this won’t save you if your guest gains tenant’s rights.
5. Find a lawyer ahead of time who will speedily prepare an eviction proceeding, should it come to that.