The owner of a home she rented through Airbnb turned to the platform X (formerly Twitter) to demand compensation from the company after a tenant flooded her home, leaving her without a place to stay during her pregnancy.
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Erika Gemzer shared her story on October 19th and it quickly went viral with over 20 million views.
The owner of a three-story building in San Francisco, California, Ms. Gemzer lived with her husband on the ground floor and rented the apartment upstairs.
After her long-time tenant left, Ms. Gemzer decided to list the property on Airbnb.
Want to hear an Airbnb horror story this Halloween season? Here’s the story of how I ended up pregnant, homeless, and over $300,000 in debt after Airbnb guests flooded my home. It’s a real cliffhanger.
I would love to hear your thoughts @airbnb And @bchesky. pic.twitter.com/ASvguMlnet
— 📣 Coach Erika (@ErikaCoaches) October 19, 2023
In April, people rented the apartment for a month. However, Ms Gemzer says the tenants left before the scheduled date.
“You left earlier than expected, without warning. They had clogged the bathroom toilet with baby wipes and human feces. They also damaged the valve that controls the flow of water from the tank to the bowl. A perfect storm,” explains the owner in her release.
While she was sleeping, Ms. Gemzer did not notice water entering her own apartment.
“I woke up to a nightmare: a real shitstorm in my own house, flooding all three floors of the building I had bought with my savings. And remember, this is fecal water. “50% of the building was destroyed in 15 hours,” she says desperately.
According to Airbnb’s website, AirCover for Hosts provides $3 million in coverage in the event a host’s home or property is damaged by guests.
But for the owner, the reality proved more complicated. Airbnb told her she needed to have the repairs made before she could file a lawsuit against the host.
Ms Gemzer had to wait seven weeks for the company’s plumber to come and confirm the damage.
“Airbnb sent me an email expressing doubts about the origin of baby wipes and poop (what?). They alluded to toilet maintenance issues (what?),” writes Erika Gemzer.
Ultimately, she says, the company offered her $6,000 (CDN8,200) but also asked her to waive her rights to future payments.
Six months later, Erika is said to have exchanged emails with Airbnb more than 146 times. His expenses would also have risen to over US$300,379 (CAN$412,000).
“I’m still homeless. “I’m still pregnant (the baby is due any day),” complains the owner.