An Airbnb guest says she was left 'terrified' and in tears after the furious host booted her out 'because she complained about a mouldy sandwich in the bin'.
Kristin Eardley had booked the two-night stay while in Los Angeles, California for a work trip, from April 26 to 28. However, she alleges her stay soon came to an abrupt end, with her host apparently not taking kindly to a cleanliness complaint.
The 39-year-old ad tech director claims the host came 'barging in' to kick her out of the one-bedroom apartment, with the exchange captured on camera.
In the footage, the host can be seen appearing to "shove" Kristin. She could also be seen chucking Kristin's belongings outside of the apartment, before allegedly going as far as to hide her laptop.
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Kristin, from Chicago, Illinois, US, recalled: "She [barged] in with her dog and [started] screaming at me saying I'm a 'psycho' and telling me to 'get the f*** out'.
"She started taking my things and throwing them outside. She took my work notebook, ripped it up, and threw the papers outside.
"She kept shoving me, trying to shove me out of her apartment, grabbing my arm and pushing on my waist. I was terrified, I didn't know what to do. I was on the phone with Airbnb when this started happening and then I hung up and started filming it."
She continued: "When she went outside with my computer I just locked the door - she had left her phone, purse and keys on the table inside.
"She was still screaming - I don't know if she wanted the neighbours to hear - that I was in there doing drugs, that I had broken into her apartment, that I had stolen her purse and phone.
"I packed up my stuff in under seven minutes and took pictures of the apartment to show how I left it so she couldn't say I had done anything to the apartment.
"I opened the door and she continued to scream. I had to be at this event in two hours. I said 'Where is my laptop? Please give me my laptop, I would like to go'. She said 'I have no idea what you're talking about'."
Kristin claims she argued with the host for "probably five or ten minutes" before deciding to leave without her laptop and contact the police, driving away to Beverly Hills "in tears."
Kristin says the host repeatedly contacted her on the day of her arrival and gave her an address two doors down from the one she'd listed on Airbnb. The host explained this had been for her own safety.
When she saw the apartment in daylight on the first morning, Kristin says everywhere was dusty, with broken glass on the floor of the kitchen and dining room.
Kristin also claims to have discovered a broken wine glass and a mouldy sandwich in the unemptied bin, leading her to suspect this was the host's personal apartment which hadn't been cleaned properly.
She said: "As I was taking the garbage out I ran into her neighbour and asked them if they're allowed to Airbnb and they said no and 'you should be careful, she's very volatile'."
Video shows the host taking Kristin's laptop, but she later claimed to have no idea where it was, leaving Kristin with no choice but to leave it behind and report it as theft.
An officer allegedly informed Kristin they were already on the way to the address as the host accused her of stealing £8,150 ($10,000) worth of jewellery from the apartment.
She agreed to return to LA to talk to police, who gave her back the laptop after finding it in a dumpster close to the apartment. The jewellery theft complaint was reportedly dropped after officers viewed Kristin's footage, which showed the drawers had not been tampered with.
After providing Airbnb with footage of the altercation, Kristin was refunded for the total booking cost. However, she claims to still be waiting for the £325 ($400) compensation allegedly promised her towards the hotel she was forced to stay in after getting kicked out.
Police have confirmed they responded to a call at the address, and say no arrests were made and no report taken.
Airbnb said they had the host removed from the platform immediately after being made aware of the incident and have stated they have a 24-hour safety line for hosts and guests to connect with support agents.
An Airbnb spokesperson said: "This type of behaviour goes against everything Airbnb stands for, and we took action as soon as this matter was brought to our attention in April, including removing the Host and providing our support to the guest.
"The safety of our community is our priority, and while isolated issues on Airbnb are rare, where they do happen, our Community Support team is on hand 24/7 to help."
The Airbnb host has stated that they are a "superstar renter" and have never before had an issue, describing the apartment as "immaculate". She also says she had a cleaning lady in the day before Kristin's arrival.
The host stated: "There was a broken glass - my cleaning lady apparently broke a glass and there were tiny little pieces that she didn't get. I said I'll get someone come over right now and clean that up.
"She said there was a sandwich with mould on it - that's not true. I think that my cleaning lady threw her sandwich in the garbage which I had already emptied, just the wrapper, and forgot to bring it out. I don't think there was mould on it."
She continued: "I called Airbnb and said now I feel uncomfortable with this guest - she's not only disturbing me but she's disturbing my neighbours. They said they contacted her and she should be checked out at 11:30am. I walked in at 11:30am and she literally shoved the door in my face. She was telling me she wouldn't leave.
"So I opened back the door. I said 'I want you out, I don't feel comfortable'. I took her laptop because she literally threw me out of my apartment and locked the door with my phone and car keys in the apartment. I had to call 911.
"Nobody put anything in a dumpster. I took her laptop so she would get out of the house. I put it right on the side next to my door. I didn't want her to leave with her laptop because she had my parking pass but I didn't hide it, I didn't throw it in the dumpster.
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