An American woman from North Carolina who rented her apartment on the Airbnb platform is turning to the courts to force out her clients who squatted there.
Farzana Rahman, who rented her home in Durham for a long term to clients in order to finance her son’s studies, is now faced with clients’ refusal to leave without a court-issued eviction notice.
The day after the departure date announced in the contract, Ms. Rahman sent a cleaning lady to clean the premises in preparation for a future rental, but the accommodation was still occupied.
The owner who the occupants promised to leave finds a sign with this message: “We will vacate the property when you have filed the appropriate documents with the court for an eviction, because we are legal residents of this house.”
“Now they refuse to leave until an eviction order is issued,” Rahman told WABC TV. I think they’re just trying to buy time to stay there for free because they didn’t pay.”
Asked by the owner, the Airbnb platform was unable to do anything, simply specifying that “we will work with you to try to resolve the problem with your traveler”, according to the American media.
According to Airbnb, in the United States, travelers who stay for more than a month “can avail themselves of the same rights as a tenant” who cannot be removed without an eviction notice, which is confirmed by the Ms. Rahman’s lawyer.
“When guests stay more than 90 days, they are generally considered a remaining tenant. The longer they stay, the more rights they have. This is why we must act as quickly as possible if we want to get them out,” explained Maya Davis.
