A single mother in North Carolina trying to put her son through college has been left without an income for months by Airbnb guests-turned-squatters who refuse to leave their rental property.
The incident began when Farzana Rahman, a Durham resident, checked in as a guest on October 25th and listed a check-out date of May 24th.
However, when Rahman’s housekeeper arrived at the house, the guest was still there and refused to leave. The local ABC affiliate reported the incident.
When the cleaners knocked on the door, she asked if they should come back the next day and they said, ‘No, don’t come,'” Rahman said.
“Right now they’re refusing to leave until they get an eviction order,” Rahman told the outlet. “They haven’t paid rent so I think they’re just trying to buy time to stay there for free.”
Rahman accompanied police to the rental property, where the squatters promised to leave the next day, but they never did.
Rather, they posted a “No Trespassing” sign on the front door that read, “We are the lawful residents of this home and will vacate the property once we file the proper eviction paperwork with a civil judge.”
“This is my home. I depend on this income. My son is in college. I’m a single mother,” Rahman said.
Lerman said he had turned to Airbnb for help, but the $93 billion company offered little help.
“They are sending me a message to get help for your safety and to get any legal assistance they can to get them out,” she said.
Rahman filed eviction papers with the court to regain possession of his rental property.
“It’s a waste of time, a waste of energy and stressful,” she says.
