A Toronto man who rented his apartment to a stranger using the website Airbnb says he returned home to find it trashed and $21,000 worth of possessions missing.
Mathew Lyn says the thieves stole camera equipment, a drone, clothes, shoes -- even his luggage.
He also said that his home was littered with dirty dishes and used condoms, and his bed was soiled.
Const. Craig Brister of the Toronto Police Service said problems like Lynâs are becoming âa bigger issue.â
âYouâre giving someone complete access to your home. There is no oversight, thereâs no one supervising,â Const. Brister said. âYou have to ask yourself: is it really worth it for the money youâre making?"
Airbnb spokesman Nick Shapiro said âtrust is actually on the riseâ and that incidents like Lynâs are rare. There are more than half a million homes rented through Airbnb daily.
Lyn, who has used Airbnb 60 times, said that he believes Airbnb will cover his losses, and he wonât let the bad experience stop him from using its services again.
âHow can you pass up your rent being paid for and not dig into your savings?" he said.
Next time, however, Lyn says he will take more precautions. He says he will meet the renters face-to-face to hand over keys and insist on taking photos of government-issued identification.
With a report from CTVâs Peter Akman in Toronto
