Bay Area family arrives on holiday trip to find rental full of trash; why Airbnb refused a refund

"You could clearly tell that there was some sort of raging party there that just trashed the place," the renter told ABC7 News.

ByRandall Yip KGO logo
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Renters refused a refund after finding Airbnb unit full of trash
The family described the unit they rented as uninhabitable. The discovery forced them find alternate arrangements on a busy holiday weekend.

MARTINEZ, Calif. (KGO) -- A holiday family reunion in Los Angeles for a Martinez family hit a sour note when they said the Airbnb they rented wasn't as advertised.



The family described the unit they rented as uninhabitable. The discovery forced them to scramble to find alternate arrangements on a busy holiday weekend.



Musician and filmmaker Daniel Parenti improvises a few chords from the song he would write about his experience with Airbnb.



"It would be dark and a lot of distortion and then at the end it would be bright and sunny," he said, describing his song.



RELATED: New Fresno homeowners arrive at home to find renters already living inside



Pictures of the unit posted on the online rental marketplace showed a clean and spacious home.



Photos Parenti and his wife took of the unit (the way they found it when they arrived), showed something different.



"The driveway is full of trash, garbage, garbage cans, broken furniture," said his wife, Wandah Parenti.



They also found overgrown grass, electrical outlet covers missing, scuff marks on walls and a broken window.



"You could clearly tell that there was some sort of raging party there that just trashed the place," Parenti said.



VIDEO: Nurses unable to cancel Tahoe Airbnb rental despite raging wildfires, evacuations and poor air quality


Despite the flames and smoke encroaching on South Lake Tahoe, vacation rental companies are telling customers they can't get their money back.


The host asked the couple to leave and return later, and promised the unit would be back to normal soon.



They left, but a few hours later, found the rental in the same condition.



The host told them they would need to get a refund from Airbnb, but Airbnb declined.



The company wrote: "In line with our guest refund policy, for your case to qualify we would've needed you to contact us about your problem within 24 hours of check-in."



RELATED: Bay Area vacation home renters targeted with threat, vandalism from neighbors after booking mishap



"I felt that was very wrong," Wandah told 7 On Your Side.



At that point she felt she had run out of options.



"I thought there was nothing we could do because the doors were closed. Airbnb said no," she said.



As a last resort, they contacted ABC7, and 7 On Your Side contacted Airbnb.



The company declined to comment, but confirmed it will give the couple a complete refund.



Daniel Parenti is now playing a happier tune.



The Airbnb host did offer to give the Parentis a discount on the next rental they made with him, but the couple declined.



Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.



Have a question for Michael and the 7 On Your Side team? Fill out the form HERE!


7OYS's consumer hotline is a free consumer mediation service for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. We assist individuals with consumer-related issues; we cannot assist on cases between businesses, or cases involving family law, criminal matters, landlord/tenant disputes, labor issues, or medical issues. Please review our FAQ here. As a part of our process in assisting you, it is necessary that we contact the company / agency you are writing about. If you do not wish us to contact them, please let us know right away, as it will affect our ability to work on your case. Due to the high volume of emails we receive, please allow 3-5 business days for a response.



Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.