An Airbnb host has been left to fix thousands of dollars of damage after a group of 16 rugby fans trashed his apartment at the weekend.
Auckland man Ravi Punjwani told Daily Mail Australia he initially had just one guest booked for his apartment but a few weeks before he was asked if it could be changed to 16 guests.
The Australian guests were visiting New Zealand for the Bledisloe Cup rugby union clash between New Zealand and Australia in Auckland last weekend.
Auckland man Ravi Punjwani (pictured) was left with $5000 worth of damage to his Auckland apartment from Airbnb guests
Among the damage inside and outside was wine on the ceiling
‘That was alarming for us (16 guests) and we decided to check with Airbnb about such question from the guest,’ Mr Punjwani said.
‘Airbnb in turn communicated with them, and later confirmed us that there won’t be any partying in the house, following which we accepted the change request.’
He said the guests said they would only be using the house for sleeping.
Mr Punjwani said his guests policy was ‘no parties’ unless they were small and no noise could be heard outside the home.
Mr Punjwani said his guests policy was ‘no parties’ unless they were small and no noise could be heard outside the home
He said he believed the rugby union match could have ‘triggered’ the destructive behaviour
There were cigarette butts inside and outside the house as well as damage to a number of pieces of furniture
‘We have hosted hundreds of such groups who have behaved well with our policies. We are thankful to all our guests who stayed at our properties,’ he said.
‘We have hosted a lot of international tourists gracefully, including Australians.’
He said the result of the rugby union match could have ‘triggered’ the destructive behaviour – with the All Blacks beating Australia 40-12 – and when he received the call he had to cancel his entire weekend to address the damage.
‘The house looked like a junkyard after the guests checked out this Sunday,’ he said.
‘The house looked like a junkyard after the guests checked out this Sunday,’ he said
Debris was strewn throughout the inside and outside of the house, including soiled underwear
Mr Punjwani coudn’t believe the destruction that was left in the guests’ wake
‘They left behind several undies, shorts, trousers, we found the chair broken, sofa-bed flat and not operational anymore.
‘The outdoors were littered with cigarette butts, tissue rolls, packaging wrappers etc. There were several wine and flute glasses missing and broken.’
Debris was strewn throughout the inside and outside of the house.
‘Leftover food and drinks lying around everywhere. Sofa back rests were stretched to the extent that it had torn apart from many corners,’ he said.
‘We can expect a little wear and tear but this was completely a different level,’ Mr Punjwani said
His sofa bed was also destroyed by the revelers
‘We can expect a little wear and tear but this was completely a different level. They smoked inside the house which is completely against our house rules.’
The smoke alarms installed in Mr Punjwani’s home are set up to remotely alert him if there is smoke detected on the premises however the guests went the extra mile to avoid that.
‘Covering the smoke alarms with the plastic grocery bag, so they can make a mess of my house,’ he said.
‘It is illegal to cover smoke alarms like they did. They spilled wine all over the place, including the ceiling and walls apart from the kitchen floor, kitchen bench, dining table, carpet and stairs.’
He said he wanted to warn others about the pitfalls of the short term rentals industry after his own negative experience
‘They even dented on my wall. They clearly didn’t live like humans,’ he said
‘They even dented on my wall. They clearly didn’t live like humans.’
All told the damages to My Punjwani’s home came to at least $5000, while Airbnb only covers a $500 damages bond.
He said he wanted to warn others about the pitfalls of the short term rentals industry after his own negative experience.
Mr Punjwani said he wanted to warn others about the pitfalls of the short term rentals industry after his own negative experience
Mr Punjwani had to cancel his weekend plans to address the damage done to his property
‘The damages to the interiors will be sorted out gracefully, and the house will be back to its normal shape tomorrow, leaving no signs of the horror story,’ Mr Punjwani said
‘People might look for more money in this but it must be taken into consideration that such incidents will be happening and you have to deal with them,’ he said.
‘Sometimes, the booking channels like Airbnb may help, but not always, based on my past experience.’
Despite the letdown Mr Punjwani still acted with grace.
‘The damages to the interiors will be sorted out gracefully, and the house will be back to its normal shape tomorrow, leaving no signs of the horror story,’ he said.
Mr Punjwani said it also surprised him how much of their won belongings and clothes were left behind
All told the damages to My Punjwani’s home equaled at least $5000, while Airbnb only covers a $500 damages bond