Airbnb host says $40K lost after guest jailed on drug, gun charges

A lucrative Airbnb rental has turned into a nightmare for a Toronto host after his guest was arrested and the unit was raided by police, leaving him with what he says is almost $40,000 in damages and lost income. 

The ordeal began on Dec. 13 when the host, Daniel, learned from police about his guest's arrest on drug trafficking and gun charges — five days before her checkout date. 

CBC Toronto is not using Daniel's full name as he fears reprisals from the criminal organization his guest, Sara Staniszewski, 34, is alleged to have links with. After Staniszewski's arrest, Daniel says he was left to deal with damage to his doors caused by the police, while her belongings remained in the rental space — almost all of a three-storey standalone building — and her Mercedes-Benz remained in his garage.

Daniel says it took more than a month and dozens of calls and messages before Airbnb told him to hand over Staniszewski's belongings to local authorities. In the meantime, a new $28,000 booking was cancelled because the apartment remained unrentable, he said.  

"It seems that Airbnb, when things go smooth, it's great. When things don't go so smooth, it's really bad," he said. "They're just not there for you."

Daniel has been a host on Airbnb for 11 years and says he's retained a "superhost" badge for the past few years. But he said his relationship with the tech giant soured since his guest's arrest. 

"I've come to realize that we as hosts have absolutely no recourse," when guests or their belongings overstay their booking, he said.

Airbnb's terms of service say users can't use the platform for criminal activity.

The company told CBC Toronto on Friday it barred Staniszewski from the platform in January and is "currently investigating" Daniel's claims. 

Airbnb did not respond by deadline to CBC's other questions about the incident.   

Staniszewski's booking was from Sept. 14 to Dec. 18 last year. The Gatineau, Que., woman was arrested on Dec. 13 by Ottawa police as part of a major drug trafficking investigation. Staniszewski is facing 10 charges, including participating in a criminal organization, conspiracy to traffic cocaine and possession of a loaded handgun and high-capacity magazine, according to court documents.

She was released on bail a week later, but Daniel says she never returned to pick up her property and didn't respond to messages.

CBC Toronto contacted the woman listed as Staniszewski's surety in the court documents, but she said she didn't know Staniszewski or anything about the case. Staniszewski's lawyer, Michael Spratt, did not respond to a request for a comment. 

Police busted through several doors during the raid at Daniel's Airbnb, which is in Toronto's Forest Hill neighbourhood, under suspicion there were drugs at the property, according to a search warrant reviewed by CBC Toronto.