Airbnb host says $40K lost after guest jailed on drug, gun charges
CBC
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.
Hudson's Bay Company filed for creditor protection last week, saying it's struggling to pay landlords, vendors and employees — and it's a process that could lead to the sale or closure of Canada's oldest company.
Still sleepy from this week's time change?
RCMP say a man died while in police custody on Wednesday in downtown Yellowknife, and Alberta RCMP are investigating the incident.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal officials left an hours-long meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying they feel more positive about the Canada-U.S. trading relationship after weeks of bad blood and heated rhetoric.
The Alberta government wants to cut more than $400 million in the fees it pays to doctors, according to a confidential memo obtained by The Canadian Press.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says Canada's incoming prime minister needs to immediately and urgently negotiate a way to avoid China's planned tariffs on Canadian canola — even before an election call.
A judge has sentenced a 48-year-old man to life in prison for brutally stabbing his ex-wife and daughter to death in North York in 2022.
Ontario is seeing a massive surge in measles cases as an ongoing outbreak spreads in the province among mostly unvaccinated people.
Prince Edward Island's Affordable Housing Development Program fell short of its intended purpose, the province's Auditor General says.
Not even cracking open a cold one is safe from tariffs.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a farewell message to Canadians Thursday as he marks his last full day in office.
The Association of Yukon Fire Chiefs says about 80 per cent of volunteer firefighters in the territory are wearing expired protective equipment, putting them in danger and in violation of occupational health and safety regulations when they respond to emergencies.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will be given a new portfolio in Mark Carney's cabinet, a source with knowledge of the decision told Radio-Canada.