‘Covered in excrement and urine’: Paris woman’s Airbnb trashed by renter leaving $15,000 damage bill

A WOMAN who rented out her “charming” studio apartment on Airbnb returned to find the place covered with faeces and urine.

Paris woman's Airbnb covered in excrement, urine and rubbish.

A PARISIAN woman has posted shocking before-and-after photos on Facebook after an Airbnb guest left her “charming” studio apartment covered in excrement and urine.

The woman, Laurie S, is battling the homesharing platform to pay for the €10,000 ($15,000) damage bill after a Canadian man rented out her 13-square-metre apartment for three weeks in August.

“The charming studio had literally been transformed into a ‘squat’ full of excrement, urine and an impressive quantity of empty alcohol bottles,” she wrote on Facebook. “I was really shocked and devastated to find my studio in that state when I returned.”

Laurie S, who lives in the studio as her main residence and rents it out when she travels around the country for work, said she had no reason to be suspicious of the man, seeing only one positive review from a previous Airbnb host.

The bed had been used as a toilet.

Urine from “floor to ceiling”.

Neighbours said the man seemed “nice”.

He completely trashed the place in three weeks.

She later learnt he suffered from alcoholism and depression.

The Canadian man had one positive Airbnb review.

The floors were warped from the urine and mess.

Julie S wants Airbnb to pay the $15,000 damage bill.

The renter left an “impressive quantity of empty alcohol bottles”.

He has since been banned from the platform.

The homesharing platform initially brushed her off.

She says she only heard back after going to French media.

Airbnb said this type of experience is “extremely rare”.

Laurie S said she was “devastated” by the damage.

The woman told The Local she never met the man herself, but was told by neighbours he seemed “nice”. Only later did she learn he was suffering from alcoholism and depression.

The renter had used the bed as a toilet, covered the apartment “floor to ceiling” in urine, warped the flooring, jammed the front door, done extensive damage to the bathroom and toilet and strewn every inch of the place with rubbish.

She said she had spend all of her savings and time over three years to renovate the studio, her “jewel”. “The [clean-up] costs are enormous,” she wrote. “I had the courage to take new pictures despite the smell, insects and impurities that proliferate. It’s getting harder to bear this and ‘surprises’ in plastic bags.”

Laurie S told The Local when she repeatedly contacted Airbnb’s French arm she was told they would get back to her soon, and it was only after French media began reporting the story last week that they said they would examine her claim.

“They say they will send an expert [to evaluate the damage]. I am still waiting,” she said.

Airbnb told French TV the man had been banned from the app. “This type of bad experience is extremely rare,” a spokesman said.

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