If you are a frequent traveler, then chances are you've spent a night or rather countless ones in Airbnb. From a cabin in the woods to an apartment in a city center, there’s an accommodation for virtually every type of tourist.
While pretending like you own a whole place in an area you've never been to before sounds awesome on paper (and sometimes in reality!), the truth is, you may encounter something you were not ready for. After all, you’re staying in someone else’s home, so hey, it’s not you who decides the location, the decor, the vibe, the rules…
Or the spookiness! Turns out there are countless Airbnb horror stories surfing around on the internet, so just in time for Halloween, we wrapped up some of the most spine-chilling ones.
#1
My host lied about having wifi and a king-sized bed. Then, I was woken up by her sneaking into the apartment in the middle of the night and snooping in my bag. I had to call the police... That was fun.
248points
#2
My hosts were friendly in the beginning and kept offering me drinks throughout the entire day. It was fun til it escalated to her yelling at me about not having gone through any pain my entire life and how her life was filled with it and then led her to trying to throw punches at me whilst her husband was trying to hold her back which led to me leaving the AirBnb at midnight in a foreign country and finding a hotel for the night.
194points
#3
We woke up in Hawaii to a maggot hatch covering the floor. I had been up twice before it was light enough to see it, so tracked it back into the bed. It looked like the floor was covered in rice, but the rice was moving. Thousands of little wiggling maggots coming out of the door jamb.
Report
179points
While many things can ruin the holiday when staying at Airbnb, there’s one that most travelers particularly dread. We have all heard stories about people spotting hidden cameras in Airbnbs they stayed in, and that may give you mixed feelings.
So to find out whether this common Airbnb scenario is something we should really be scared of, we reached out to Daniel Markuson, the cybersecurity expert at NordVPN who happily shared some insights about it. “There is no reason to be paranoid about finding a hidden camera in your Airbnb,” Markuson said and added: “especially if you are renting a place with numerous positive reviews in the past.”
#4
We found 2 different hidden cameras with feeds going into the wall. 1 in the bedroom facing the bed/closet. 1 in the bathroom vent facing the mirror. I cut the cords and took the cameras with me as evidence and reported it to the police. They were unable/unwilling to do anything since it was his property, he had the right to record anything. They were unsure of the legal grey area and made an intimidating visit to him. We no longer use Air bnb and I always check for cameras in hotels now.
The worst part was that they had a playground in the back yard and advertised it as "kid friendly". I sometimes want to go back and burn it to the ground. I settled with notifying all of his neighbors of the cameras
Report
163points
#5
My friends and I booked a big house for a weekend near Wrigley Field in Chicago for a Bachelorette party. We had decorated the whole house with uh... inappropriate banners and things like that - you know how bachelorette parties go.
We spent Saturday morning brunching and pre-gaming before the evening's festivities and by 1pm or so were all certainly well on our way to party town. While we were sitting there the bachelorette gets a call from the AirBnb owner saying he was "in the midst of listing the place" and that he "forgot to tell us he had scheduled showings all weekend". She told him that was absolutely not going to fly - there were women napping in rooms, women getting ready, alcohol bottles everywhere, not to mention the decor.
He replied by saying he was already outside with the first showing and was giving us a courtesy call to let us know he would be coming in. We look outside and he is standing on the sidewalk with a family including 3 little kids. He brought them inside to give them a showing and we just had to sit there awkwardly, drunk at 1pm, surrounded by blow up penises, while they walked around and viewed the house. He even went into the rooms where women were napping and turned on all of the lights to show them the bedrooms.
Luckily we left soon after for a cubs game but he proceeded to show the house for the rest of the day. We contacted AirBnB and they refunded half our money, but there weren't any other available houses in the area for them to move us to that weekend so we just had to deal.
162points
#6
Had to book somewhere in a rundown town with zero notice. Found somewhere in an inconvenient location but there was nothing else. Ignored the red flags when the host / owner contacted us, before confirming the booking, about having a tiny baby and that our visit would have to fit around it’s feeding time. Said we just needed somewhere to crash for the night - we’d dump our bags and head straight to dinner, then leave early in the morning. We got held up in awful traffic (huge accident, roads blocked) which pushed our arrival time to 6pm. I kept in contact with the host the whole way but she got increasingly agitated. I said we’d make ourselves scarce and would head straight out. Arrived and were told we couldn’t use any other area of the house (due to said baby). Headed straight out. Started receiving texts at dinner asking what time we’d be back (we’d be given a set of keys to use, so as not to disturb them). Asked if we could be back by 11pm. Arrived back at their house to find a door chain lock on the door - even with keys we were locked out. We then met the husband who greeted us with a grunt before walking off. As we were confined to the bedroom, we had no idea where the kitchen was and didn’t want to explore in the dark so we lapped water from the bathroom tap like a dog. We were then awoken by a knock on the door at 6am - she was headed to work and we’d mention we’d be leaving early, didn’t we need to be off soon? The whole thing was so uncomfortable and a waste of $$
Report
147points
Having said that, the cyber security expert argues that it is always better to be safe than sorry, “especially if you find your host somewhat suspicious.”
Markuson’s best advice is once you arrive at the property, take some time to check it for unwanted stalking devices. In fact, spotting a hidden camera in your room is not that difficult, and you don’t need any sophisticated spy gadgets — a phone with a camera is usually enough,” he explained.
#7
While searching for an apartment in a new country I stayed in an Airbnb until I found a place. Explained this to the host and she was cool with it. Then one day as i was out apartment hunting i got a phone call from her. she had been in my room and seen that i had used her address on one of the forms i was filling out which had asked for the address of the place i was currently staying. had thought nothing of it, had to fill out loads of forms when trying to get an apartment. she flipped that i used her address without her permission. i got back and all my stuff was left out the front door. so i had to go to a hotel. so a week or two later i get a message from airbnb saying rate your stay so i obviously give 1 star. she then sends a request for a huge amount of money for 'loss of earnings, pyschological distress, abusive behaviour etc' and says if i dont pay she will pursue it in a court of law. absolute lunatic.
144points
#8
Was woken up at 3 am to loud bangs & screaming. Someone yelled that the host was “on speed and assaulting them, and to please call the police”. Police came and settled the dispute. We never left our room because of how scared we were. The next day we cancelled our stay & checked in to a hotel, only to have to host message us & ask if we left because the shower was broken.....? Uh no lady the whole being woken up to a drug binge/assault thing would be it...lol.
Report
136points
#9
booked the coziest/cutest airbnb in Rome. A little 1 bedroom apartment in the heart of Trastevere in a beautiful old building. Apartment was stone/wood/classic roman. Everything was great until the apartment started to shake as the upstairs unit was being renovated. For hours after my arrival, the jackhammering didnt stop. Phone calls to the host went unanswered. When they finally answered, they let me know it was their other unit and they would ask the workers to stop. As one could guess, it did not stop. It would start and stop for the next few hours. When I finally contacted airbnb to relocate me, the owner showed up and was furious I was getting my money back. Credit to airbnb, they booked me into an even nicer apartment a few blocks away!
130points
The first tip to spot a hidden camera is to try shining a light on the lens of the suspected hidden camera. “Camera lenses will reflect a red or blue color when hit by light. First, try shining a light on places where you suspect a camera might be hidden. Some of the popular hiding places include shower heads, smoke detectors, and alarm clocks. But we also recommend checking other electronic devices present in the room,” Markuson said.
#10
Arrived and entered the house by way of the provided code for the electronic door lock. We had stopped to pick up groceries and some needed refrigeration so we carried those in first. Which is when I discovered the fridge filled with food. Looked around and saw more food and personal items in the kitchen. Called out to no answer so we walked around a bit. Imagine if you left your home for the day for work and a stranger walked in. This is exactly how it all appeared.
Hurried back to the car afraid we were going to get the cops called on us and called the company who reassured us and told us the house owner had said he was going to get things cleared up which apparently hadn't happened. This seemed like something the company should have checked, but they assured us it was fine to just push things aside.
In the process of clearing things away into a large closet we found half used bottles of cancer medications and some paperwork which indicated the owner had been being treated for a stage four cancer. Between these and other paperwork found in the house we are fairly certain the owner died and his children had the body transported back to where his wife was buried in a northern state. We guessed they arranged to rent the place out without ever coming to clear his belongings.
Report
126points
#11
I'm currently solo traveling through Denmark and have been staying in different AirBnBs. Just yesterday, I arrived in one I'd booked near Copenhagen. All the others were great, very hyggelig. This one isn't great looking - which would be fine, it's cheap and I'm only here for sleeping.
When I went to bed, there was a spider on the ceiling (bedroom is right below the roof, ceiling is very low so you can't stand upright). I thought "one spider won't eat me" and went to sleep. Then, just as I was drifting off, I felt something crawling on me. Turned on the light, sure enough, a spider. I smacked it dead, turned on my back and the whole ceiling was covered in spiders. Some tiny, some bigger, they were everywhere.
I'm really scared of spiders, so I don't know if someone who doesn't mind spiders would've reacted differently, but the though of hundreds of spiders dropping from the ceiling and crawling over me was too much. Slept on the sofa downstairs, leaving for my next stop a day early to get away from the spiders.
Report
116points
#12
I was staying in an Airbnb to celebrate a friend's birthday - it was actually nicer than the apartment my friend lived in, so we invited people there instead. Late afternoon comes along, and we're sitting around a table drinking. It's pouring outside. I hear a weird gurgling from the bathroom, so I go check it out, and find that the toilet's started to back up a bit. I call the landlord; he tells me that this happens from time to time when the rain is heavy (the apt is actually below ground level). I plunge and flush the toilet, and it goes down fine and I rejoin my friends in the common room. All is well.
About 15 minutes pass. I suddenly hear a much more aggressive gurgle coming from the bathroom; I run over to find that not only is the toilet backing up at a worrying rate, but that dirty water is also erupting up through the ground where the toilet is screwed into the floor. I turn off the water valve to the toilet, but it just keeps coming. I toss some towels in an attempt to slow this poop waterfall, and call the airbnb host who says he'll be over ASAP.
At this point, the shower/bath is filling with a rank, deep brown liquid, and the water from the toilet is spilling over the bathroom threshold into the hallway. Our host arrives with a shopvac and starts using it to suck up the mess with my help while my guests are huddled on the couch in fear, trying to find alternative lodging. I'm standing next to the host with towels when the shopvac lets out this ratchet mechanical noise which is also accompanied with a blast of raw sewage through the exhaust vent, covering me in aerosolized waste. Turns out that this shopvac isn't actually equipped to handle liquids, and doesn't now seem to be working. We then flee to my friend's place, where I take a very long, very hot shower. Not really the airbnb host's fault, but certainly my worst experience to date.
tl;dr - stayed in an airbnb, had toilet issues, end up covered in s**t.
Report
113points
Another way is to switch off the Wi-Fi router and see whether you get a call from the owner complaining that someone has disabled the Wi-Fi. “If you do, then there is a serious red flag that there are cameras hidden around,” Markuson said.
Moreover, you should also always check for one-way mirrors. “Try putting your finger up against the mirror. If there’s a gap between your actual finger and its reflection, then the mirror is real. If there’s no gap, you can also try shining your flashlight at it, and once you get the angle right, you should be able to see the camera behind the fake mirror.”
#13
One guy rented my place for a night. Showed up with 2 extra people but told me they weren't staying over, just showering and changing before they went to the wedding at the hotel nearby.
Ok, no problem.
11pm, I heard screaming kids. There were only 2 of them but I thought there were 6 at first, judging from the noise they were making. The guy was back, but with 4 different people and the 2 kids. The kids refused to take their shoes off, even though it is an Asian country where everyone takes their shoes off indoors.
The boy tried taking home my Captain America tsum tsum plushie. His parents asked him to return it, but he screamed, "NO!" and had tears in his eyes.
Everyone was looking at me expectantly.
I took the plushie out of his hands. It's mine.
My husband and I had a talk that night and decided to delay having kids another year.
Report
108points
#14
I'm gonna try and share my AirBnB horrorstory, using just three words:
Bedbugs crawling everywhere
107points
#15
Cuzco, Peru in high season (most places booked) . Lodging for 4 people. We find a great big place for a good price. Apparently it was too good to be true, it was a hostel who was happy to host us (in hostel dorms for a much higher than advertised price) , but denied having a reservation. When i showed him the reservation and called airbnb (whose staff was very helpful) he said he had to check something. After waiting for about an hour, I tracked him down hiding in is office. The look on his face was priceless, was obviously hoping if he hid for long enough that he would get the double payment out of us. I called airbnb again and they canceled the reservation and we left
Report
93points
#16
I stayed in exactly one AirBNB in Hollywood. It's the only time I ever stayed, and AirBNB's support was 100% unhelpful. I needed an AirBNB because I had some major cardiology appointments about a possible heart transplant. So I found someplace close to my hospital (Sunset). First one canceled, at last minute with like 12 hours to go. So that was fun, ended up having to pay way more to get a close room by the hospital. But, found one.
The owner was racist, didn't like I had a black friend stayed with me, despite the fact I rented out the entire apartment. She claimed we stole lightbulbs, left feces everywhere, stole her parking passes, dishes, etc. We made sure we locked up. We cleaned the apartment before leaving, did all the dishes (despite the fact there were dirty dishes when we got the keys). I'm glad I took photographs right when we arrived and before we left.
I never again stayed with AirBNB. The host kept trying to contact me off AirBNB so I blocked them. She kept trying to get me to PayPal her more money.
Report
93points
#17
The host was an avid flat earther who sat me down with his buddy to watch youtube videos about it while he condescendingly explained to me that outer space wasn't real.
Shower was so grimy and clogged it didn't drain so even showering for only two minutes left me standing in a 3 inch puddle of water and bathtub scum.
He told me I could store anything in his fridge if I wanted, so I put some leftovers in an opaque container in there. Another guest told me later that he complained to her that my leftovers had dairy in them (he was a frutitarian) which meant he had actually opened and gone through my leftovers.
All the same host from my very first ever solo travel lmao.
Report
92points
#18
The host was out of town on the day we were arriving, so he said he'd hide the key in the garden. Ok, no problem. We assumed that the key would be somewhere near the door, or hidden under a rock or something. But no, the host had buried the key in a random spot in the garden, and it took over an hour of searching and digging with help from random passerby to find the damned thing.
Report
86points
#19
Not even that bad but my family and I stayed in an airbnb in Bushwick, NY last Christmas. We’ve stayed in lots of airbnbs but never ones with fake cops trying to break in. They were super aggressive and started using racial slurs after we refused to let them in. We were pretty shaken considering my sister’s pretty young and I ended up calling 911 to double check nobody had been dispatched to our area at the time. Was a pretty memorable Christmas indeed!
85points
#20
In Denver, I arrived at a house. The host showed me my room - it was an air mattress. No sheets, dirty clothes strewn across the bed. Dirty dishes, ashtray, dirty carpeting. Quite a gross place. "Sorry I haven't been downstairs recently." Took pics, left within 10 minutes and filed a complaint. ALWAYS make sure there are pictures of the sleeping area.
Report
84points