A Michigan Airbnb host was hit with an outrageous claim after one of their properties was brutally vandalized by a tenant, leaving thousands of dollars in damages.
Real estate manager Vince Villegas, 41, was furious after unruly tenants trashed the one-bedroom Saugatuck rental home, leaving nearly $3,000 in damages, before sending the owner a hefty $1,000 bill for their “fix-up work.”
The destructive tenants took their own creative liberties in the 700-square-foot home, smearing red paint on the walls, light switches and bathroom mirrors in what appeared to be ritualistic behavior.
Also part of their “redecorating” plan: several rugs were found rolled up inside, a newly painted bathroom cabinet was scratched, a rock was strangely left in the shower, and some other strange, sticky substance was found stuck to a bedroom door had been brushed.
If that wasn’t enough, furniture was found outside and thrown onto the property’s snow-covered front lawn and many other pieces of furniture were curiously moved into the home’s garage.
It was only when Villegas arrived at the rental property he manages for a friend around 10 a.m. on the scheduled check-out date that he became aware of the significant damage to the home.
“We saw all the furniture outside… vases, cups of water, a dog bed by the door, you name it. It was absolutely insane,” he told the newspaper New York Post.
Villegas took in the strange situation and quickly called local police to help remove the disturbed tenant from the property, but he was nowhere to be found.
A Michigan Airbnb host was hit with an outrageous claim after one of their properties was brutally vandalized by a tenant, leaving thousands of dollars in damages
Also part of their ‘redecorating’ plan, several carpets were found rolled up inside, a newly painted bathroom cabinet was scratched and a rock had strangely been left in the shower.
Apparently ritual drawings were painted on several of the house’s fixtures
“We ended up calling the sheriff’s department, and the sheriff came and they were going to help us remove him from the property.”
It wasn’t until 3:30 PM, almost five hours after the assigned check-out time, that he finally returned.
Villegas said the tenant “was a little combative with the sheriff at first,” but eventually decided to put the matter behind him and pack his things.
Villegas claimed the man then asked for an additional two hours to leave the property, but Villegas only gave him half an hour to gather his things and get away.
The crazy tenant is said to have taken all his clothes in garbage bags before boarding a local bus.
The man also allegedly took a large piece of cardboard, claiming it was a work of art he had created.
Curious as to why the man left the property in such a state, Villegas questioned the loose tenant.
“I asked him, why did you move the furniture?” Villegas recalled.
“He said he wanted to redecorate the space to make it more homely for him and that he was a well-known decorator from Chicago and he wanted to make it a special space for him and others.”
The crazy tenant is said to have taken all his clothes in garbage bags before boarding a local bus. Pictured: The house at 709 North Maple Street in Saugatuck, Michigan
It wasn’t until property manager Vince Villegas arrived at the rental property he manages for a friend around 10 a.m. on the scheduled check-out date that he became aware of the significant damage to the home.
Property manager Vince Villegas, 41, who manages the home for a friend, documented the extensive and costly damage in a now-viral video on TikTok, which has since been viewed more than two million times.
Villegas documented the extensive and costly damage in a now-viral video posted to TikTok that has since been viewed more than two million times.
Villegas captioned the nearly five-minute video of the house turned upside down: “When they moved they sent us a $1,000 invoice for their fix-up work.”
“It cost us $3,000 to put back what they moved and replace what they destroyed,” he added.
Villegas has since repaired and cleaned the property for new tenants, although it took about a week to get the house back into working order.
“The property has now been cleaned,” Villegas said, adding that police discovered the then-unknown red substance on the walls as lip gloss.