An Illinois mother is fighting back after an Airbnb host sent her an $18,000 bill for damages she insists she didn’t cause.
Amy Peto said she stayed at an Airbnb during a girls’ trip to the coastal town of Douglas, Michigan, in June.
When she returned home from her vacation, she was stunned to find a scathing review from the host and a bill for more than $18,000 in alleged damage to the home.
‘Amy caused massive damage to the house that will result in very expensive repairs. Horrible guests,’ according to a copy of the review obtained by WLS saying.
Amy Peto (pictured) said an Airbnb host left her a scathing review and a bill for more than $18,000 in damages she insists she did not cause.
A photo of the damage shows a large hole inside the tub and the bill charges for plumbing fixtures, tile, glass door, paint and more.
A photo of the damage shows a large hole inside the bathtub, which the mother swears she and her friends did not cause.
“I had no idea what he was talking about,” Peto told the local news station. “To me, that seems like a blow. And it’s not about any damage that we’ve caused.”
‘Not only is he asking me to repair the bathtub, but also pay for his plumbing fixtures, his tiles, his glass door, paint, management fees, plumbing, trash and demolition to the tune of $18,820.
‘As soon as I saw this, I knew exactly what she was doing. She was trying to get some fool, who wasn’t going to be me, to pay for her bathroom remodel, because her house was on the market for $1.5 million. You messed with the wrong girl.’
Peto said she believes the host was trying to trick her into paying for home renovations because his home was for sale in Douglas (pictured) for $1.5 million.
The median home value in Douglas is $639,662, according to ZillowCensus data shows the small town on the shore of Lake Michigan has a population of 1,405.
Peto said she tried to contact the host but never received a response, so she took the matter to Airbnb. After several weeks of back-and-forth, the company finally closed the case and did not charge her for the damages.
“I’m single and have two small children. I couldn’t afford to spend $18,000 on a teacher’s salary,” she said.
“This has really left a scar on me and I don’t think I will ever use or recommend Airbnb again because he is still a Superhost.”
The company defines a Superhost as “a host who goes above and beyond to provide excellent hospitality.”
Peto said she tried to contact the host but never received a response and Airbnb eventually closed the case.
AirBnb told the local news station: “The host provided evidence to support the claim, and our team found no evidence to suggest this host was committing fraud.”
Peto said the hosting website also refused to remove the bad review the host left from his profile.
