Denver AirBnB renter returns home to a mess

DENVER -- Short term home rental companies like AirBNB are seen as an easy and affordable way for homeowners to make some extra money while not using their homes, however they come with some horror stories.

One Denver homeowner said they had their first such story while renting out their home in September. 

When Samantha Parsons and her husband returned to Denver after renting out their downtown Denver home for the weekend, they discovered a long list of troubles.   

Parsons and her husband used AirBNB, a site that connects renters to property owners while handling payments and rental agreements. Their September guests were less than optimal. 

Pizza boxes were stacked outside. A pipe to smoke pot was discovered near the porch. A patio table was damaged along with blinds in a bathroom and the kitchen sink.

"We had so many flies in this house. Huge gross flies all over the place, and it took a couple weeks before we could get them all out of the house, it was so disgusting," said Parsons.

As part of the agreement with AirBNB - renters have a $1 million coverage guarantee. It's one of the website's selling points. 

Parsons made a claim for over $2,000.

"So far, they said they would reimburse us for a little over half of what we requested,” she said.

Yet after filing an appeal and requests for information from Denver7, Parsons found further resolution.

"I just the email from AirBNB and they're going to give me a full reimbursement for our claim, so that's awesome," she said.

Just how often does property damage happen? According to AirBNB -- not very often.  

Significant property damage is reported about one in every 41,000 guest arrivals.

"I guess I was just really disappointed people would treat our house with much disrespect," said Parsons.

For the future, the Parsons will rent a private room in their basement.  As far as the rest of their home in concerned, for the moment, it's off limits.    

Watch Denver7 at 6 for a full story.