Airbnb squatter: Guest evicted more than a month after overstaying booking and refusing to leave Durham home

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — The Airbnb guest who refused to leave a Durham home more than a month ago has been evicted.

Durham County Sheriff’s Office served the Airbnb guest an eviction notice Wednesday morning.

ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson broke this story in early June. She spoke with the property owner who said the Airbnb guest booked a long-term stay from Oct. 25, 2023, through May 24. However, when May came and went, the guest refused to leave.

The Airbnb host, Farzana Rahman, had to take the guests to court to try to get them out.

“I want them out. I don’t know if they have vandalized the place or not, no idea. We will only find out when they leave,” she said in June.

After multiple attempts and various legal processes, it all came down to a court hearing in Durham County. For that hearing, Rahman showed up but the guest did not. The judge sided with Rahman and ordered the eviction.

“No one should have to go through this. You would expect that people would understand rules and follow them, but it’s just not the case in this instance,” Rahman’s assistant Jane Miller said Wednesday.

Miller was at the property when deputies arrived to serve the eviction notice.

“The guest was very polite when the police were here. She was obviously flustered and trying to get as much as she could out within those 10 minutes, but really, there’s no excuse for this kind of behavior,” Miller said.

The locks on the property have been changed and Rahman and Miller hope this ordeal is finally done.

ABC11 has not heard back from Airbnb since the eviction, but in our previous reporting the company said that it was working to make sure the host received compensation for the extra nights the guest stayed as well as any damages or additional cleanings needed.

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