Toronto man's home trashed, belongings stolen after Airbnb rental

CTV National News: Airbnb nightmare One Airbnb host returned to find dirty dishes, broken locks and $21,000 of his possessions missing. Peter Akman reports.

A Toronto man who rented his apartment to a stranger using the website Airbnb says he returned home to find it trashed and $21,000 worth of possessions missing.

Mathew Lyn says the thieves stole camera equipment, a drone, clothes, shoes -- even his luggage.

He also said that his home was littered with dirty dishes and used condoms, and his bed was soiled.

Const. Craig Brister of the Toronto Police Service said problems like Lyn’s are becoming “a bigger issue.”

“You’re giving someone complete access to your home. There is no oversight, there’s no one supervising,” Const. Brister said. “You have to ask yourself: is it really worth it for the money you’re making?"

Airbnb spokesman Nick Shapiro said “trust is actually on the rise” and that incidents like Lyn’s are rare. There are more than half a million homes rented through Airbnb daily.

Lyn, who has used Airbnb 60 times, said that he believes Airbnb will cover his losses, and he won’t let the bad experience stop him from using its services again.

“How can you pass up your rent being paid for and not dig into your savings?" he said.

Next time, however, Lyn says he will take more precautions. He says he will meet the renters face-to-face to hand over keys and insist on taking photos of government-issued identification.

With a report from CTV’s Peter Akman in Toronto