Airbnb Property Owner Left With Rs 1.28 Lakh Bill After Guests Leave Taps Running And Gas On For 25 Days

An Airbnb owner has been left with a bill of $1,570 (Rs 1.28 lakh) after the couple who stayed there left taps running and gas on. According to a report in Independent, the guests did this as an act of revenge when they were unable to cancel their booking. The couple from China had travelled to South Korea and stayed in the property for 25 days to punish the host. The act resulted in enormous utilities bill for the host, identified as Mr Lee by the outlet.

The problem arose after the couple booked the villa for staying in Seoul during the trip. But the premises is not located in the heart of the city, but its suburb. By the time the couple realised this, they had already paid the entire amount in full.

Mr Lee claims the couple did not speak to him or Airbnb and did everything on their own. They first contacted the host to ask if there is any surveillance cameras in the property. When Mr Lee said there weren’t, they turned on as many lights, taps, electrical appliances and gas taps as they could, as per the Independent report.

The host further said that the couple did not stay at the property and instead travelled across South Korea. They returned for just five times in 25 days, and spent just five minutes each time, said Mr Lee.

When the couple checked out, the gas company contacted Mr Lee and told him about a significant increase in usage. He feared it was a leak.

When Mr Lee visited the villa, he found the windows open and the gas on. He received a $116 (Rs 9,506) water and electricity bill, a $730 (Rs 59,824) gas bill and $728 (Rs 59,660) for “miscellaneous expenses”.

He said the couple used more than 120,000 litres of water during their stay.