Philadelphia landlord is suing Airbnb for $170,000 after squatters destroyed his house and beat him with a bat

A Philadelphia landlord sued Airbnb for $170,000 after squatters destroyed his home, refused to leave and beat him with a baseball bat when he tried to re-enter.

Joseph Foresta stated in the lawsuit that the short-term rental app is responsible for the damage and lost income caused by a man who paid for a one-night stay on June 13, 2020 before cracking down on three months.

The landlord claimed he listed the property in the belief that Airbnb “thoroughly vetted” potential guests, according to the Pennsylvania Record.

In the lawsuit filed last month, he claimed he was hit in the head and stomach with a baseball and his life was threatened when he tried to gain entry to the property.

Foresta is seeking $170,000 in lost rental income and repair costs, along with interest, attorney fees and other costs incurred from the squat, which is a growing problem in the US.

He says Airbnb is responsible for the damage and loss of income caused by a man who paid for a one-night stay on June 13, 2020

He believes that Airbnb is responsible for the safety of the host’s property against any damage caused by guests and for staying beyond their paid reservation.

A man named Lawrence H. Jackson made the reservation for one night, according to the lawsuit, and Airbnb collected the payment. The lawsuit does not specify how much the reservation costs.

But a day later, on June 14, the guest refused to leave and remained there until Foresta was able to get a court order for the police to remove him on September 9, 2020.

Jackson allegedly changed the locks, rented out the other two apartments in the building to “four to six people per apartment,” and pocketed the rent.

The lawsuit alleged that he and those he was allowed to live in the property caused extensive damage to the property, including damaging the furniture, leaving five feet of trash on the sidewalk outside, and breaking doors and windows.

Foresta also returned to find his exterior walls were defaced, kitchen appliances and plumbing broken, the stair railing damaged, fire alarms no longer working, walls and floors damaged, and a broken patio.

He claimed he was “physically assaulted” when he tried to re-enter the premises.

One of the occupants hit him in the head and stomach with a baseball bat and “threatened to kill him” if he returned to his South Philadelphia property, the lawsuit said.

A man named Lawrence H. Jackson made the reservation for one night, according to the lawsuit, and Airbnb collected the payment

An Airbnb spokesperson said it would not comment on pending lawsuits, but added that Foresta has been banned from hosting on the app since June 2020 due to “frequent violations of our community standards and policies.”

The landlord claimed that his calls to Airbnb as the situation unfolded had not been returned and that letters from his legal adviser had gone unanswered.

“It was not until August 2020 that Defendant Airbnb finally acknowledged the communication but did nothing to remove Jackson from the property or address damage to the property,” the lawsuit alleges.

The damage was so extensive that repairs took until December 2021 to make the property rentable again.

The lawsuit alleges that the damage to the property was so extensive that it took Foresta until December 2021 to make the repairs necessary to make it rentable again.

It began as a civil suit in a Philadelphia state court and has been in federal court ever since, a typical move when the amount of damages sought exceeds $75,000.

An Airbnb spokesperson said it would not comment on pending lawsuits, but added that Foresta has been banned from hosting on the app since June 2020 due to “frequent violations of our community standards and policies.”