I’m living in my van while my ‘deadbeat renter’ AirBnbs my home for $4k a month – he’s making profit while I’m homeless

VAN Life has been forced upon one homeowner whose renter has stopped paying rent and is instead making a profit.

In Rainier, Washington one man and his dog are living out of his van while his renter Airbnbs out part of his home without paying rent.

(Jason Roth has been made to live out of his van because his tenant has stopped paying rent and evicting them will take nearly a year.Credit: KIRO7)

(The tenant is also renting out part of Roths house via Airbnb, making upward of $4,000 a month.Credit: KIRO7)

Jason Roth is looking at nearly $50,000 in losses as he pays for utilities and the mortgage on his rented-out house, which is bringing in no rental income.

He claims that he is owed 5 months of back rent, with a current total of $29,000 because his tenant has stopped paying.

“It’s frustrating, extremely frustrating. It’s something I can’t fully wrap my head around,” said Roth to local news KIRO.

The landlord claims he tried to engage in a payment plan with his tenant, which the occupant signed and paid $1,000 on, but nothing more.

The cherry on top of the situation is that Roth's tenant is renting out the bottom unit of the house on Airbnb for $434. Roth is estimating that his delinquent renter makes anywhere between $2,000 and $4,000 of of his subletting scheme.

“OK. So, not only is he not paying me, but he’s generating an income through the basement Airbnb unit, and meanwhile, I’m having to pay the utilities for that unit,” explained Jason.

An Airbnb spokesperson said that the company requires hosts to have permission to rent out their spaces.

"Issues like the experience reported are very rare, and following an investigation we removed the listing from the platform in early August," they explained.

Continuing: "All Hosts on Airbnb must certify that they have permission to list their space, and in the event a concern is reported to us we investigate and take appropriate action."

The renter received a short-term rental license from the city in order to operate the Airbnb, but did so under false pretenses. "The license this individual has is not valid because it was obtained using inaccurate information about ownership of the property,” said a city official.

The city is investigating more on the ill-gotten permit. It's not just the money that is getting to Roth, living out of a van is no easy task.

“It makes me feel all kinds of different emotions. I mean, extreme sadness, anger, physical discomfort because of where I’m living," said Roth.

Continuing: “I do come here often just to look at my house, and miss it …and wish I could be in it."

“It’s frustrating, extremely frustrating. It’s something I can’t fully wrap my head around,” Roth explained on the emotions the ordeal has brought about.

Since the payment plan fell through, the frustrated landlord has begun formal eviction steps.

It takes around one year for the full eviction process to complete, meaning that Roth is on the hook for his expenses without having access to his own home.

Ref: I’m living in my van while my ‘deadbeat renter’ AirBnbs my home for $4k a month – he’s making profit while I’m homeless (the-sun)