A Melbourne Airbnb has been trashed as teenage gangs clashed when a birthday party was gatecrashed.
One teen ended up in hospital and the stunned property owner was left with a hefty clean-up bill.
The owner says he’s done with short-term rentals and is calling for stricter age verification on booking platforms.
About 2am today, a teenager’s party in Melton was gatecrashed by another group.
“I was in a state of complete shock, I was speechless,” said the owner, who didn’t give his name.
“And when I saw bloodstains inside, I was like, ‘oh God’.
“My immediate question to police was, ‘was anybody injured, was everybody okay?'”
A teenage boy was taken to hospital with cuts to his head.
It’s not clear whether he was attacked or injured trying to flee.
The property was booked last-minute for a one-night stay.
And while sites like Airbnb and Booking.com require guests to be at least 18, it’s as easy as faking your age to get around it.
“I couldn’t sort of figure out if they were teenagers but I knew they were young, they were young,” the owner said.
“I don’t know who came and stayed here. Yhere were no ID checks performed by these platforms to make sure they are held accountable.
“Because currently, their accountability is minimal.”
But the responsibility falls on the landlord, and he’s had enough.
“This is too much stress. I can’t handle this. It’s too much stress, too much out-of-pocket expense, and I’m a bit worried about the neighbours as well, now,” he said.
In a rush to escape, some of the teens ran across the yard and used a tree stump to jump over the fence and onto the neighbour’s roof.
