Ari Teman, possibly one of the most unfortunate victims ever of an
“My life has gone from a luxury apartment in Chelsea to a hellish series of sublets, hotels, friend’s couches, and suitcases stacked in my office. It’s exhausting, humiliating, damaging to my life, my business, and everything I work on, and so it’s costly.”
His saga began
last year when a man named David Airbnb-ed Teman’s Chelsea apartment while he was in New York attending a wedding — however, David was really going to use Teman’s apartment to throw a hot and sweaty “XXX Freak Fest.”
By the grace of all that is holy, Teman stopped by his place later that night, overheard David talking about suspicious things in the lobby, and after doing a quick background check realized the horrors that were about to take place. Furniture in his apartment was already overturned, and alcohol and condoms (unused) were provided for the would-be guests. A quick call to the police put a stop to all of that, but not before Teman’s landlord found out.
Apparently, his landlord and other landlords found out about what was about to (but never did) transpire, associated the XXX Freak Fest to Teman, and basically blacklisted him from every lease in New York City. Now, even one whole year later, no one will let him rent a place. Poor guy. You can tell how much of a broken man Teman is in his recent post on
Tumblr:
“I am homeless because you stuck a “XXX Freak Fest” orgy in my apartment and abandoned me to deal with the fall out.
I’m not homeless because of finances – though the unimagined debt and massive amount of lost work caused by your orgy hasn’t helped – but because thanks to Airbnb I’m on a blacklist and cannot get a legitimate lease in all of New York City.
Brokers refuse to help me after looking me up and finding I’m on the blacklist. One building management refused to even accept a full year’s up-front payment because I was on the blacklist.
I’ve had to sleep in over 20 places since you put an orgy in my apartment, because I cannot get a lease. I’m exhausted and want a home.”
Airbnb did give Teman over $23,000 in insurance after the incident, but that didn’t cover the damage done to Teman’s name.
And so, because of a hot, dark and sticky orgy that never actually happened, one man has been completely exiled from renting in New York City because he used Airbnb. Teman ends with:
“Airbnb brags about how it’s growing fast. So does cancer. Airbnb is a cancer.”
Someone should crowdfund a home for this guy.
