A homeowner says they came home early from a work trip to find Airbnb guests in the room they let their sister stay in for free after a breakup

A homeowner recently returned early from a work trip to find strangers staying in their guest room. The homeowner, who goes by knight_4806 on Reddit, created a post in the WouldIBeTheAhole subreddit to ask, “WIBTA if I gave my sister 30 days to move out after I found out shes been renting my guest room on Airbnb.”

“My sister moved in with me in June after a breakup. I told her she could stay in the guest room as long as she needs, no rent, just help around the house,” the Redditor wrote. They told the community that they usually travel for work every month for about three to four days, but returned home a day early this time. “I walked in and there was a couple sitting in the guest room with their suitcases open. They looked at me like I was the one who didn’t belong there.”

The Redditor wrote that one of the guests showed them an Airbnb confirmation for a listing at their flat, priced at $89 a night with 14 reviews. They said they confronted their sister when she came back, writing, “She literally just sat down and said nobody uses the room when I’m gone and she does all the work herself so it doesn’t affect me.” Based on the listing information, the Redditor said their sister “made at least $2,000 off my house while living here for free,” noting that they paid all the bills.

The community was overwhelmingly on the Redditor’s side

Many on Reddit urged the homeowner to act quickly, reassuring them that they wouldn’t be the ahole for evicting their sister. Commenters advised the Redditor to re-key the locks, change the Wi-Fi password, and hire an exterminator to check for bedbugs. One commenter pointed out that the sister put the homeowner at major risk, noting, “She knew what she was doing was wrong. She hid it from you AND she put your home, your assets and future all at risk.”

The risk of Airbnb guests causing damage was a major sticking point for many in the community, with users pointing out that the homeowner might be liable for taxes or homeowners insurance violations since not all insurance covers short-term rentals. One user noted, “You won’t be the reason she’s homeless. She did this to herself. Kick her out now, no leniency. $89 a night was more important to her than you are.”

Several commenters also encouraged the homeowner to report the listing to Airbnb to have it removed. In an older post on the Airbnb subreddit, users said the company does not verify whether a lister owns the property or whether the listing is legitimate.

There are legal ways to profit from the platform without owning property. According to SmartAsset, strategies include rental arbitrage, where someone subleases a property for short-term rentals, or co-hosting, where a manager helps run a property for an owner in exchange for a share of the profits. Other options include buying Airbnb stock or investing in short-term rental REITs.

The homeowner said they plan to give their sister 30 days to move out or pay back the money, despite pressure from their mother to be patient. One Reddit user wrote, “She made 2 grand off your place. She can use that money to find herself a place to rent.”

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the Redditor’s sister’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from knight_4806’s Reddit post.