Residents of Los Angeles County’s affluent Hollywood Hills are furious after witnessing renters of a $40-per-night Airbnb campsite listing, located on an empty dirt lot among million-dollar homes, engage in public displays of sex. Many local families have small children.
“People buck naked, people doing sex out in open. Drinking,” resident and father Sanjeeb Kumar told the local NBC News affiliate in Los Angeles. Kumar said he and his neighbors are “scared to come out” of their own homes as a result.
The owner told local news outlet KTLA: “This is my property, and there’s a couple of people making up stories of things happening here that are not happening….I’m not renting out a campsite. I’m renting out a tent.”
In addition to the alleged inappropriate public displays, Hills residents are concerned that a fire could be sparked as campers have been seen smoking, despite a sign on the property explicitly stating that smoking is prohibited. The area is covered in dry brush as a result of the drought which makes the likelihood of a brush fire starting and potentially causing millions of dollars in damage all the more real.
The camp site Airbnb listing has been taken off the site and they reportedly issued the following statement to NBC:
The listing is no longer on the site. Airbnb guests expect unique and authentic travel experiences and in turn communities rightfully expect considerate visitors. We have had more than 40 million guests stay with Airbnb. Problems for hosts, guests and neighbors are extremely rare but when they happen, we work fast to make things right.
However, neighbors say that the campsite may still be listed elsewhere. NBC Los Angeles reports that neighbors are working to have the city check for any possible zoning violations associated with the camp grounds.
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