Hacker News Reader

Comment by pydanny | Hacker News Reader

We had a similar thing with a malignant AirBnB host next to our living place. Plus issues with water leaks on their side. The host company and AirBnB made it clear their business was rentals, not taking care of the property or community on which they profit.

I used to be happy with AirBnB as an option when I travel, now it is my last resort if I can't find a hotel room.

View on HN

I don't understand why either you or the parent comment had to deal with AirBnB in any way to begin with.

Shouldn't your talk be with the owner of the property ? or more likely the shared building property manager (syndic is the word I'm looking for an english equivalent for, I don't know if this is the right one here, maybe HOA is the right one ?) + a complaint the local authority if need be ?

I'm not from the US but surely it's not that different around the world ?

I'm in London and would have loved to be able to talk directly to the owner of the property. I tried to do that, I really did. So would the building manager.

I only found out the place was being used as an AirBnB when I knocked on the door to tell them their flat was leaking water into the main corridor and a guest answered. The host (which claims to be a management company) does its best to dodge any kind of communications. Their rentals are mismanaged illegal stays in central London, which AirBnB doesn't seem to care about addressing.

My understanding is that our building has a number of AirBnB rentals. Since it's hard to get them out, building management doesn't worry about it unless it becomes a maintenance or noise problem. In this case, my "neighbour" is such a problem, so the pattern is to call in the authorities until something happens.

When I asked the building manager about contacting AirBnB, they laughed out loud.

I don't know if this is the case here but it can be difficult to track down property owners through loop holes in the US. You can use different things like ownership trusts to obscure.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=8997844...

I'm in the UK now, specifically London. The owner of the flat doesn't live in the UK, works through a management company.

You can always sue the entity if there's no one to talk to.

Yeah but that's not going to be a normal first step for people, its also not straight forward either

Whom Do You Sue?

You may not realize it, but suing the right person is very important and not as easy as you think. Before you sue, you must determine the nature of the entity you are filing your claim against. Basically, there are three ways a person may do business. First, as a sole proprietor, second, as a partnership, third as a corporation.

To sue a sole proprietor, you file against the person running the business, no matter what name he or she is using. Suppose that Sara Smith opens a dress shop called "The Dress Shop." Who do you sue? The answer is Sara. To find out who "The Dress Shop" really is, check with the "assumed name" department in the county clerks office.

To sue a partnership you should get the names of the partners. Under the law, each of the partners is responsible for the obligations of the partnership.

To sue a corporation, on the other hand, you file against the corporation. A corporation is a separate legal entity. To properly sue a corporation you should first contact the secretary of state and find out who the "agent for service" is so that you know who to serve with the papers. Visit, http://www.sos.state.tx.us/, andf look at the "Business Filings" section to see if the business is listed. If it is, get the proper name of the business and the name of the registered agent. This is the person you will serve with your legal papers.

Once you have determined the proper legal entity to sue, make sure to get the full name and address. A small error in spelling or an incorrect address could cost you months when your papers cannot be served.

http://www.peopleslawyer.net/legal-topics/smallclaims/whom.h...

In London properties are often owned by offshore companies who are in turn owned by other offshore companies whose only reason to exist is to hide the beneficial owner. Puncturing those structures is only possible if you are a determined hacker, journalist, or secret service.

I don't think you actually have to find names of the partners. For any legal entity you can just sue the entity by its name, AFAIK.

Because AirBnB has a process supposedly designed to handle such situations. Also because I was dealing with a nuisance neighbour (loud drug-fuelled parties till 2:00-3:00am on workdays, all day and night on weekends) for four years and the London Met police refused to deal with my complaint unless my life was threatened. The local council had "noise patrols" conveniently scheduled at times when there was not much noise and proposed they install noise measurement devices in my flat to collect evidence as opposed to sending a policeman round to warn the neighbour. His fun stopped when his mates got busted for drugs. He mellowed down all of a sudden.

I haven't used them since 2012. It's unlikely I will use them again.

I wish there were more people like that.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com