2 Montreal Airbnb hosts allegedly robbed by same renter

Two Montreal Airbnb hostswho happen to be cousinssay they were robbed within less than two days of each otherby the same Airbnb renter.

Samia Bendhamane said red flags went off as soon as she first handed off the keys to her apartment to an Airbnb customer. She said he looked too young to be driving a Porsche Cayenne. He also had no reviews on the home-renting service site.

But his profile indicated he had been a client with Airbnb since 2011 so, after some contemplation, Bendhamane decided to hand him the keys.

"I just thought, OK, I guess he's a rich kid," shetold CBC Montreal'sDaybreak.

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But on Friday, Aug. 12, she received a call from police notifying her that her placehad been robbed. Stolen were a Canada Goose jacket, a Louis Vuitton purse and a console.

The robbery took place, according to Bendhamane, between Thursday and Friday. She said police told her that they made an arrest.

CBC contactedthe Montreal police department, but no one could comment on the case for the time being.

But Bendhamane's story didn't end there: On Saturday she found outthat her cousin was robbed too by the same renter.

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A related incident

Outremont resident Othmane Zniber saidhe was stood up by an Airbnb client who had originally planned to rent with him on Wednesday, Aug. 10.

On Thursday, Aug. 11 , he called Airbnb to tell them he was worried and questioned the "trustworthiness" of the client.

She told me hisname, and I freaked out. It'sthe guy!- OthmaneZniber, Airbnb host in Montreal

Zniber says Airbnb told him not to worry.

He left the key in a flower pot and went to eat dinner. But he started to feel uneasy and messaged the renter, telling him that he would cancel his stay.

On Friday, Aug. 12, the renter contacted him back and asked to rent his place.

"I gave him the key at 7:40 p.m. and I went to my girlfriend's place for the night," said Zniber.

On Saturday, his brother mentioned that their cousin, Bendhamane,had been robbed. It was only when Zniber phoned herto ask if she had any details about the robber that they realized it was the same person who rented out both their homes.

"She told me his name, and I freaked out. It's the guy!"saidZniber.

He went back home to find that histelevision andclothes were stolen.

"Airbnb had hours to alert us to let us know that this guy had robbed my cousin to let me know and anyone else know that he was a thief. And they did nothing."

Both Zniber and Bendhamane saidthey filed police reports.

Znibersaid he is charging Airbnb$8,000for his valuables as well as for the cost of the days he had to cancel for a visitor who wanted to rent his apartment for 20 days.

So far, the companyhas given him a $600 deposit fee.

In a statement to CBC News, anAirbnbspokespersonsaid it is"extremely rare"for its users to have negative experiences.

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The servicehas a number of measures designed to protect hosts andrenters, including employing a trust-and-safety team that is on call to help those who run into trouble.

Airbnb alsooffers insurance for hostsandwill reimburse eligible hosts for damages up to$1 million.