KENNEBUNK (NEWS CENTER Maine) — The U.S. Navy has taken Peter Donaher across the world over the last 25 years. However, he and his wife Susan, planned on laying down roots in Kennebunk. The Donahers already bought their ‘forever home’ when a friend called with a job proposal for Peter in Hawaii. The two decided to rent out their home to cover the mortgage payment.
It took a few months, but Betty Ingham, their neighbor, and her husband started to notice license plates from ‘all over.’ They began to believe other people, than the contracted tenants, were living on the property. The Inghams discovered the Donaher’s property was listed on the short-term rental website Airbnb.
“We got a text with a link to a website we’ve never heard of. It’s called AirBnB,” said Donaher. “We essentially found most of our home for rent.”
The basement and others space were available as private rooms. Donaher says people were even camping outside and sleeping in a horse trailer.
“We were totally shocked,” said Betty Ingham. “We knew something was going on, but we didn’t really know what. This was their dream house and to have that many people living in it and they were so far away… it’s not like they could do anything about it.”
According to court documents, the Donahers took legal action in 2017 against the tenants and AirBNB. The short-term rental website was dismissed from the case.
“Hosting is a serious responsibility and that’s why we encourage all hosts to think carefully about those obligations before sharing their home, whether it’s talking to your neighbors or checking with your landlord. In the case of an issue, we encourage anyone to contact our 24/7 customer service team to ensure a swift resolution, which is exactly what we provided in this case.”Airbnb Spokesperson
Airbnb told NEWS CENTER Maine that the website was contacted by the owners in September 2015 about the listing. By October, the host was informed about the listing being removed and future reservations canceled. There has been no listing at this address since October 2015, according to Airbnb.
The Donahers reached out to NEWS CENTER Maine because they want military and other families to be careful if they are looking to rent out their homes so this doesn’t happen again. They also didn’t name the tenants they rented their property to, but say by the end of the ordeal the home has over $18,000 worth of damage.© NEWS CENTER Maine
