Airbnb Host From LA Enters Her Rental After Checkout. Then She Reveals What Was Waiting Inside: ‘I Need To Show You’
Blatant disregard.
Airbnb hosts across the country are sounding the alarm after yet another viral video exposed the nightmare of reckless guests. Janelle Ivy, a host from Los Angeles, walked into her family’s rental property after a guest’s checkout and found a scene so chaotic she felt compelled to film it. The TikTok, posted under her handle @janelle._.ivy, has already racked up over 3 million views, and for good reason.
Allegedly, the damage left behind wasn’t just messy, it was outright destructive, leaving Janelle and her family scrambling to salvage the space before the next guests arrived. The video opens with Janelle warning viewers that they won’t be prepared for what they’re about to see. “I need to show you,” she says, her voice heavy with disbelief. What follows is a tour of absolute disarray.
The state of the front entrance alone was enough to make anyone wince. Then we see a shattered glass tabletop, broken blinds, and a trail of trash continuing into the kitchen. Bottles, food scraps, and random debris are scattered everywhere. Janelle pans to a whole chicken wing left on a table, then moves upstairs where the damage only gets worse. A bed frame is broken, bunk beds are littered with misplaced items, and two blankets are missing entirely.
The sheer scale of the mess is staggering
Janelle’s frustration is palpable, especially considering the next guests were due to arrive within hours. “This is our home that we had,” she says in the video. “I grew up in this house, and we’ve shared it with so many wonderful people. But then there’s people like this who just have no respect for other people.”
The emotional toll is clear. This wasn’t a mere rental property. For Janelle and her family, it was a space that had hosted countless positive experiences before this incident. Now, they are left dealing with the fallout, including canceled reservations and the daunting task of repairing the damage.
The response to the video has been a mix of outrage, shock, and solidarity from fellow hosts. Many urged Janelle to take legal action. “Press charges, that’s definitely over $1,000 in damages,” one user wrote. “They need to be held criminally liable.” Another chimed in, “You need to file a police report – this is vandalism.”
Others shared their own stories, like the host whose guests flooded an entire house by leaving the jacuzzi running or the parent whose 19-year-old daughter and friends left their rental spotless after a FaceTime walkthrough. The contrast between responsible guests and those who leave destruction in their wake couldn’t be starker.
Airbnb did reach out to Janelle after the video went viral
The process of resolving the issue is far from over. In a follow-up clip, she mentioned that her mother had filed a complaint immediately and they were awaiting next steps. The financial and emotional strain of incidents like this can’t be overstated.
Hosts invest time, money, and care into their properties, only to have it undermined by guests who treat the space like a frat house. Janelle’s video is a stark reminder of why so many hosts are tightening their rules, raising prices, or even reconsidering whether short-term rentals are worth the risk.
This isn’t an isolated incident, either. According to Wales Online, another Airbnb host in Wales shared a similar story of guests who left a luxury rental in shambles. Gavin Rowlands, who runs Afan Forest House with his wife Kelly, was left “speechless” after a group of 10 people (despite booking for nine) trashed the property.
Empty beer cans, cigarette butts, and leftover food were strewn throughout the home, and the guests overstayed their checkout time by over an hour. Gavin’s cleaner, Rose, spent four and a half hours restoring the space to its former glory – a job that should have taken half the time if the guests had simply followed basic house rules.
Both incidents highlight the broader challenges hosts face
While the majority of guests are respectful, a small handful can cause disproportionate damage. “We work really hard, and it took us six months to do that place up the way it is,” Gavin said. “When you come in and see that people have done that to it, it really puts you off doing it.” His advice to other hosts? “Be careful. Make sure you check their reviews and check what type of people they are before their booking.”
For Janelle, the silver lining is the support she’s received from the Airbnb community. Many viewers expressed disgust at the guests’ behavior, with one commenter writing, “This is why it’s annoying when people say, ‘Well, why would I clean up if I’m getting charged a cleaning fee?’ Like, I get you, but even if I’m getting charged, I still clean up. The Airbnb hosts are not my maids.”
It’s a sentiment that resonates with hosts everywhere. Cleaning fees are meant to cover the cost of restoring a space to its original condition, not to enable guests to treat someone else’s property like a dumpster.
The question now is what happens next. Will Airbnb take stronger action against guests who repeatedly violate house rules? Will hosts continue to bear the brunt of the financial and emotional burden?
For now, Janelle’s video serves as a cautionary tale and a rallying cry for hosts who refuse to let a few bad apples ruin the experience for everyone. If you’re an Airbnb host, it might be time to revisit your booking policies, increase your minimum stay requirements, or even invest in more thorough guest vetting.
(Featured images: Janelle Ivy @janelle._.ivy on TikTok)
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