A Dunedin man who rented out his home on Airbnb while he went on a two-month holiday was horrified to learn it was allegedly used as a brothel.
The owner, who requested not to be named, said he rented his home to two Chinese nationals in July and August.
He told the Otago Daily Times when he returned the house "felt icky and smelled of cheap perfume."
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A plumber, who visited the house to repair the hot water system while the owner was away, told the ODT the house had been converted into a brothel.
"These girls had come down from Queenstown, travelling the country.
"It was very obvious what was going on," the plumber said.
The homeowner said he was confronted by a client when he arrived home asking "where are the girls?"
He told the ODT the man became verbally abusive when he said they weren't there.
A neighbour told the ODT a lot of men who didn't stay very long visited the house.
"I first noticed the light on at night and we started getting suspicious," the neighbour said.
AirBnB told Newshub in a statement that negative incidents such as this are extremely rare.
"We understand our hosts concern and have offered our full support.
"Our strict policies prohibit the activity reported and we have removed the guest from our platform.
"We also note that local law enforcement are aware of the matter and we stand ready to support any investigation," the statement said.
Newshub.
