Condo owner furious after tenant rents out unit on Airbnb

An Ottawacondo owner currently living in Europe says he's "furious"Airbnb isn't taking his concerns seriously afterhis suite was rented out without his permission.

In January, Kasra Rasaee found a tenant to lease hisfully-furnished condo at 200Rideau St. for six months while Rasaeeisin Berlin on business.

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It wasn't long afterward, however, that Rasaee found an online listing for the suite on Airbnb complete with photos of his bedroom, his bathroom, his kitchen and his living room.

"I didn't expect this individual to go out and sublease my unitto total strangers that I've never met before, or haven't authorized to stay at my place," Rasaee said.

User making $60 profit per night

Rasaee was first notifiedabout the problem byhis building's security team. They notified him somethingunusual was going on after watching a strangeruse Rasaee'sfob to get into the building.

He did a quick search online and within five minutesdiscovered his unit had been listed on Airbnb.

"I was able to find my unit with all the decoration my bookshelf, my map from Peru, even my motorcycle helmet, my kitchen utensils," Rasaee said.

The Airbnb listingoffersa"business travel ready luxury condo" in downtown Ottawa for $126a night, and boastsabout its proximity to such local attractions as Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal and Elgin Street.

That's more than $60 in profit pernight compared withwhat Rasaee is charging for rent.

Other listings in Ottawa, Montreal

It's one of a number of listings put online by an anonymous, verifiedAirbnb user called"Stay."

The user who has uploaded a modified City of Ottawa logo instead of a profile photo wasrenting out at least 20units, mostly in Ottawa and Montreal.

CBCNews reached out to "Stay" for commentbut did not receive a response.

A message bounced back saying theuser is "not receiving messages."

CBChasnot been able to independently verify that "Stay" and the person named on Rasaee's lease are the same individual.

'Unable to mediate or assist,' Airbnb says

As soon as he found his suite listed on Airbnb, Rasaee saidhe called the company to report the matterand prepared photos and documentsto prove he owns the condo.

It took a week forAirbnbtoreply.

"Unfortunately, as an online platform, we are not privy to the offline agreements you may have made, so we are unable to mediate or assist,"Airbnbwrote to Rasaee."We recommend reaching out to your tenant to discuss and resolve this matter directly."

He then contacted his tenant directly,who denies he's renting out the unit, Rasaee said.

Rasaeewants Airbnbto make people prove the place they're renting is theirs or that they have permission from their landlord to rent it.

CBCaskedAirbnb if it would ever take down a listing whenan owner complainsit's being subleased, but the company didn't respond directly to the question.

"All hosts onAirbnbmust certify that they will comply with local rules before they list their space," the company wrotein a statement."We also have a hosting responsibilities page that reminds people to check their local laws and regulations and includes additional information and resources."

'They don't feel guilty'

Rasaeeisn't satisfied with that answer.

"Airbnb is not even taking action or responsibility, not even the slightest," he said."They don't feel guilty. They don't feel ethically responsible.

"It seems like they're just willing to take money from anybody that's willing to pay even if it's criminal."

Ottawa policeStaff Sgt. Stephanie Burns of the organized fraud unit saidit's a civil matter,not a criminal one.

Eviction the only recourse, lawyer says

Condo lawyer RodEscayola saidthe only recourse for landlords in Rasaee'spositionis to handan eviction notice to the tenant.

It's a process that takes at least 20 days if all goes smoothly, but can take longerif the tenant fights backand the matter goes to trial.

However, if Rasaee'stenant is in fact breaking Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act, Rasaeeis well within his rights to evict, Escayola said."It would be illegal for a tenant to sublease a unit without the consent of the owner."

It's also against the act for a tenant to sublease a unit for a profit, he added, and there may be an additional breach of the condominium corporation's rules.

Rasaee saidhis condo doesn't allowshort-term rentals such as Airbnb.

If that's the case, the condo board may also have the right to get involved under the Condominium Act, Escayola said. But ultimately it's up to the homeowner to sort out the issue.

"At the end of the day it's the landlord responsible for the unit," Escaloyasaid. "They have to ensure that the rules of the condo corporation are abided."