Christina McQuillan found dozens of people at her flat after concerned neighbours called her

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Airbnb says it is providing support to a user of the short-term home letting site who is at the centre of claims that her property was “trashed” after a tenant used it for a New Year’s Eve party.

Christina McQuillan, a magazine designer from London, was reportedly summoned to the property in Putney after a neighbour alerted her to a party involving dozens of people.



The flat had been rented out for one night by McQuillan, who was said to have called the police after she was assaulted at the scene.

“It was horrific – me and my partner got to the property and there were hundreds of people on the streets,” the Evening Standard quoted her as saying. “We entered the property and we told her to shut it down immediately. This girl just laughed and said ‘no, I’m holding a party’.”

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Airbnb declined to say whether it would be providing compensation to McQuillan, but released a statement saying that it was in contact with her and was providing full support.



The statement said: “We have zero tolerance for this kind of behaviour and have removed this guest from our platform.”

The company also said that, out of 35 million guests who had stayed on Airbnb properties last year worldwide, just 540 cases of what it described as “significant property damage” – damage costing more than $1,000 (£680) – were reported to it.

It said that fewer than 300 calls were received by Airbnb’s trust and safety team last summer, when more than 17 million people used properties listed with the site.

Last April, police in Canada found a trail of destruction, liquor and mayonnaise at a Calgary home rented out through Airbnb – after what the owners heard described as “a drug-induced orgy” at their home.

Mark and Star King told Canadian media that neighbours saw a party bus and cars pull up to their house, with about 100 people filing out of the vehicles and into their home.

• This article was amended on 5 January 2016 to remove a quote which was reported from another publication, but which has since been denied.