Never ever anger someone who works the night shift and is trying to get some well-deserved sleep. Otherwise, you’ll paint a target on your back as they transform into Sherlock Holmes (or Batman, or both).

Redditor u/Tunasaladboatcaptain shared a riveting story with the r/pettyrevenge online community about how he and his girlfriend busted an illegal Airbnb ring in their apartment complex. His partner works the night shift, so she sleeps during the day. However, she kept being woken up by the door slamming next door.

That’s when she began noticing that new people kept coming over to stay for very short periods of time. She did some digging online and uncovered someone’s illegal “short-term business empire.” Check out the full story below, as told by the woman’s boyfriend.

A night shift worker kept having her sleep interrupted by the neighbors slamming the door

Image source: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

She soon realized that new people kept showing up at the apartment complex, and this led her down the illegal Airbnb listing rabbit hole

Image source: ConvertKit (not the actual photo)

Image source: Tunasaladboatcaptain

What the redditor’s girlfriend uncovered was shocking. As it turns out, one of their neighbors and his business partner were renting out 4 apartments next door. One of the apartments was a handicap-accessible unit.

“That’s right. This man and his business partner leased an apartment meant for accommodating people with disabilities with the intention of using it for his little short-term business empire he was trying to build. Our city and region (like in other places) has been feeling the squeeze on apartment availability and these dickheads are contributing to the problem,” u/Tunasaladboatcaptain shared his frustration.

That’s when the couple decided that they couldn’t just ignore this. His girlfriend got in touch with the leasing office and they took the situation very seriously. They started an investigation into the matter. The result? The ‘entrepreneur’ was left paying rent on four units without the income from short-term Airbnb stayers to offset his losses. He was forced to vacate the building. And that’s why you don’t mess with someone who works the night shift!

There’s a constant struggle between various cities and illegal Airbnb listings. For instance, New York City, Boston, and Santa Monica, among others in the US, are fighting against short-term leases. There is a shortage of homes, as landlords (and even tenants!) rush to capitalize on short-term Airbnb stays. These are far more lucrative than long-term leases. And guests are often unaware that a listing doesn’t comply with the local laws.

Local laws might differ, but the exhaustion from short-term renters is felt far and wide. Illegal house parties are just the tip of the iceberg. CNBC found that some hosts even instruct their guests to lie and tell anyone who asks that they’re friends of the landlord. There’s a lot of money to be made here, and it’s making life extremely difficult for the locals.

“We’re seeing commercialized, predatory companies that are trying to commercialize our residential communities in ways that are damaging to our citizens and our residents and our quality of life. It is predatory,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told CNBC back in 2018.

The author of the post shared a few more thoughts in the comments

Some people shared their honest opinions about Airbnb and the housing crisis, and opened up about their own rental experiences

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