Part of the appeal of staying in an Airbnb when traveling is getting to live like the locals do. You might find yourself trekking up 5 flights of stairs to stay in an apartment the size of a shoebox, but at least you’re getting an authentic experience! Yet despite how charming it can be to stay in a building with locals, encountering them might not be quite as enjoyable.

One woman shared a story on the Petty Revenge subreddit detailing how she and a friend received a not-so-warm welcome from a couple of residents of the building they recently stayed in. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as some of the replies readers shared.

It’s impossible to know exactly what to expect when staying at an Airbnb

Image credits: nikolast1 / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)

But when locals tried to keep this woman and her friend out of their building, they decided to get petty revenge

Image credits: Teona Swift / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: WarmAge9940

Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Airbnb aims to help guests live like locals

A decade ago, Airbnb was touted as one of the most brilliant ways to travel. No need to stay in an expensive hotel! Simply find a random apartment online that a local will let you borrow for a few days, and show up to find a lock box outside the door with some keys waiting inside. You might not sleep in a bed with pristine white, perfectly tucked in sheets, but you’re getting an experience. 

Nowadays, however, there’s been a lot of debate about whether Airbnbs are actually more affordable or enjoyable than hotels. Many travelers are done dealing with cleaning fees, communicating with hosts, staying in properties with questionable levels of cleanliness and being required to take out the trash upon leaving. And, of course, there can sometimes be hostility from local residents towards Airbnb guests.

According to their site, Airbnb aims to help guests “live like a local,” but what exactly does that mean? Well, they recommend keeping the host’s space safe and secure, being considerate when parking any vehicles, following the host’s rules and reporting any issues that arise. But there are a host of other problems that these vacation rentals might create for neighbors.

Image credits: Paul Hanaoka / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

But locals are often opposed to having vacation rentals in their neighborhoods

Travel blogger Alyse, also known as The Invisible Tourist, explains that oftentimes, the Airbnbs travelers think they’re innocently booking are actually illegal. In fact, in New York state in 2014, a whopping 72% of private listings for rent on Airbnb were illegal. This can be because landlords are avoiding hotel taxes, renting unlicensed properties, or renters are listing their apartments without consulting landlords.        

Another potential issue with these vacation rentals are the negative impacts they can have on local communities. Knowing their neighbors gives many residents peace of mind, and helps them feel more at home in their building or neighborhood. But when there’s someone new coming in and out every weekend, it’s impossible to know who’s staying next door.

Travelers are also often less considerate about making noise, cleaning up trash and following local customs. They might also steal a local’s parking spot unintentionally, and they can quickly become nuisances that disturb residents in their own homes.

Having too many vacation rentals can also contribute to the housing crises that many cities are already facing. If too many of these apartments or homes are used solely as Airbnbs, where are the locals supposed to live? 

Image credits: Keira Burton / Pexels (not the actual photo)

It’s better to ask questions than to make assumptions about strangers

As frustrating as it may be to encounter strangers that you’ve never seen before outside of your building, jumping to the assumption that they must be homeless and are not allowed inside isn’t the most polite way of responding. People are constantly moving in and out of apartment buildings, so there’s no way the women in this story could have known for sure that the women visiting didn’t actually live there. They also could have simply asked what they were doing there.

We have no control over whether or not our neighbors will be renting out their places as Airbnbs, but we can control our own behavior. The guests were simply outside smoking; they weren’t disturbing anyone. And wearing hoodies and sweatpants to feel cozy certainly does not mean that someone is homeless. Even if they were, wouldn’t it be better to show them compassion while it’s raining than to shove them outside?  

We would love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below, pandas. Do you think these women were right to get petty revenge on the ladies who didn’t want them in the building? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda piece discussing petty revenge, look no further than right here!   

Readers applauded the women for their revenge, and some shared similar experiences of their own

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