Noordwijk man listed Airbnb's as rental homes; At least 17 home seekers scammed
A 32-year-old man from Noordwijk is accused of scamming desperate tenants by listing Airbnb holiday rentals as actual rental homes. He defrauded at least 17 people, who lost money to him, but in many cases also ended up with nowhere to live.
The man “grossly exploited the housing shortage,” the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said in a press statement following the trial against the man on Tuesday. The OM recommended that the court sentence the man to 3 years in prison, six months of which should be conditionally suspended, and order him to pay compensation to the victims.
According to the OM, the man rented holiday homes through Airbnb and then listed the properties to rent on Marktplaats. This happened mostly in the Randstad. Prospective tenants contacted him, arranged a viewing, and paid a deposit and first month’s rent. But when the new tenants arrived at what they believed was their new home, they found it occupied and the suspect nowhere in sight.
The suspect defrauded 17 people in this way, and the suffering went far beyond financial loss, the OM said in court on Tuesday. Some tenants had already terminated their previous rentals and had nowhere to go. They ended up on the streets. “Victims not only lost their money, but also their homes, their safety, their trust in humanity, and their self-esteem,” the OM said.
In addition to 18 counts of fraud, the Noordwijk man is also charged with stealing an expensive watch. According to the OM, he stole a total of over €64,000.
