Kennedy Neiderer discovered everything that can go wrong with an Airbnb when she found a camp of bats in the living room of a North Myrtle Beach property. By some estimates, there were as many as two hundred bats, at least one of which was found to be infected with rabies.
Hardly an ideal vacation experience, Kennedy has gone so far as to file a lawsuit to help pay for her claimed medical costs. It is not clear what her condition was; however, it was, undoubtedly, not a pleasant experience. If the Airbnb guest was bitten by a bat that was infected with rabies, that could be viable grounds for a lawsuit.
The most interesting part is that the property owner already knew about the issue involving wild animals. A prior tenant had even reported it to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
It is confounding that anyone would try to rent out a house that he or she knew was overrun with bats. Whatever the cost would be to get rid of the animals, it would cost significantly more to settle the lawsuit and deal with the public blowback.
Avoiding a Rental Nightmare
It is essential to determine the condition of any property in which you are planning on staying. Read previous reviews of the property and even research the neighborhood to make sure that there are no known or potential problems. Perhaps, there was no way to learn about bats in advance; in these cases, do your best to minimize any potential risks.
Potential Risks May Also Be Faced When Buying a Property
Conducting proper research is even more critical when purchasing a property. You must avoid some of the most common pitfalls, such as wire fraud, delayed communications, and hidden fees and markups. Of course, there are more problems that plague the traditional property process; however, there is a way to stay safe.
Propy brings the buyer, the seller, the agents, the title company, and the other parties involved in the real estate transaction together in one platform. Propy’s Transaction Platform uses blockchain technology as its backbone. Additionally, Propy encourages transparency and eliminates the risk of fraud by keeping all communications between the parties in one place.
