500 teens trash Airbnb rental: ‘I should’ve thrashed it more,’ says party host
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A Brisbane homeowner is grappling with the aftermath of a chaotic event that spiraled out of control when an Airbnb rental turned into a wild party.
What followed was a disturbing message from the host, sparking outrage and raising questions about accountability in the world of short-term rentals.
The situation has left both the homeowner and authorities trying to piece together the full scope of the damage and what, if anything, can be done to prevent similar incidents in the future.
A Brisbane homeowner, Benjamin Holt, found himself caught in the middle of a nightmare when a wild party trashed his property, leaving chaos and destruction behind.
The rental home, listed on Airbnb, was meant to host a family of five, but it quickly spiralled into an open-invite party that attracted around 500 teenagers.
As the night unfolded, the house suffered significant damage—furniture was upturned, walls were smeared with sauce, and a table was destroyed.
Beds were soiled, and broken glass, plastic cups, and booze were scattered across the home.
Neighbours reported seeing the teens shaking cars and climbing on rooftops before police arrived.
Despite the extensive damage, Holt saw a silver lining: ‘the mess can be fixed’, he said, adding that the most important thing was that no one was hurt.
A few hours later, Holt was shocked to receive an unsettling email from the party host.
The message, sent by someone claiming to be the host, criticised Holt for involving the police and media, stating: ‘Why the hell would you get the cops and news involved, man?’
The email continued: ‘I should’ve thrashed the house even more. I ain’t paying for anything which was damaged. If u wanna press charges go for it dude.’
Holt was left shaking his head, saying the backlash was ‘very concerning’.
He added: ‘I’m just not sure how there hasn’t been any sort of lesson that’s been learned yet.’
The situation only grew more complicated as police worked to control the crowd, and one teenager who had attended the event described the scene as ‘very terrifying’ and ‘very scary.’
‘Everyone knew it was going to end badly, so many didn’t go,’ the teen explained.
‘It was very terrifying, very scary. The whole party was chaos. Everyone was fighting.’
Despite this, the host’s behaviour only added fuel to the fire, with authorities continuing to investigate the incident.
It was later revealed that the party host was a student at Brisbane Boys’ College, though sources said few of the school’s students actually attended the event.
André Casson, the headmaster of Brisbane Boys’ College, expressed his disappointment: ‘I’m incredibly disappointed and saddened. It really was something that is very counter to what we value as a school.’
While Holt had taken all the necessary steps to verify the renter, it was soon discovered that the profile was fake.
As a result, Airbnb would cover the damages, but experts warned that claiming for large-scale incidents like this can be challenging for hosts.
‘The devil is in the detail,’ said consumer law expert Mark Giancaspro.
‘They’re trying to avoid or minimise as much as they can their liability in these situations.’
Holt remains determined to restore his home, although he acknowledged that ‘there’s not really an end in sight just yet’.
The Queensland State Government is now considering tighter regulations for tenant registration to prevent similar incidents in the future, with Housing Minister Scott O’Connor saying: ‘We’re open to all options to make sure that system can be better regulated.’
As the investigation continues, the party host is set to be interviewed by police.
To see more on this shocking incident, watch the full coverage of the chaos that unfolded at the Brisbane Airbnb.
Watch the video below for exclusive footage and details.
Source: Youtube/Sunrise
With the party host’s reckless behaviour still under investigation, what do you think should be done to prevent these types of incidents in the future?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
What followed was a disturbing message from the host, sparking outrage and raising questions about accountability in the world of short-term rentals.
The situation has left both the homeowner and authorities trying to piece together the full scope of the damage and what, if anything, can be done to prevent similar incidents in the future.
A Brisbane homeowner, Benjamin Holt, found himself caught in the middle of a nightmare when a wild party trashed his property, leaving chaos and destruction behind.
The rental home, listed on Airbnb, was meant to host a family of five, but it quickly spiralled into an open-invite party that attracted around 500 teenagers.
As the night unfolded, the house suffered significant damage—furniture was upturned, walls were smeared with sauce, and a table was destroyed.
500 teens wreak havoc at Airbnb rental property. Image source: 7News
Beds were soiled, and broken glass, plastic cups, and booze were scattered across the home.
Neighbours reported seeing the teens shaking cars and climbing on rooftops before police arrived.
Despite the extensive damage, Holt saw a silver lining: ‘the mess can be fixed’, he said, adding that the most important thing was that no one was hurt.
A few hours later, Holt was shocked to receive an unsettling email from the party host.
The message, sent by someone claiming to be the host, criticised Holt for involving the police and media, stating: ‘Why the hell would you get the cops and news involved, man?’
The email continued: ‘I should’ve thrashed the house even more. I ain’t paying for anything which was damaged. If u wanna press charges go for it dude.’
Holt was left shaking his head, saying the backlash was ‘very concerning’.
He added: ‘I’m just not sure how there hasn’t been any sort of lesson that’s been learned yet.’
The situation only grew more complicated as police worked to control the crowd, and one teenager who had attended the event described the scene as ‘very terrifying’ and ‘very scary.’
‘Everyone knew it was going to end badly, so many didn’t go,’ the teen explained.
‘It was very terrifying, very scary. The whole party was chaos. Everyone was fighting.’
Despite this, the host’s behaviour only added fuel to the fire, with authorities continuing to investigate the incident.
It was later revealed that the party host was a student at Brisbane Boys’ College, though sources said few of the school’s students actually attended the event.
André Casson, the headmaster of Brisbane Boys’ College, expressed his disappointment: ‘I’m incredibly disappointed and saddened. It really was something that is very counter to what we value as a school.’
While Holt had taken all the necessary steps to verify the renter, it was soon discovered that the profile was fake.
As a result, Airbnb would cover the damages, but experts warned that claiming for large-scale incidents like this can be challenging for hosts.
‘The devil is in the detail,’ said consumer law expert Mark Giancaspro.
‘They’re trying to avoid or minimise as much as they can their liability in these situations.’
Holt remains determined to restore his home, although he acknowledged that ‘there’s not really an end in sight just yet’.
The Queensland State Government is now considering tighter regulations for tenant registration to prevent similar incidents in the future, with Housing Minister Scott O’Connor saying: ‘We’re open to all options to make sure that system can be better regulated.’
As the investigation continues, the party host is set to be interviewed by police.
To see more on this shocking incident, watch the full coverage of the chaos that unfolded at the Brisbane Airbnb.
Watch the video below for exclusive footage and details.
Source: Youtube/Sunrise
With the party host’s reckless behaviour still under investigation, what do you think should be done to prevent these types of incidents in the future?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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