A woman in Washington, D.C., rented an Airbnb for a month and, shockingly, decided to stay a while longer. The now-infamous squatter ended up staying at the property, without paying, for nearly a year. The owner of the property, however, appears to have had the last laugh.
The controversial and viral case was shared on TikTok by user Squatter Squad, reposting a 7News report. It all started back in February, when Shadija Romero, the squatter, rented Rochanne Douglas’s property through Airbnb.
While Romero was supposed to leave on March 29, after spending 32 days in the property. However, instead of leaving, Romero figured out that she had tenant rights as she had lived in the Airbnb for over a month. For the next 10 months, Romero allegedly prevented Douglas from entering the home and never paid rent after the initial reservation.
“I never gave her any tenancy,” Douglas told the outlet. ” I never gave her a lease.”
Douglas’s nightmare was just beginning. She reportedly gave Romero a 30-day notice to leave, called the police on her, and even went to court. For months, nothing worked.
Eventually, however, she convinced the Washington, D.C., squatter to sign a document in which Romero admitted to not being a tenant, allowing her to be removed. Douglas even offered thousands of dollars to make her sign the paper. She did, but the drama didn’t stop.
The document, however, proved vital later on.
Court Date Arrives, Reactions
With the police saying they could do nothing to help her, Douglas was forced to go to court. From November 15 to December 11, she waited. Meanwhile, she put up a sign on her property, which stated that Romero “was not authorized to be there,” 7News said. The sign, however, was covered with a sheet by Romero.
Eventually, the court date arrived. Fortunately for Douglas, the judge sided with her and determined that Romero does not have tenancy rights, 7News reported. The document Romero ultimately signed was crucial to Douglas’s case, and now she can remove Romero from her property.
In total, Romero spent 289 days at the Washington, D.C., house.
Many users were left outraged by Romero’s alleged actions. One user commented, “Why is squatter rights even a thing?” Another one said, “That’s why the longest rental should be cut at 28 days.” A third one added, “The GOVERNMENT is the real problem. This should NEVER be allowed.”
Fortunately, it appears that Douglas’s 10-month nightmare is over. By the looks of it, rental policies in the District of Columbia might change thanks to this case. And they should.
