I was a female alone with 4 ten year old girls, James terrified all of us. He stayed for over an hour when we first arrived which unnerved all of us. I politely said that he could go as I needed to cook the girls dinner. He disappeared but we didn’t hear the front door close, I was very worried and actually checked all the wardrobes as I felt like he was still in the property. I couldn’t find him, but I did notice that a large window in the living room (with a mezzanine floor where the children were going to sleep) was slightly open, I realised that it opened directly on to a roof terrace, it was pitch black outside so I couldn’t see anything, I locked it for our safety. All of us felt uneasy in the apartment and I kept getting the feeling that someone was watching me. About an hour later at nearly 9pm a face appeared at the window, he scared me so much! He shouted at me saying that I wasn’t allowed to lock the window as he needed access as he was staying on the roof terrace. I opened the window and he climbed down into the living room/mezzanine bedroom, I instantly saw that his zipper on his trousers was fully down and there was a gaping hole, i told him to do his fly up which annoyed him. He continued shouting at me reading out the terms and conditions from his listing, but he hadn’t done his fly up so I had to ask him a second time. I instantly felt that this was an incredibly dangerous situation for a lone female with 4 young children. He said that the listing was his home and could come and go as he pleased at anytime day/night and that I hadn’t read the listing properly. He then was aggressively shouting and telling me why it was his right to enter the property at anytime. I explained that I had 4 young girls in my care and I couldn’t have him coming in throughout the night while the girls were asleep in the same room on a mezzanine level and so we wanted to leave immediately. We were all in fear of what he might do to us but as we tried to gather our things and leave he blocked our exit to the front door and continued shouting. I have never been so scared in all my life! I started filming him at this point begging him to let us leave which he eventually did. I had my husband on speaker phone the whole time so he could hear the whole situation and call the police if needed.
By the time I got home which was over an hour drive and calmed the children down the host was already harassing me, calling me names and telling me that I needed therapy by message on Airbnb. I have reported him. But I think it’s essential that he is not allowed to host anyone in his property ever again. The children were traumatised and will never forget how scared this man made them feel. It was meant to be a special treat for my daughters 10th birthday, but he ruined it.