Since sharing my story about the guest who cut my power and taped up my vents, the internet has had one overwhelming question:

“Why didn’t you just call the police?”

The answer is simple: I did. Twice. And the guest called them once.

In total, police were at my home three separate times. And not only did they fail to remove the intruder, but in one terrifying instance, they became the intruders themselves.

The Double Standard

There is a terrifying reality about tenancy laws that bad actors know how to exploit. If I call the police because I feel unsafe, it is a “Civil Matter.” If the guest calls the police because he feels “threatened” by my attempts to fix my own home, it is an emergency.

When I called the police to report that a man was tampering with my electrical grid and intimidating me, I was made to wait hours. When they finally arrived, the response was a shrug.

Police: “This is a civil dispute. Until Airbnb cancels the reservation, he has a right to be here. We can’t evict him without a court order.”

But when he called them? That was a different story.

The Bathroom Incident

The most harrowing interaction started over the HVAC vents. As I documented in my previous post, the guest had taped cereal boxes over the vents, backing up heat into my room and creating a hazard.

I attempted to remove the obstruction. The guest became aggressive, and an argument ensued. I retreated to my sanctuary—my master bedroom—and locked the door. I then went into the attached bathroom and locked that door as well.

I didn’t know he had called 911.

While I was indisposed in the restroom, seeking a moment of peace in my own home, I heard footsteps. Inside my locked bedroom.

The police had arrived in minutes for him. They didn’t knock on my bedroom door; they unlocked it and entered. Then, I heard the handle of the bathroom door jiggle.

I watched in horror as the lock on the bathroom door began to turn. Someone was unlocking and opening my locked bathroom door while I was in the most vulnerable position possible.

I jumped up and screamed: “Get out! Get out of my home!”

I later checked my cameras. The police had let themselves into my private, locked quarters based solely on the word of a guest who was actively dismantling my house’s electronic infrastructure and keeping me trapped at time in my closet or bedroom.

The “Civil Matter” Trap

This is the trap that Airbnb hosts fall into.

The police told me repeatedly: “We need Airbnb to cancel the reservation.”

Meanwhile, Airbnb Support was telling me: “We need a police report before we can act.”

I was stuck in a loop. The police wouldn’t act without Airbnb, and Airbnb wouldn’t act without the police. And while they pointed fingers at each other, I was left trapped in a home with a man who was cutting my power and using the police as a weapon against me.

So, to everyone asking why I didn’t call the police:

I did. They came. They entered my bedroom. And then they left him there.

(Read the full series: Part 1: The Power Cut | Part 2: The Thermostat Wars)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why didn’t you just call the police?

I did call the police – twice. Both times they told me it was a “civil matter” and that they couldn’t remove the guest without a court order. They said they needed Airbnb to cancel the reservation first, but Airbnb was waiting for a police report. I was trapped in a bureaucratic loop.

Can police really break into your bathroom?

Yes, they did exactly that. When the guest called 911, police arrived within minutes and entered my locked master bedroom without knocking. They then proceeded to unlock my bathroom door while I was inside. I later confirmed this on my security cameras – they entered based solely on the guest’s word.

Why didn’t Airbnb help remove the guest?

Airbnb kept telling me they needed a police report before they could act. Meanwhile, police were telling me they needed Airbnb to cancel the reservation before they could remove the guest. This circular logic left me trapped with someone who was cutting my power and using the police as a weapon against me.

What is the “civil matter” trap that Airbnb hosts face?

When a host calls police about a problematic guest, officers often classify it as a “civil matter” because the guest has a valid reservation. This means police won’t remove the guest. But when the guest calls police claiming they feel “threatened,” it’s treated as an emergency. Bad actors exploit this double standard to intimidate hosts while remaining protected by tenancy laws.

———————–

Previous Posts Airbnb AirCover Exposed: How Platform Liability and Negligence Left a Superhost Defenseless Against an Unstable Guest
Hostage in My Home: An Investigation into Airbnb’s Safety Support Failures and Utility Tampering Protocols

4 AM Hostage: Investigating Airbnb’s Systematic Failure to Protect Superhosts During Active Physical Threats

Link to my listing in Dallas
Airbnb in the Acropolis Neighborhood in Athens, Greece

Last updated on February 7th, 2026 at 01:57 am