East Houston couple worried about parties at Airbnb properties

HOUSTON — A young east Houston couple said they were nearly killed in February when shots rang out at a party next door. They said the property where the shots rang out was rented through Airbnb.

“We hadn’t even paid our first mortgage payment,” the homeowner said. “This is the first house I’ve bought.”

The woman asked that her name not be used in this story. She and her husband hadn’t even lived in the house for a month before she said they almost died.

“We definitely could have been killed and I’m lucky to be alive,” the woman said.

The woman showed KHOU 11 security video taken at a neighbor’s home across the street. Cars were seen coming from another townhouse in the complex that is a short-term rental. She said the houseguests were having a party as they often do, but that party ended in a fight – a shooting.

“You can see it with the semi-automatic rifle,” she said.

The young couple was surprised in the middle of a shooting. Inside the house, the couple jumped out of bed and called the police, but the Airbnb partygoers rushed and left before the cops arrived.

“To the left of that door, see that gray spot, that’s a bullet hole,” the woman said, pointing out the damage to her home. In the light of day, they were able to get a better idea of ​​their luck.

“We just put duct tape on it for now,” the woman said.

The couple counted 20 bullets hitting their home. Most of them did not penetrate the stucco, but several did. One of them was stuck between two panes of a window.

“There are four in this room,” she said. “It’s really bad.”

In the kitchen, bullets passed through the dishwasher and other appliances.

“You can see the hole where it hit my fryer,” she said.

And in their bedroom, one of the bullets went through the wall next to the headboard.

“We’re looking at about five thousand dollars worth of damage to our house,” the woman said.

For two months, the woman said she had been trying to get a response from Airbnb about the damage to their home. The woman said she eventually received a call from Airbnb’s insurance adjuster an hour after being contacted by KHOU 11.

A follow-up email from the adjuster states in part: “As I stated in a claim like this, where the host is not the negligent party who caused the damage , there is usually no liability. We recommend that you contact your Owner’s carrier to file a claim for your damages. I will, however, discuss this claim with management to see what our final decision will be.

While awaiting a decision, the woman said her hands were tied and the parties continued to take place.

“Airbnb, Airbnb, Airbnb, that’s also a left-wing Airbnb,” the woman said, pointing to the other buildings in her townhouse complex. “Yes, we are surrounded. There was a bachelorette party here last weekend.

She said if she and her husband had known who their neighbors would be before buying the house, they never would have moved in.

The Houston Police Department said it was still investigating the shooting and no arrests had been made. If anyone has information about the shooting, police ask you to call HPD’s Major Assault Division, go to the nearest station, call Crime Stoppers or report the information to police by all possible means.