Airbnb host perplexed after guest steals artwork only to replace it with a new one (VIDEOS)

May 8 2023, 8:36 pm

In a story that seems like it was pulled right out of a whodunit film, an Airbnb host was left puzzled when she realized that artwork hanging in their apartment had been replaced by another painting.

Amy Corbett owns a boutique short-term rental company called All Belong Co with Airbnbs in Virginia, Ohio and South Carolina.

She was in a Zoom meeting in one of her rental properties in Lynchburg, Virginia, when she noticed something out of the ordinary in the background.

It was a painting of an airplane propeller hung above the couch in the living room.

“I have never seen this picture before in my life!” she said in a TikTok. “I don’t know where it came from. Suddenly it’s just hanging on my wall. I gotta say, I was a little creeped out.”

Corbett says she searched the rest of the apartment for the original artwork ā€” a black-and-white painting of a map ā€” but it was nowhere to be found.

“I’ve never had a guest take things off of my wall and then replace them,” she said.

Perplexed by this mystery, the Airbnb host took to TikTok to document her story, and the internet came together to help her investigate the curious case.

Most of her videos have garnered millions of views as people tuned in to each new clue she shared.

@allbelongco The weirdest thing a guest has ever done. #airbnb #airbnbstory #airbnbguest #airbnbthief #crazystory #story #fyp ā™¬ original sound – allbelong.co

She followed up the first TikTok sharing security footage of the alleged art thief.

The camera caught the guest walking from his car to the Airbnb carrying what looks to be the airplane propeller painting.

Minutes later the footage shows the guest walking back to his car carrying what Corbett thinks is her painting wrapped in a blanket.

@allbelongco Camera footage doesnā€™t lieā€¦šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø #airbnbstory #airbnbguest #fyp #airbnb #airbnbthief #allbelongco #story ā™¬ original sound – allbelong.co

Of course, the internet chimed in with their theories.

“They must have broken it or liked it and replaced it,” commented one person.

“Could be an HGTV, under cover project,” added another person.

“Did you check behind it for a camera?” suggested one commenter.

However, Corbett debunked all of these theories in another TikTok. She says there was no damage to the wall behind the painting and that you would’ve had to take the original artwork off the wall and stomp on it to break it.

@allbelongco Replying to @exploration_of_love Letā€™s debunk some theories while we wait to hear from Airbnbā€¦ #airbnb #airbnbguest #fyp ā™¬ original sound – allbelong.co

The Airbnb host ended up sending a claim through the platform. She says the guest paid a part of it, but not all of it.

“He didn’t say what happened. And when we asked him when he could pay the rest he asked us for a five-star review,” she explained.

She even reached out to his previous Airbnb hosts and turns out he’s done peculiar things at their rentals too.

Corbett says one of the hosts told her that the second time the guest rented from her, he started storing things in her garage without approval.

Another host told Corbett that he damaged their property, didn’t pay, and even threatened to call the cops on them.

But after all of this, he gave Corbett a five-star review as if nothing had happened. After she asked him to explain himself in the private feedback section, he questioned why she was making a claim about the replaced painting.

@allbelongco Replying to @nearbutstupid The art thief responded, but left us with more questions? šŸ˜… #airbnb #airbnbguest #fyp ā™¬ original sound – allbelong.co

While waiting to hear back from Airbnb on the matter, Corbett decided to do a little digging on the guest. She found out that he actually owned a startup that dealt with airplane parts.

“It wasn’t so random that he hung a picture of a propeller in my apartment. Maybe the painting was like leaving his business card,” she said in a TikTok.

@allbelongco Replying to @_kiraliana We found out a little more about our airbnb bandit šŸ«£ #airbnb #airbnbguest #fyp ā™¬ original sound – allbelong.co

Airbnb finally got back to the host telling her that she would be paid the full $100 claim to replace the painting. But Corbett was less concerned about the money and more concerned about the guest still being allowed to rent.

“Can you tell me if you’re going to keep allowing this person on your platform? Are you going to let guests who steal in other host homes got another email?” she questioned.

Airbnb replied, confirming that they would remove the guest from the platform.

@allbelongco Airbnbā€™s responseā€¦ #airbnbstory #fyp #airbnb #airbnbthief ā™¬ original sound – allbelong.co

The mystery wasn’t clearly solved, but Corbett was able to replace the airplane propeller painting with a piece she commissioned from a local artist.

@allbelongco Whatā€™s going on the wall next? #allbelongco #fyp #airbnbstory #airbnb #airbnbthief ā™¬ original sound – allbelong.co

Those who have been keeping up with the strange case suggested that she put a QR code next to the painting so guests can scan and listen to the story behind the artwork.

As for the fate of the airplane painting ā€” Corbett is raffling the piece and donating the proceeds to Rush Homes, an organization that provides housing for disabled people and those who can’t afford to pay rent.

@allbelongco What happens to the artwork? #allbelongco #fyp #airbnb ā™¬ original sound – allbelong.co

Isabelle DoctoIsabelle Docto

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