Homeowners sue rental company in wake of destructive house party

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This article was published 06/04/2023 (1257 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The owners of a house just outside Winnipeg that was trashed in a raucous youth party in late February have filed a lawsuit against a short-term rental firm.

Inderjeet and Tarwinder Singh are seeking $30,262.03 from Expedia Canada Corp. to cover the costs of damage repair and thefts during the Feb. 24 incident in the Rural Municipality of Rosser. Its parent company, Expedia Group, owns vacation property rental company Vrbo.

The homeowners allege in the claim, filed March 24 in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench, the firm acted negligently and allowed criminal activities in the rental property.

Expedia and Vrbo did not immediately return requests for comment Thursday. No statement of defence has yet been filed.

The party that night in the small, three-floor baby blue house on a rural road just off of Provincial Trunk Highway 190 was broken up by Headingley RCMP.

Police encountered a chaotic scene when they arrived around 11:30 p.m. for a report of gunshots, among other calls.

“When officers arrived, it was mayhem,” Manitoba RCMP spokeswoman Tara Seel said at the time.

RCMP said a teen girl asked Mounties for help, as her friend needed emergency medical assistance for a drug overdose. Outside, officers found a teen boy who had been assaulted.

Both were taken to hospital with serious injuries, where another male was already receiving treatment for an assault.

Seel said at the time the out-of-control party was mostly attended by teens and it had been advertised on social media.

The homeowners allege at least 100 people were on site, but they had rented it to one person for $191.42, with a maximum of six guests allowed.

“A group of… people came (to the) property and intentionally damaged the full house,” the lawsuit claims.

Party-goers broke the locks to storage rooms and the garage, stole unspecified items, and broke downs and windows, the claim alleges. The repairs cost $16,960.53, while the thefts and broken items cost $11,750, according to the document.

The homeowners said the house needed a $1,551.50 deep clean “to remove blood stains from walls and floors” and remove broken glass, drywall, doors and dishes.

The Singhs allege they asked Vrbo to pay for the cleaning and damage, but the company told them to request the money from the registered guest, who hasn’t returned messages or calls.

The lawsuit says they did not sign an insurance waiver when posting the property on the Vrbo app. According to Vrbo’s website, its liability insurance doesn’t cover property damage.

In the suit, the homeowners ask the company to cease operations in Winnipeg until it implements policies meant to protect minors and others.

The couple said they cancelled all future bookings with the vacation rental company.

“Expedia is a billion-dollar worldwide company, (it) should have safe policies to protect… citizens rather than earning commissions only,” the claim reads.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera