Airbnb squatter nightmare ends as brothers leave Palm Springs condo

Airbnb nightmare appears to have a happy ending. (iStock)

Two men who have been squatting as Airbnb guests in a Palm Springs condo have quietly vacated the property after the owner filed an unlawful detainer notice, reports the SF Chronicle.

In May, Cory Tschogl, a San Francisco resident, rented out her Southern California vacation home to Maksym and Denys Pashanin through Airbnb. The brothers may be behind a bogus video game scam that received Kickstarter funding. After 30 days occupying Tschogl's home, the duo stopped paying rent and refused to vacate the Palm Springs property.

After a storm of media attention, Tschogl, with the help of the travel site, began the legal eviction process, complicated by state tenant laws that may have worked in the squatters’ favor.

Now, Tschogl is happy the nightmare is over, although she told the Chronicle she plans to sell the home, after feeling “violated” by the whole experience.

“It’s almost like closure, but I still feel very emotionally and mentally uneasy,” Tschogl said.

Neighbors and surveillance team hired by Airbnb have confirmed the Pashanins have officially left the home. The squatters appeared to have imparted minimal damage to the home and Tschogl is thankful the matter seems to be resolved.

“The press involvement led by (The Chronicle) pushed everything forward so (the squatters left) four months earlier than expected, and I’m very grateful,” Tschogl said. “As crazy and stressful as the media attention was, I’m happy the story went viral.”

The condo owner also said Airbnb ended up covering almost all of her out-of-pocket expenses related to the incident.