Tenant secretly mines, landlord receives sky-high electricity bill

Recently, an Airbnb host named Ashley shared a staggering experience on the social media TikTok. One tenant stayed at her place for three weeks and not only gave her a five-star review but also kept the room clean and tidy. However, Ashley was stunned when she received an electricity bill of up to US$1,500 (approximately NT$48,300).

To find out the truth, Ashley reviewed footage from the property's exterior security cameras. She was shocked to find that the tenants moved out at least 10 computers when they left, and even set up a temporary charging station for their electric cars. After further investigation, the tenant admitted to conducting cryptocurrency mining activities within the past three weeks and claimed to have made profits of more than US$100,000 (approximately NT$3.22 million).

Airbnb steps in to mediate, landlord updates house rules to ban mining

Initially, Ashley had some difficulty contacting the tenant because the tenant was unwilling to pay the additional electricity bill. Fortunately, Airbnb provides an “AirCover application” service for hosts to apply for compensation when tenants cause damage. While this was not typical property damage, due to the disputed nature of the electric bill, Ashley filed a complaint with Airbnb and provided relevant evidence. Ultimately, with Airbnb’s coordination, the tenant agreed to pay the $1,500 electricity bill.

The incident sparked a lot of discussion. Some question whether Airbnb can still enforce power payments if renters aren't making such huge profits. Some comments also pointed out that if the tenant really made a profit of $100,000 in just three weeks, why would he take the risk to save this little electricity bill. However, experienced miners who have mined may be confused about this. After all, under current market conditions, it is not common to make a profit of $100,000 in three weeks and only incur an electricity bill of $1,500.

After experiencing this incident, Ashley decided to add "no cryptocurrency mining" and "no electric vehicle charging" clauses to the house rules. "It's cheaper for them to rent than to pay that electricity bill," she said on TikTok. The incident also sparked concern among other Airbnb hosts, prompting them to consider taking similar measures to deal with the impact of cryptocurrency mining on power resources. huge consumption.

New challenges in the sharing economy call on tenants to use them with integrity

This incident highlights new challenges in the sharing economy model. As one of the most successful representatives of the sharing economy in the world, Airbnb’s business model is based on mutual trust between hosts and guests.

Source: Airbnb Airbnb is one of the most successful representatives of the sharing economy in the world, allowing landlords and tenants to complete house rentals through the platform.

However, with the development of technology, some tenants have begun to take advantage of this trust relationship to engage in energy-intensive activities, such as cryptocurrency mining, which may not only violate the landlord's expectations, but also cause security risks.

Experts remind tenants to notify their landlords in advance and obtain permission before engaging in energy-intensive activities. After all, the electrical equipment in ordinary residences may not be able to withstand such a large power demand, and rash use may cause safety issues. At the same time, landlords will also need to be more nuanced in their building rules to address these emerging use cases.

This incident undoubtedly sounded the alarm for Airbnb and other sharing platforms, reminding them that they need to constantly update their policies to adapt to new challenges brought about by technological development. It also called on users to abide by basic integrity while enjoying the convenience of the sharing economy. Principle, respect the property of others.