Woman's 32-day Airbnb stay turned into months-long legal battle in Washington

A short-term rental arrangement can become complicated when a guest decides not to leave after the agreed period. That is what happened to Rochanne Douglas, a Washington, D.C., homeowner who initially welcomed a woman into her Northeast Washington property for a 32-day Airbnb stay. The booking was supposed to provide temporary accommodation while the guest waited for repairs to her previous apartment. Instead, the arrangement stretched into several months, payments became irregular and the guest disputed the homeowner’s attempts to regain possession. Even an offer of $2,500, alongside two months without rent, did not bring an immediate end to the disagreement. The matter eventually reached a judge.How a 32-day Airbnb booking turned into an extended stay in a Washington rowhouseAs reported by The Washington Post, the arrangement began in late February 2025 when Shadija Romero booked Douglas’s Northeast Washington rowhouse through Airbnb. Douglas, 49, had owned the property since 2019 and was working as a realtor and entrepreneur in Maryland.Romero reportedly explained that a fire had forced her out of her previous apartment and that repairs would take slightly more than a month. She wanted somewhere to stay while the work was completed. Douglas agreed to accommodate her, charging $100 a night through Airbnb.The initial booking covered 32 days.