D.C. Woman Accused of Squatting in Her Airbnb Rent-Free For Nearly a Year — and It Gets Worse

From cozy apartments in Paris to rustic New York lofts, Airbnb offers travelers a home-like oasis across the globe and more bang for your buck compared to hotels when the site burst onto the scene in 2008. But for a Washington, D.C., home owner, one guest’s short-term Airbnb booking just exposed what many hosts fear the most after a 32-day reservation turned into a near year-long nightmare.

Shadija Romero claimed her home had been damaged in a fire and needed a place to stay while it was being repaired in February, local news station 7News reported. Romero used Airbnb to reserve Rochanne Douglas’s fully-furnished unit in the nation’s capital for 32 days. The reservation, according to the outlet, was scheduled to end on March 29. However, Romero is reportedly still residing at the property more than 10 months later.

Romero allegedly put the home’s utilities in her name, removed Douglas’s personal property, tampered with security cameras and locked Douglas out from the home, according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail. But that’s not all.

Douglas alleged Romero threatened her and attempted to tow her work vehicle because its Douglas whose pretending to own the home. Romero, 7News reported, allegedly signed a document admitting she’s not a legal tenant after Douglas offered her $2,500 to sign in it October. But when her eviction date arrived on Nov. 15, Romero allegedly claimed the agreement simply “no longer works for me.”

The home owner claimed Romero told her, “Do what you have to do. I’m not leaving. I went to the police with my order, and they say there’s nothing that they can do, so I need to go to court.”

Romero, deemed a “squatter” by Douglas — not a trespasser but an unauthorized occupant who actively exploits tenant protection laws to remain in a property without paying rent — refuses to leave the home claiming those tenants’ rights. “I never gave her any tenancy,” Douglas said to 7News. “I never gave her a lease.”

This isn’t the first time Romero has been accused of “squatting” in and around D.C. She allegedly has a history of staying in multiple properties for months on end rent-free, according to court documents reviewed by 7News. Court records revealed two evictions from two other DC properties, including an alleged $35,000 debt for unpaid rent at the Jamison at Dakota Apartments and another $50,000 in back rent at another apartment complex. Real estate attorney Rich Bianco said her alleged history proves, “She knows what she’s doing.” He added, per the outlet, “So this isn’t the first rodeo.”

Fast forward to this year, neighbors claimed they saw Romero and her guests vacate Douglas’s property with a fully-packed up car and their bags. After Douglas changed the locks and boarded up the home, Romero allegedly returned with her daughter and broke in. There was no electricity, but a judge told Douglas to turn the power back on.  

After Romero’s controversial 7News interview defending her actions went viral, the internet was furious at her “audacity.”

“This lady is a con artist,” one person wrote on YouTube. Another called her a “scammer” with an “Appalling lack of conscience, accountability and integrity.” A third person commented: “Disgusting that she won’t leave this owner’s home!! Karma will get her.”

Tenant and squatter rights vary across America, but in D.C. and New York occupants require a court-ordered eviction after 30 days of living there.

7News reports Romero is seemingly living care-free on social media, posting her trips and promoting her non-profit.