The owner of this Harry Potter-themed holiday home was left wishing she could cast a spell after discovering an almighty mess left behind by guests.
Devastated by what she claims is £5,000 worth of damage, the woman described the sight as ‘the most horrific scene ever’ after inhabitants of the Watford home ‘trashed’ the whole place.
Sharing a video of the aftermath, Sadie, who has kept her surname private, revealed a heavily stained mattress, upturned furniture in the hallway, and a broken TV, to name just a few of the damages.
The TikTok, which has received over 300,000 likes, began: ‘Someone had turned our Airbnb upside down. They have literally trashed the entire place.’
An AI voiceover continued: ‘The floating candles I have on the ceiling are all on the floor, the living room is a mess, things are all out of place, the TV has been smashed with bleach poured all over it, frozen chips all over the floor, Fanta splashes all over the walls and the windowsill.’
She also showed Harry Potter merchandise, such as mugs and glasses shattered and discarded.
‘We have never had anyone do this,’ Sadie said. ‘This [property] was made for families with children and now we have had to close it down until it is safe.’
Expressing more emotion in her caption, she compared the vandalism to ‘the most heartbreaking thing’, asking: ‘How can someone be so cruel to do this which was thoughtfully made to make young children smile?’
She proceeded to call out Booking.com directly, which is the platform the guests used to arrange their stay, claiming the company ‘did absolutely nothing’ to help rectify the matter, despite her having hosted with them ‘for years’.
‘Had this happened on @airbnb, I am 100% certain they would have taken full action,’ the holiday homeowner, who advertises on both websites, added.
Sadie later noted that Booking.com had asked her to provide photos and videos to allow them to investigate properly but hadn’t yet heard back.
A spokesperson for Booking.com told Metro: ‘We do not tolerate destructive behaviour, and we are sorry to hear about any damage caused to the property.
‘Regarding this case, we are conducting a thorough investigation and will cooperate with local authorities or law enforcement and if necessary, block the responsible customer from our platform.
‘To safeguard against such incidents, we recommend that property owners obtain relevant insurance policies before listing online and set a damage deposit.’
In the comments of Sadie’s TikTok, some suggested she also report the guests to the police, including @jasminwaterhouse87, who wrote: ‘That’s criminal damage!’
‘This feels like a murder scene,’ added @allhailmotörhead, while @undoubtedlytoast said: ‘Don’t ever go into someone’s home and trash it. It’s pure disrespect.’
Sadie clarified that she did report the incident to Hertfordshire Police, although they ‘didn’t arrive at the scene’ initially or contact her for days after.
‘I couldn’t leave it like that; I have bookings,’ she said when commenters advised her not to clean the mess so officers could gather evidence when they did come to inspect.
Assuming the damage was caused by a couple who stayed on Valentine’s Day, Sadie added: ‘I have no idea what happened but the police are investigating and we will keep everyone updated as we receive more news.’
Hertfordshire Police confirmed in a statement that they are looking into the ‘report of criminal damage,’ saying: ‘Enquiries are ongoing at this time but if you have information, you can report it online at herts.police.uk/report.’
Before it descended into disarray, the Airbnb was a hotspot for Potterheads, situated just a five-minute drive away from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London.
Sadie manages three Harry Potter-themed properties in the Watford area, each decorated with memorabilia to give fans of the wizarding franchise an unforgettable experience.
However, she must now fork out for two professional cleans of the property and replace mattresses, beds, the TV, and the Wi-Fi router.
Hopefully, this will restore some of its magic.
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