Regina Airbnb owner left to clean up the mess after police take down drug operation

Imagine you are renting a property as an Airbnb, and the police tell you a SWAT team is about to raid the place.

For Tara Van Sichem, that’s exactly what happened.

“Wednesday evening, we get a call from the Regina police saying we got a warrant for your property, we’re going in with SWAT and expect damages,” Van Sichem said.

A year ago her company, Van Show Homes, entered the Airbnb market with two of their properties, where they rent to between 30 and 40 guests a week.

She says they haven’t had an incident yet, until now.

“We got a request to book for about 10 days and they said two guests are coming to Regina to visit family.,” she explained. “That sounded very normal so we accepted it. We knew right away on the door camera it wasn’t two guests that checked in. It was four. So that was a bit of a red flag.”

Regina police say they raided the house as part of a drug operation investigation. The raid resulted in several suspects being arrested with no injuries.

“In this case, our SWAT team is used and they used tactics to ensure their safety, the residents inside are detained and arrested safely, but also that there’s no destruction of evidence,” Darcy Koch with Regina police said.

And while the operation was successful Van Sichem has been left to clean up the mess.

According to the police act, if criminal activity is happening on a property, all damages are the responsibility of the homeowner.

For Van Sichem, that means damage from tear gas and broken windows.

“It’s wild, to say the least,” Van Sichem said. “I mean you want the police to be doing these kinds of things, just not on your own property. But obviously, you do want this done in your city.”

Van Sichem said she hasn’t ruled out going back to Airbnb  rentals, but has submitted a claim to the company for the damages. She said how they respond will be the biggest factor in her decision.

“We’re hoping that all goes well and that they do cover the damages,” she said. “The tear gas makes it a little bit trickier because it means likely carpets replaced, walls painted, furniture replaced. It’s not just a general cleanup so definitely thousands of dollars, but we don’t know that number yet.”