The owner of a Harry Potter-themed vacation rental is speaking out after they say they discovered their property had been severely vandalized by guests who had stayed there.
Video footage obtained by PEOPLE demonstrates the extent of the shocking destruction left at the Hertfordshire, England property. The owner of the rental, who listed the themed getaway on both Booking.com and Airbnb, has been sharing updates about the incident on their TikTok account, @homelea.stays.
“A few days ago, I walked into my Airbnb to clean it, only to walk into the most horrific scene ever. Someone has turned our Airbnb upside down,” the owner narrates over clips of the destruction. “They have literally trashed the entire place.”
In one of the bedrooms, a large brown stain can be seen covering the mattress as a Luna Lovegood decal looks down from the wall behind it. The owner clarified in one of their TikToks that while the suspicious stain looks especially grotesque, it thankfully was only a mixture of “cocoa butter and coffee.”
The owner continues to walk through the property to show more of the decor that had been ripped out of place and furniture that was left askew.
“The floating candles I had on the ceiling are all on the floor. The living room is a mess, things are all out of place,” the owner continued.
More scenes of a white substance splashed over the TV and “frozen chips” thrown on the floor are then shown. Other stains can be seen covering the white walls and windowsill.
In the kitchen, pieces of shattered glass are visible on the table and floor.
“Our Harry Potter mugs and glasses, on the floor smashed into pieces,” they continue. “We have never had anyone do this. This was made for families and children. Now we have had to close it down until it is safe.”
In the comments, the owner claims it was a couple who “trashed” the rental while staying there over Valentine’s Day weekend.
They allege that while the two “came through Booking.com,” they have not yet received help from the platform. The hosts also contacted the police following the incident.
According to Booking.com’s Partner Hub, there are a number of paths owners can take when it comes to handling damage caused by guests. This includes making a claim through their Partner Liability Insurance program, or reporting guests’ unruly behavior using their guest misconduct tool. It is currently unclear whether the owners have taken any of these steps.
PEOPLE reached out to Booking.com and the Hertfordshire Police for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
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“A couple stayed here on Valentine’s Day and destroyed the place,” the owner wrote in a comment. “I have no idea what happened but the police are investigating and we will keep everyone updated as we receive more news.”
In another video, the owner claimed that the guest had sent a message after leaving the property that allegedly read, “Sorry for the damage.” They noted that the police have all of the guests’ information that they need for the investigation.
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