If you’re renting out your home — especially through platforms like Airbnb — consider this a cautionary tale you cannot ignore.

A D.C.-area homeowner says she’s been trapped in a months-long nightmare with an alleged squatter named Shadija Romero, who originally booked her home through Airbnb claiming she’d survived a house fire and just needed a temporary place to stay. That was back in February.

The reservation was supposed to end in March. It did — on paper. But once Romero hit the 30-day mark, she allegedly flipped the script and began claiming tenants’ rights, refusing to leave, blocking the owner from entering her own property, and insisting she now has residency.

The homeowner never issued a lease. Never agreed to tenancy. Didn’t extend her stay. Didn’t approve anything. Yet somehow, Romero reportedly won’t budge. And now the homeowner is going through the court system to rid her home of the squatter, Shadija Romero. 

Her socials: