Seattle homeowner, Jason Roth, is facing five more months of living in his van while his tenant, Kareem Hunter, continues to occupy his three-bedroom, two-bathroom property without paying rent. Roth must wait until March 2024 for a court hearing to attempt to evict Hunter, who is already $30,000 behind on rent. In a shocking turn of events, Hunter was found to be illegally listing the home as a short-term rental on Airbnb for $434 a night.

Roth alleges that Hunter has only paid $1,000 of the outstanding rent owed since moving into the property back in March. The King County housing court, which currently has an extreme backlog of over 600 eviction cases, has pushed Roth's case past the tenancy length of the property, estimated to be worth $621,000 according to Zillow.

The unfortunate situation unfolded when Roth decided to rent out the entire house in 2023 to make extra money for pilot school, moving into a smaller apartment to accommodate Hunter. However, as Roth's bills became too overwhelming, he had to downsize and live in his van while Hunter failed to make rental payments. Adding insult to injury, Hunter found a way to make additional cash by renting out living space in Roth's house on Airbnb.

Despite taking Hunter to court for the first hearing on Friday, October 20, a continuance was issued, further prolonging Roth's journey to regain possession of his own home. In the meantime, Roth continues to make mortgage payments for his Rainer Valley property and pay for his pilot school fees.

Roth expressed his frustration, stating, "I'm sick of sleeping in my van and on couches. I just want to be back in my house." He highlighted the absurdity of the situation, with the court hearing scheduled to take place after the end of Hunter's lease, effectively allowing the tenant to stay beyond the agreed-upon release date.

Hunter, who received legal representation through the King County Bar Association's Housing Justice Project, argued that he had permission to run an Airbnb. However, Airbnb has since suspended the listing. Roth believes that Hunter was generating a substantial income of at least $2,000 per month from the illegal Airbnb rentals.

The Seattle homeowner expressed his longing for his own house, saying, "I do come here often just to look at my house, and miss it... and wish I could be in it." Roth emphasized his frustration at the lack of tangible assistance, stating that the city should be able to recognize when such abuse of the system occurs.

As Roth continues to endure the hardships of living in his van, the court hearing in 2024 presents a glimmer of hope for him to finally reclaim his beloved home and put an end to this distressing ordeal.