Nima Amini, who manages an Airbnb property in East Austin, Texas, was in for a surprise when he arrived at his rental property one day. To his amazement, he found a tiny home on the property that he had no knowledge of.
The tiny home, which was about the size of a shed, had been placed in the yard without Amini's consent or knowledge. When Amini investigated further, he discovered that a man had been living in the tiny home. The man explained to KXAN that he had returned to the property because his family had previously owned the land, and he was facing financial difficulties.
Despite the unexpected situation, Amini decided to help the man. He arranged for the man to relocate his tiny home to a new location and connected him with mental health services to provide support.
Amini expressed his surprise at the situation, stating, "When we look out of this window, we see what appears to be a tiny home or storage unit that was delivered, and we didn’t order it." The property is usually rented out to Airbnb guests, but Amini became aware of the situation when the security cameras on the property detected unusual activity around the tiny home.
It was revealed that the tiny home had been delivered by Lone Star Portables, a company that the man had ordered it from. Amini believed that the company should have verified the ownership of the property before delivering the tiny home. "I think a simple search on the Travis County Appraisal district search would have showed that he was not the property owner," Amini commented.
A representative from Lone Star Portables explained that the delivery was made based on the man's claim of ownership. However, they acknowledged the mix-up and expressed their intention to make internal changes to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Despite the confusion, Amini chose to work out a solution with the man rather than evict him, especially considering the cold winter weather. He learned that the man's family had previously owned the property, and the man was struggling to find shelter, which led him to live in the tiny home.
Amini felt it was important to provide assistance to the man in his time of need. He assured the man that they would work together to find resources and help. Amini also made arrangements for the man to stay in the tiny home until it could be relocated by Lone Star Portables.
As the situation unfolded, Amini demonstrated compassion and understanding, seeking to ensure the well-being of the man while addressing the unexpected circumstances that had arisen on his property. texas marfa texas adult only airbnb