US Airbnb Host Bans Crypto Mining After Guests Rack Up Rs 1.25 Lakh Electricity Bill

A group of Airbnb guests in North Carolina mined cryptocurrency worth over $100,000 (approximately Rs 84 lakh) during their three-week stay, leaving the property owner, Ashley Class, with a $1,500 (around Rs 1.25 lakh) electricity bill. In response, Class has introduced a new rule banning cryptocurrency mining in her rental properties.

Class shared her experience in a TikTok video, revealing that after reviewing footage from her outdoor camera, she discovered the guests had brought at least ten computer rigs for mining. She noted, “it was cheaper for them to rent a house than to pay for that electricity.”

In the video, Class also mentioned she reached out to the guests to inform them of her intention to charge them for the excessive electricity usage. The guests initially resisted, prompting Class to involve Airbnb and share the footage of the incident. Eventually, the guests paid the bill.

Cryptocurrency mining involves solving complex mathematical puzzles to earn digital currency, and it requires significant power consumption from high-performance computers used by “miners” to quickly solve these puzzles.