We had paid for the chemicals and service contracts.
We had invested in the property.
Meanwhile, Jim had apparently been using that investment to generate rental income.
That changed everything.
This was no longer a neighbor dispute.
There were potential questions about trespassing, liability and financial responsibility.
What if one of those strangers had been injured?
What if someone had damaged the equipment?
What if an accident had happened in our backyard and we hadn’t even known they were there?
Tom and I contacted our homeowner’s insurance company.
We contacted the rental platform.
We spoke with an attorney.
And eventually, we provided the evidence to police.
We turned over the security footage.
The photographs.
The rental listing.
The reviews.
The booking information we had obtained.
The messages promising guests access to the hot tub.
The evidence painted a picture far larger than we had imagined.
The rental platform eventually removed Jim’s listing.
