In recent weeks, Bonny Doon property owner Nicole Anderson reached out to the Sentinel to share concerns of her experiences renting with Beach House Rentals after her home was destroyed in the August 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire. After having a “wonderful stay” at a Beach House Rentals temporary home from July 2021 through July 2022, Anderson said she received confirmation that she would be mailed a $6,435 check reimbursing her deposit.
“Unfortunately, the check never came and they have gone silent,” Anderson wrote in a Sept. 24 email to the Sentinel. Anderson, who is staying in Chicago, said she posted her story on Facebook and heard a similar experience from another Bonny Doon fire survivor. “It took going to their office and standing outside until someone came out ,” Anderson wrote of her efforts to retrieve her deposit from Beach House Rentals. “Anyway, I’m exhausted. I’ve been fighting insurance for two years, and now the county, the last thing I need as a fire survivor is for a local business to put me through this. It’s illegal for them to hold my money like this.”
According to a press release issued on social media by the Capitola Police Department, Harrington’s arrest stemmed from an ongoing and collective investigation involving vacation rental scams. Partner agencies included the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office, the Santa Cruz Anti-Crime Team and the California Department of Real Estate.