A 32-year-old man has been accused of defrauding house hunters by charging them rent for homes he did not own – but had briefly rented via Airbnb.

At a court hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors said the man from Noordwijk generated €64,000 by conning 17 people and stealing an expensive watch.

The public prosecution said in a news release that the man, who was not named publicly, “grossly abused the housing shortage” by renting holiday homes, mostly in the four major Dutch cities, and then falsely advertising them as rentals on Marktplaats. He arranged viewings and asked his victims to pay a deposit and one month of rent.

When the new renters arrived at what they believed was their new home and discovered that it was not available to rent, the suspect was nowhere to be found, the court heard. Some victims lost not just money but also a roof over their heads, having given up their previous rentals.

“The damage the suspect caused is huge,” said the prosecutor. “Victims not only lost their money but also their homes, their security, their belief in others and their self-esteem.”

Prosecutors have called for a sentence of three years’ imprisonment, with six months suspended, and compensation for the victims.