Do you allow guests to lock their room?

Exactly the same set up as us, Barnes. We don’t have keys/doors which lock for our guests rooms or any bedrooms actually including our own. The only internal door which lock are in the bathrooms.

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Oh, I’m not saying that this is my issue, nor am I saying that I necessarily mistrust my host.
However, like many others here, I wouldn’t stay somewhere that I wasn’t allowed a key or to lock the door when staying at a listing.

My point was that whatever the preference or the reason (no matter what that reason is, and no matter your feelings about it), it exists nonetheless.

It’s just a fact that most appreciate the ability to lock the door and/or keep their possessions safe (whether that safety is real or imaginary). Obviously, I am not alone in this thinking.
It’s the reason that Airbnb has that option built into the search. :slight_smile:

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I agree. I have a friend who is an international student and renting a bedroom in a house where she isn’t allowed to lock her room so she doesn’t feel safe when she is sleeping. After I read on this forum from another host about this lock I purchased it for her. The only problem she says is forgetting it’s there in the middle of the night! Plus it only locks from the inside: https://howsarlock.com/

Glad to hear you agree with my earlier points.

Some guests prefer to stay where a bedroom can be locked when staying with a single hosts. Others don’t.

I don’t think you can say 'it’s a fact that most appreciate the ability to lock the door" unless you have research that supports this.

I have never had a guest ask whether my doors have a lock in three years and hundreds of guests. And I know many hosts in my area that have shared homes and don’t have locks on bedroom doors, who similarly enjoy a high level of bookings.

If the majority of guests would only book homes where bedrooms have locks, we wouldn’t be getting any bookings and Airbnb would make it mandatory for hosts to offer locks on bedroom doors :slight_smile:

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LOL. You mean “would make it mandatory for guests to say they offer locks” and then punish hosts who lie about it and then get guest complaints with suspension/deletion. Or creating a new class of host with a badge and preferred search ranking that has things like private entrance, no picture requirement, locks and instant book enabled. What would they call it? "Hotel-standard? " They are already moving that way so don’t be surprised it they eventually do it.

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…in the same breath, if the door were open, and a guest accused you of theft or worse, you could also be ruined for life.

Of course, a back up key is required. Because of emergencies. Because you need to put batteries in the smoke detector. Because your guest locked himself out!

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I guess that’s why there is a choice on the Airbnb search function. I suppose I should say that most people appreciate the choice of whether to have a lock or not. As many have pointed out already, it represents something far deeper than is easily teased out in an internet forum. I am glad that you still maintain a decent level of bookings. But it would weed many guests out understandably.

Sorry, $40, 000 invested in the study of human behaviour makes me forget to qualify my statements adequately for those that need it at times.:wink:

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You know, its funny…
In my own home, I rarely lock my bedroom door. But I do think I would be somewhat unnerved if the door didn’t have one installed. Humans are a strange bunch. :slight_smile:

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40,000 $ ??
This is an interesting subject for me. No not money… I have resisted writing on to thread due to my personal feelings about security. I grew up in Coastal California in a house with no locks. Some were added later when my Mom started renting parts of her house out, but literally the dog could open the front door with a particular paw jab. Nothing of consequence was ever stolen from that house ( odd stories!) and no-one was ever misused. Now, and the one before this, (since 06) I live in a home that is rarely locked. I guess having a doberman mix helps! I do lock it if I am alone or if we leave for the night. I consider myself extremely lucky to have a situation where this is even thinkable.
I also have had a few #metoo incidents. But these were not due to having a lock or not. I grew up with an instilled faith (trust?) in mankind. I refuse to live in fear and paranoia my whole life, and have made it safely to almost 60. I would rather be sad or mad or dead or feel stupid if “something happened”. To some of you this view point is crazy, but it has been my credo, and helps me to remain positive and be a happier more “psychologically secure” person. And yes I do lock my car when out in L.A.
I have purchased a couple of combination padlocks for our Tiny Tiki Trailer Zone. Inside “Gypsy” the Manor I have installed vintage bronze chain locks for indoor security; against the coyotes they work very well:)). The small trailer, “Babe” does not lock. Door needs work…I have tried to make it clear in my description that it is an off grid type place, yet in a private area, close to city. Hopefully my guests will be understanding of the glamping type nature of our listing.
In case you are curious… I have had my 1st guest!!! I got a Review!!! (Tiny Tiki Trailer Zone ) And 2 inquiries. >> edit>>I just had another inquiry that I had to send an INFLATED special offer for New Years Eve and seven people for dinner on the 1st. A re- vow ceremony. Could have been nice I guess, but not with bad weather and the tiki bed ready for rain.

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Psychology undergrad. It was meant as a lighthearted remark.:slight_smile:

Funny story: I never actually lock my front door. And haven’t done so for years. I hold a somewhat similiar philosophy to your “trust mankind yadda yadda…”
:grin:

For years, my friends have given me grief about this. Well one night I hosted a big party for a friends birthday. It was a lavish, decadent affair as was my nature at the time. There was oodles of food and scads of top shelf liquors for the taking. At the end of the night, people were welcome to sleep it off before driving and I, for one, crawled to my couch in the wee daylight hours.

Now, it being a particularly rowdy youngblood bunch in attendance, made sure that I woke up to a large multi-tiered cake in pieces on the floor, 100s of liquor bottles scattered all over the house, a surprising amount of drugs and paraphernalia, stashes forgotten in the amnesiatic wake of a really good time.

At about 10 a.m in the morning, stragglers were leaving and my head, feeling as if 10,000 tiny angry monkeys were punching their way out, the only viable route through my eye sockets, decided I needed a few more hours on my couch before braving the mess or the day.

I slept like the DEAD for the next 4 hours. I need to state here that I generally sleep like a dead girl in a coma on any given day. I want to say just “like the dead”. But that isn’t enough of a descriptor. When I say I am difficult to wake up, I mean that I am impossible to shake.

At about 2 p.m, feeling like 75 drunken, syphillitic sailors had danced upon my tongue (they must be tiny, like the monkeys) and used my eyelids to catapult themselves to sea, I woke. I cracked one eyelash gluecaked lid, then the other. I look across the room and even the dog is disgusted with me.

Starved, wanting a shower and not looking forward to cleaning the cigarette butts out of my planters and the cake icing off my ceiling, I swing my legs to sitting and my jaw drops. I close my eyes. Open my eyes. Repeat.
What???

As I take in the room, the living room that I see every day, the living room that just a few hours prior looked like something crossed between a nightmare Henry Miller may have and a women’s prison in Thailand,
now looks like the scene in the end of The Labyrinth where the Unicorns are frolicking and everything is in slow motion and everyone is smiling and using words like gossamer.

Saw 3 is now The Sound of Music.

As I investigate further, open my front door to check the house numbers, do a cursory glance about, I see that all of my dishes are done, the cake is scrubbed off the ceiling, glasses washed/dried and put back in their place, and
the floors are swept. There are no longer straws, strange pills or joints tucked into my heat vents or hanging out on the back of my toilet. There are no cigarette ashes in my plants and my tabletops sparkle.

Now, you’re thinking to yourself…well, yeah it’s the next day and you dont remember cleaning or I bet one of your nice pals came by to clean and left a note. You would think so!!!
But nope.

For 3 days…
THREE DAYS…
I turned this situation over in my mind, almost driving myself around the bend. I sat at my desk at work, coming up with the most plausible explanations. I texted 236 of my closest friends asking if they had happened to stop by and do this kind thing and forgot perhaps to revel in their altruistic act by leaving a note, a clue, anything!

That will teach you to leave your door unlocked I thought to myself! Yeah, you’re such a dummy. People are now going to just start showing up to clean for you.
Great! Just what I need…

All of this sounds a little crazymaking, doesn’t it? It could, for example, cause a level headed, rational Atheist to start believing that quite possibly her late mother had decided to teach her a lesson by reentering this mortal coil
Just to hoover and scrub her deviant daughters domicile…if only to teach her a lesson.

Yes, people. I have an overactive, twisted imagination.

To put you out of your misery and make a VERY long story short…

After the 3 days, I finally received a text.
It was from a handsome yet eccentric italian sculptor I knew. He was usually down on his luck and in and out of my life unpredictably so I was used to his quirks. He stated “I hope you liked my work?”. Of course, I put it together immediately and almost leapt through the phone with anguish and joy. But for what? But why?

He said " I always ask you to help me out and when I popped over, your door as usual was open, and I came in when you didn’t answer.
I tried to wake you but it wasnt working. I decided that I would help you out for once!"

I thanked him and scolded him for making me worry about who cleaned my house for several days.
(yeah, because that’s a thing.)

He then added…“and I hope you don’t mind but I took $10 from your wallet and all the drugs that were on the back of the toilet seat. You really shouldnt leave that stuff around, you know”.

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Having made my ‘no keys to rooms’ point earlier, ideally, I would have the slidey bathroom ‘little bolt’ locks fitted to the inside of the bedrooms

I’m really surprised that my old mum has never done that. She was just the type. When she was alive, she used to tut tut a lot when she visited me and perform all sorts of weird cleaning miracles which used to annoy me at the time (‘interfering old bag’.) I’d LOVE it now :slight_smile:

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I think I like the sound of your parties. Can I come to the next one please :slight_smile:

JF

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Me too i wanna come too. Can you host a big beeday party for me here in Feb<><>???Great story a rollicking read<><>

I think I am going to get another chain lock for the little trailer. To keep the attack squirrels out.
Nothing to do about the outdoor bed… only curtains to protect you from the ravenous bunnies.

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Actually you can’t say even say ‘most’ - unless you have properly constructed research sources on the subject that demonstrates this.

Did your $40,000 ‘invested in the study of human behaviour’ not teach you anything when it comes to use of research sources :slight_smile:

All you know is that a few people on a forum have said they would prefer to have locks on bedroom doors when staying in a shared home.

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Thanks for your entertaining story!

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Helsi, aside from this being a bit off topic. While I see your point about you opening your home to strangers and trusting them with your belongings et al, so ought to expect a quid-pro-quo in trust for yourself, I think you are mistaken - you are not accounting for their perspective being different from your own. Over the years of my youth, I have had #metoo experiences as a guest in what were otherwise perfectly nice homes, and rented guest houses (adult son situ!!). Guests don’t know us or who we may invite to visit while they are there. Furthermore, we don’t know them; you need to protect your own person and space from intrusion - you ought to have a lock on your own bedroom room too. As a guest, I gauge the situation as I find it, the last place we stayed - a home with a nice couple of our own age and no other guests - there was no lock on the door and it never occurred to me to be concerned. But, if I’d been traveling alone, I may have been more conscious of the absence of a lock or key.

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@ClaireHL

As is often said we all choose to host in our own way. I am not mistaken and have taken into account some others will have a different perspective. I have deliberately chosen not to have locks on my guest bedroom door. (I have one on my bedroom door which is a requirement of my home insurance, not sure why you assumed I didn’t).

If people don’t feel comfortable sharing my home with me (a woman on her own) on this basis, they are welcome to chose a home that offers this facility. Just as some hosts don’t offer access to their kitchen, or a washing machine, I don’t offer a lock on bedroom doors. It is simply a facility that hosts can choose to offer or not.

I completely understand that some women and men may not feel comfortable staying in a home without a lock for their bedroom and for them my home is not a good fit.

As I have already said I have had quite a few women travelling alone who have chosen my place because of my reviews and they felt more comfortable staying with a woman hosting by themselves.

It seems that many of the regular hosts from the UK on here, offering share homes, don’t have locks on the guest bedroom doors either, so perhaps this might also be a cultural issue.

I am not telling you and other hosts here who have questioned my right to choose whether or not I have a lock on my guest bedroom door which facilities you should offer on your listing.

Why do you feel it is appropriate to tell me what facilities I should offer at mine?

Well, Helsi, re locks on bedroom doors, I assumed if there wasn’t a lock on the guest room, there wouldn’t be one on your room either. Hmmm, interesting - home insurance or not, you provide security for yourself but not for your guest…

BTW, no one is telling you what you should or shouldn’t do, or questioning your rights on facilities in your house - people are just offering another perspective…

What a fantastic little gadget & fab little gift for the travelers in my world!
Thanks

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