IMO, they did cross a line. But, not egregious - just our opinion.
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You you can handle the review any way you see fit. Really no right or wrong answer there. Some would insist that you “warn future hosts” but IMO this is one of those times it is simply your call.
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We expect guests to open every drawer and cabinet, and everything they have access to is available for their use - unless labeled “host only” (even if in house rules). So, you sort of allowed them to have access to the key.
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Personally, we would chock this up as a learning lesson, post a small sign where needed, and come up with a new “key plan”.
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We keep looking to anticipate every need and situation and guests are sometimes more creative than we anticipate - and we adapt as fast as we can. 
Guests will always assume that things are how THEY want them to be rather than how YOU want them.
My kitchen cabinets are locked and a sign in the kitchen says ‘the kitchen cabinets are locked and there is nothing in them’. A recent guest, in their review, stated ‘the kitchen cabinets are locked’ as though it was a problem to be revealed. SMH.
Guests will rummage through everything. If you have something in the STR that you do not want used, please please simply do not leave it in the STR.
Oh man! I’m LMFAO over here! Really funny!
I’d be irritated with the guest (assuming we’re 100% positive they did the wrong thing). However, seeing as nothing was missing, I’d give them a pass in the review narrative. Then ding them on house rules (3-stars), and then leave them private feedback (if you felt the need).
We have varying ways that our staff closets are locked. Padlocks, combo locks, and door keys. Recently, we ditched several padlocks for combo locks (way better). Now, after thinking it over, it’s more clear: you really want a combo lock on staff closets if you can.
- It bails you out if you need to give the guest access in a 911 (you’re 86 TP)
- It takes the “oops the guest found the key” situation above off the table
- Best of all, there’s no more “oops, I lost the key completely,” which can be a REAL problem
Inspired by this, we’re going to look to replace one of our keyed door levers with a combo doorknob. Unfortunately, we’ll always have one listing that has a thin cabinet/closet door type situation. The only way we can lock it is with a small mailbox lock/striker on it. There’s just no way to make that a combo lock that I can think of. . . But I wish there was!
Please do not do this or tell others to. The written review should match the star ratings. Dinging guests in the star ratings and then leaving a totally positive review is cowardly, hypocritical, and dishonest.
Hosts who do not use Instant Book cannot see guests’ ratings. We only have the written reviews to go on. If a guest didn’t follow house rules, you need to say that in the written review if you are going to mark them down for it in the ratings. If you don’t find guests’ transgressions to be worth mentioning in the written review, don’t turn around and ding them in the ratings. Be consistent.
I have two areas in our whole house AirBnB that are off limits to guests. One is the linen and supplies closet. The other is the third floor, which is a finished room we use for storage. The house was built in 1913 and has very heavy solid oak doors. The doors have the original hardware and locks. I have two keys for each door and I keep both of the keys with me. No way would I leave a key in the house for a guest to discover.
Sharing your opinion, when asked? Gasp! How could you? Actually, everything you wrote seems measured and reasonable.
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@MissMiami You do you, and don’t worry what we think. They stayed in your home.
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I actually think it’s funny that they left a big reading pillow behind. We should start a thread on the most interesting things guests have left.
If the intrusion had resulted in damage or loss of anything of value, I would get into it. Otherwise it is not worth the effort and potential negative back and forth. You can just block them from booking again and, if that makes you more comfortable, be stricter about exceptions in the future. The suggestions for a better key location are wise.
You’re NOT being sensitive. I’d mark them down on stars for not following House Rules. Then I’d check the “Would not host again” button. I certainly don’t want someone who would so blithely root around for a hidden key and then leave stuff of theirs in a locked closet.
I’d send a private note after the 14 days stating “I hope you enjoyed your stay. By the way, I noticed that you or one of your party rummaged around and found the key to the locked personal storage closet that I specifically mentioned was off limits. This is not acceptable guest behavior and future hosts may not be so understanding. You could lose your account on Air if someone complains.”
YOUR house, YOUR rules.
Here:
And here:
Perhaps a new one in January after all the holiday travelers have gone and we can have another giggle.
If I was a kid, the intrigue of a locked cabinet/closet might be enough to convince me to open it if I had also stumbled upon the key. It might have just been harmless curiosity. And perhaps the kid was helping clean up and accidentally packed the “husband” pillow in the closet w/out the parent realizing it.
I had guests pull the front panel off a drawer that had got stuck and was un-openable. It was and still is the only thing they can’t get into. Now its nailed shut forever!
I can just imagine some of them pulling open all the cabinets and checking out stuff in my little trailer, which is all personal; art supplies and other stuff including photos, nothing has ever moved or gone missing, not that I worry about it. Someday my trust may be broken. I’ll wait until then to get paranoid about stuff. I give access to a stack of blankets and towels.
Those reader pillows… maybe those guests flew and it was a hassle to travel with so they decided to leave it for somebody.
I now have 2 umbrellas for that exact reason. I’d never owned an umbrella before in my life.
It is strange behaviour TBH, given her excellent reviews to date.
I had a couple ask could they park in the driveway (normally parking is on the nature strip, in between the gutter and the front fence) or even drive down past the double gates to get closer to the cottage which is in my back yard … Really. you can’t walk 20-30 metres ? Also the driveway is too narrow for a normal car width after the gates, so their car would have almost certainly been damaged.
Anyway then he placed his push bike in our lockable shed without asking or mentioning it. He raced to take it out when he saw my daughter’s fiance arriving back with his own bike!
I can only assume they didnt want to leave their bike near the street in case of theft, but they only had to talk to me and we would have found a solution!
We had a giggle and there was no harm done. I think it’s called “pushing the boundaries”!
This is interesting because I just had a lovely couple stay - didnt actually meet them due to Covid… Anyway their previous ratings were less than stellar but I gave them five stars across the board. I thought they were clean, communicative and left everything perfect… Including making the bed which is kind of a waste of time since it’s all got to come off ! Cheers
I wonder if the guests had an issue with a previous host and are now on their best behavior to try to counteract the low rating? I know myself, and probably other hosts, would think twice about booking someone with a low rating/negative reviews
I know. I hope my guest didn’t think I’d not change the sheets for the next guest, but I doubt that’s the case. I think he just wanted to leave it looking as he found it.
In any case, I was happy to be able to give him his first review and honestly be able to say he was stellar.
I had a guest this year who had a 4.5 average at the time they booked my room. It definitely caused me to check their reviews. The low average looked to be from one host who said they “seemed nice but left a mess and could have been more respectful.” He apparently doesn’t host any longer and the written reviews of his place are a little underwhelming. So I didn’t worry about this guest. Besides, it’s only one night and they are separated from me.
The other issue might have been one of discrimination. The couple that stayed in my home appeared to be gender non-conforming and that other host might have just freaked out about that. Or maybe they learned to be better guests after that review.
If a guest only has a few reviews and a low score I’m as likely to figure it’s something wrong with the host as something wrong with the guest.
Agreed. I’ve taken a lot of guests with dings on their ratings and they have all been perfect guests except for the last one but still good odds.
The last time we were Airbnb guests, we met the host very, very briefly. She was quite ill. Her place was set up so that we were totally independent. We didn’t know exactly what part of the house was for us, other than the one bedroom and bath. There were several doors in the hallway that connected to our bedroom. I have to admit that we wiggled the door knobs to see if the rooms were open to us. They weren’t. We didn’t try to unlock anything, but we were curious.
I have labels discretely placed here and there to help my guests find their way (like the game closet or non-obvious switches) & to help them remember important things (like only TP in septic or no grease in disposal). They are neatly done and sized appropriately.
We have the locked linen and garage doors clearly labeled “Owner Access Only” (keys locked away 
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I purposely leave laundry, restroom & bedroom doors wide open at guest arrival.
I do expect them to peak about so there are no “extras” in closets. I stopped that after a guest ruined the sheets and the spares with colored hair wax. It was ridiculous.
I have paired down the cleaning supplies also after a smoking guest used up all my bathroom air freshener sprays around the house trying to cover up what they’d done. 