Guests and theft

61

I think an inventory before and after guests is the only way to prove theft.

62

I agree but most of our stays are one nighters, and where do you start and stop? The garage remote is the first thing the housekeepers are meant to check. What can I say? She missed checking and is very apologetic, I am sure she will check from here on in. And I will make sure the girl who does our training emphasizes it more.

I stayed in a place in Central America that made us sign an inventory, most of the things on the list werenā€™t there! When I bought it to the managers attention I was told not to worry about itā€¦

63

You will change codes when you program the replacement remote. Iā€™ve had people walk off with umbrellas, but that is about itā€” and I get those in thrift stores.

I could see accidentally leaving a remote in the car, but the other items are such deliberate theft. It is disappointing that people behave that way.

64

Can you deduct stolen items on your taxes? (Asumming you didnā€™t claim successfully for them with the guest/Air.)

65

Thanks for that information, itā€™s on my to do list tomorrow. I am hoping it was a honest mistake and will come back to us - but if that was the case why havenā€™t I had a message? Oops, sorry went home with your remote!

66

Maybe do something like is done with the restroom key for the gas station, market, etc. Attach something large and somewhat cumbersome to remind them they have to return it.

3 Likes
67

Brilliant idea!!! Thanks, I am doing that immediately!

1 Like
68

I had a guest tell me after they left, the dog accidentally chewed a towel would you like us to pay you?
Being new, hoping for super host I said , no that is okay, part of doing business.
Then I canā€™t figure out which towel had been chewed, message again, she says oh we took it to the beach, where the dog accidentally chewed a hole in it, then we used out to dry the dog and threw it in the back of the car.

Ohhhhh, I say, right it was my brand-new best towel that I wouldnā€™t recognise it is so new to me!!! I was wondering how the dog could accidentally pull a hot tub towel out of the basket on the chair and chew it without you noticing. Ugh our beaches have strict rules about dogs on leash, so how the heck did this dog do this and WHY take my hot tub towel to the freezing ocean beach in November???
They stole it! I know it and I learned my lesson. Next time I will say thankyou very much, that will be $25.

5 Likes
69

The only thing Iā€™ve notice disappear is an HDMI cable. Iā€™ve hosted maybe 150 groups. Iā€™ve come out ahead in terms of things left behind: new shoes and clothes, phone chargers (left in the suite for guests to use), alcohol, marijuana, an entire birthday cake, and new mugs. And these were the ones that I didnā€™t just toss or donate!

5 Likes
70

Yummy! Whenā€™s the party?

JF

4 Likes
71

I seem to be on the luckier end in regards to missing items as well. Iā€™ve lost a teaspoon and a steak knife (donā€™t even want to know why) and a few washcloths have been stained. But Iā€™ve gained so much more - my phone chargers have multiplied, as have my glassware, coffee cups, even my nice wooden hangers. It seems like every time I clean I see something new. Yesterday it was a couple of new books on the bookshelf.

I do leave a lot for snacks (a small welcome ā€œbasketā€ from me, as well as anything left behind by other guests. Last week it was an entire freezer full of TV dinners. Yuch. A big thank you to my next guests, who ate every single one of them) as well as a ā€œfreebieā€ box with magazines, etc that they can help themselves to. Maybe itā€™s some odd kind of reverse psychology at work?

I also find the occasional pair of undies. But unlike @Barns I toss em (donā€™t even want to look at them close enough to determine if theyā€™re a brand worth saving. Ew). I did have one guest write to me after she left to see if I found her panties, and would I return themā€¦uh, nope and nope

2 Likes
72

Curious why she left them stuffed in the very corner between the blankets not the sheetsā€¦ I had this happen and felt like it was a test to see if blankets get washed! Lol, was she stalking my reviews to find out?

RR

73

4 + years nothing stolen, but lots of things left behind! Earrings, charger cables, slippers, that sort of stuff.

74

My house keepers are so over finding boxer shorts in the bed!

1 Like
75

You mentioned house rules, how does the guest get them? Needless to say, just about to list for the first time. I put things in my listing, like no smoking, but where do they find the house rules?

76

Under the house rules section in your listing. You might only be able to see this once youā€™ve published the lusting.

Have you looked at Airbnb Help Centre and the useful tutorials and guides on Airbnb Community Centre ?

These two sources should along with Airbnbā€™s Information on its website for new hosts cover the majority of set up questions for new hosts.

77

I have had a few towels disappear. Usually I donā€™t realize or am not sure who it was, so I have never done anything about it. So far Iā€™ve been pretty lucky.

78

Thanks, my son helped me find some of these things at the site and set up my listing last night, kept me up to 1 a.m. As I have said elsewhere on this group, I am computer illiterate.

79

You found (and are a contributor on) this site and, not withstanding a little help from your son, you have crafted most of your listing.

We all have been beginners, so while you may not be computer fluent, you are most definitely computer literate.

Now that youā€™re ā€˜listedā€™, you will become more computer conversant, but will encounter many more questions. Fortunately you have your son and this forum for backup.

Good luck with the listing!

1 Like
80

My nicest embroiderer towels were stolen. Toiletries (1liter shampoo and conditioner), soaps, candles, USB chargers, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels. Since then I am kind of afraid to leave out too nice or too new items for guests. They will get stolen/damaged.