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So, I just hosted this nice 50 something man and his partner for two days. Had a few drinks, breakfast bits for them and they enjoyed themselves. But I come back today and it’s just little things that are making me feel something is missing.
The Kettle is in the top cupboard drawer where I never put anything
All the dishes have been rearranged
They took some old soap and toothpaste that I had forgotten to throw out, yet left all the new shampoo and hand lotion
There’s an apple with one bit taken out of it in the fridge
Half a pizza hut pizza with two pieces having bites taken out of them
And hair everywhere!
I’m probably just being paranoid, but I feel something’s missing. Do you take stock of every little thing down to the finest detail?
I’ve felt like that at times and then found the item some where else. Spoons are the the things that ‘walk’. I’m considering having a set of plastic ones separate from the metal ones and label the container ‘Freebies’.
Take a photo of your items as an inventory
No I don’t have an inventory list because after all these years, every tiny item in the rental is burnished onto my brain.
But the things you mention aren’t particularly weird. I have several guests who have taken minutes out of their valuable vacation time to re-arrange the order of the cutlery drawer, move all the books from one room to another, put the kettle in the wall cupboard instead of leaving it on the worktop, put the bedspread in the bottom drawer of the dresser, put the washing up bowl high on top of the fridge (many times, weirdly), put the toaster on the windowledge…
Honestly, guests move things around all the time, including rearranging the furniture.
As for the half-bitten things, I recently had guests who left a box of chocolates. 75% were eaten but there was also one half chocolate. Who can eat half a chocolate???
On a more positive note I’ve also had guests who have made improvements. There was one dearly-beloved guest who fixed electrical sockets so I could do away with a couple of extension cords. Another saw that the doorknob was a bit loose so he fixed it.
I once let a seemingly nice young woman stay in my bedroom while I was away because my regular AirBnb room downstairs had water damage. I gave her a great review. About two months later, I noticed several cashmere sweaters and a shirt were missing. Luckily I had put my jewelry somewhere else. By then it was too late to ask AirBnb for compensation. I would never again rent out my own bedroom. I wonder if anyone who’s offered their own space has had personal items stolen. In my rental space there’s nothing of value, just household items that are easily replaceable.
Sorry, I don’t mean to be harsh but anything that is left available and ‘stealable’ has the opportunity of going missing. Why was it that you didn’t notice immediately?
I have a list of my “major items” (like guitars and my computer) but don’t really concentrate on the other stuff. (Though someone did steal all the change out of my spare change cup!)
That being said I do get nervous every time I go back into my house immediately after a guest has left and wondering “I hope everything is in here” as I walk through the door…
Because I trusted this person and didn’t notice the items were gone until I
looked for them. Of course everything is “stealable” and that is what we
all have to deal with. There are lots of people who rent out their own
bedroom and don’t pack up all their clothing and other belongings for a
weekend guest, so wonder if they had things missing.
That’s all well and good but we have to allow for human nature. Guests will help themselves. You only have to look at the very many topics here to see that guests will take anything that is available to them. I know that you say that you trusted the person - and that’s commendable - but there’s no place for such trust when you’re hosting.
You really need to have STR insurance in case anything is stolen, There well may be ‘lots of people who rent out their own bedroom and don’t pack up all their clothing and other belongings for a weekend guest’ but if they do, they really have to accept the consequences - unfortunately.
Thing is, people all see the world differently. We understand right from wrong differently. I had a delightful woman stay for a month. After she left, I found she ‘accidentally’ took my Manuka honey home with her and left me her ordinary honey, which was in a similar shaped jar. She had been eyeing off my Manuka honey, which was a gift…
Guests are more and more treating our homes like hotels.
I take a lot of photos before every guest and can’t see anything missing from there. It just leave a funny feeling when everything is weirdly out of order when I return
I hide anything worth stealing in my bedroom and lock the door. However small things do go missing. One of my last guests decided he’d take my cutlery to work with him (I don’t think it’s okay to help oneself to or borrow items in another person’s home without asking - just the way I was brought up). If I hadn’t noticed and asked for them back, they would have remained at the bottom of his back pack where he said he had forgotten he left them. I also had one guest who knew what supplements I take, that I have a guitar in my bedroom (which is locked and completely out of bounds) and what was in all the cupboards. He was strangely nosey…which I was very uncomfortable with.
With AirBnB I found everyone brings with them some quirk or annoying habit that has to be at the very least managed. Which is the reason I am not doing it any more.
I had a bunch of little carved tortoises and pelicans from the Galapagos swiped recently, but I don’t know who did it. In their place was a Thomas train book, so I’m guessing it was a child. It just irked me. I’ve never been to the Galapagos; they were free from a travel partner, but WTF?
Agreed but I have found sometimes it is a good thing when they re arrange as it gives me an idea of how I can better organize the cupboards. My last guests re arranged so many things on me. All of the items had to be put back to their original spot. These ones also made the beds meticulously !!! Arranged the used slippers like little soldiers on the boot mat ( I have a note with the slippers for them to leave the used slippers out so I can clean them ) These were perfectly lined up.
All those things did weird me out.
I also counted the cutlery and found one fork missing. Shrugged my shoulders over that. Nothing I can do there. But an animal broke into their garbage they left outside in the garbage can with lid. While I was picking it up I found the fork in with the garbage?!
Plus these guests did ZERO recycling even though instructions are clearly outlined. grrr
Like you I take pictures before each set of guests and I have recently added photos of the contents of the kitchen cupboards, drawers and countertop appliances to my listing.
We stayed in an Airbnb 2 BR apt. in Brooklyn (last year before it was completely illegal I guess), and the host came back a few minutes after handing off the keys, saying he had to pick up a few things. Strange crinkling and tearing sounds came from the back bedroom for awhile, then he left. He had completely wrapped his nightstand in clear packing tape. Guess he didn’t want us poking in his drawers.
I wouldnt say any things because the things that you listed are a bit embarrassing ( bites out of pizza, Apple etc…) and i couldnt be 100% sûre its not my imagination. Soap and toothpaste are things i expect people to take because thats what happens in hotels. If you cant find anything else is missing thèn it probably wasnt anything big enough to worry about. Write it off as a learning experience and make a detailed inventory for the next guests. All very strange béhavior though.
Yes I’ve had costume jewellery, a very nice set of sheets and an expensive planner disappear after a whole house rental. These are the only things that have ever gone walkies …
