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One concern I’ve had with Airbnb is things being stolen, I’ve got quiet a nice TV which could fairly easily be stolen. If it was, how good are Airbnb at paying out for it’s replacement?
I’ve heard of bad guests who do damage, what I don’t understand though is how any guest can get away with it, as they registered a bank card!
Any explanation as to what happens with theft would be greatly appreciated!
I assume you live off site and are not there to monitor what the guest is doing. Preventing it’s theft is much better than wondering how you can make a claim if it’s taken. Amazon has TV locks. You should put a security camera on the entry door so if someone walks out with your TV you will have a record for both airbnb and your police report. Picture the cameras in your listing and mention that you have it. Make sure guests know it is there and they won’t take your TV. The only thing I had go missing was a pillow. They replaced my nice one with their old one and I don’t know who did it so I didn’t file a claim.
I do live here, but am also out, during which time they could steal the TV.
I’m also very interested in getting another property, specifically for Airbnb though, where there will be no one but guests.
I was thinking about a video camera, that’s a good step to take, although quite an expense plus not a very nice thing to have at home. If it’s one I’m simply renting out I wouldn’t mind, but I wouldn’t want one at my home.
Why do you say that? Many fine homes have cameras.
Regardless, there are many reasons to have cameras at your rental. When you are not on site people will have parties, bring guests they didn’t pay for, bring their dog, smoke on your property, or use it in a variety of unauthorized ways. If you read through the threads here you will see that the majority of problems are at whole house rentals where the owner is not on site.
I know people do stuff like that but I cannot fathom how they can live with themselves; especially since they’ve had a pleasant stay in your nice home at an incredibly low price. Makes you wonder what other obnoxious things they get away with.
I know of someone in a town nearby who heard about Airbnb and was going on vacation so she opened her house to instabook whole house rental. She allowed up to 7 people in her beachside home. Trusting laid back host type of person. Her place was insta booked, she was on vacation, and her neighbors began calling her to report that the guests arrived with a moving van and were taking all her things out of her home. Fortunately it turned out that the FBI was following these people as they had already committed other Instabook home robberies and they were undercover and there to arrest them. She still instabooks her home but now the limit is 4 people. The robbers used stolen credit cards/fake ID to book. It’s really not very hard to fake.
I’m sure that is the case, when guests have the whole place to themselves and no one around, they won’t behave as well. I would get a camera for there.
I found this which looks pretty good and also fairly cheap;
Thank you very much for sharing, I was wondering how people fake. I guess anyone who can get a stolen credit card can do it!
My only other question is what does Airbnb then do? Will they cover any losses?
The original first famous host horror story, the one that led to the ostensible 1,000,000 host guarantee (mostly bogus unless you document and timestamp photos of your apartment and possessions just before the guest arrives and after)
The follow up:
Current developments:
I’m not sure I want to read those or think much about the horror stories as the impression I get from the majority of hosts, who have had thousands of people, haven’t had any problems. Better to be safe then sorry, but chances of trouble are low based upon others experience, it does also depend on where you live. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble, just want to play it safe though.
Thinking it through, if someone did get in with a stolen card and fake ID, even if I did have them on film, chances are the police won’t catch them unless caught elsewhere are properly identified.
That’s the right attitude. Remember it’s not news to say “10,000 people stayed in an airbnb last night and nothing bad happened.” In almost 3 years, and approaching 200 guests I’ve had one stolen pillow and a couple of guests whose needs I was not able to meet. For me the risks are more than worth the reward.
You are more likely to get robbed by a burglar who breaks into your house than by Airbnb guests.
If that is true, then I won’t bother with cameras. I wouldn’t if it wasn’t for Airbnb, it might just be unnecessary worry, just thinking things through.
PS Airhostsforum rocks! You are all awesome, thank you very much for sharing your thoughts, really helped me decide what to do!
There is no proof of this. Airbnb hides such statistics. They also only introduced the “host guarantee” after the host brought the incident to the attention of national media.
3.4 millions household burglaries in the US alone in 2011 (I was not able to find newer statistics). That’s 9315 per day. We would read more horror stories if there were so many thieves among Airbnb guests.
Why bother booking a home when all you have to do is break a window or drill a lock ?
I don’t know about you but if I was a thief it would be easier to stay over at someone’s home when they aren’t there and leisurely pick my way thru their things than figure out a getaway vehicle, a drill, break a window, etc!
That first require that you steal a credit card and book before it gets cancelled…
Out of curiosity I did a search for Paris (that’s Airbnb first or second market) + Airbnb + burglary and only one story came up… the host had instructed guests to leave keys in the letterbox.
True, and how best to do it…oh yes stay at an airbnb!
Lol, I thought someone actually stole your TV by your post! Time to do yoga @Henry_Lea if you are worried instantly about your TV when it’s such an unlikely scenario to be honest. I’m a live in host and had one shitty guest steal a speaker hidden in my sons closet but they were young backpackers and I never should have accepted their booking. Relax and be picky about your guests. A burglary from the neighborhood scum bag is much more likely.