Which items tend to get taken/stolen most?

Same experience here with renting our desert condo out for many years. It’s actually gone in reverse. I’ve found lots of stuff left behind: patio chair cushions, wine glasses, ice cream, canned goods, and even some shoes under the bed!

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Please don’t tell me they’re wire ones! :))))

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No No NO! They are affordable, but practical, IKEA wooden hangers. I space them perfectly. Amazing how many people don’t use them actually, and why is this an amenity that AirBNB thinks is so important? Does it infer closet space?

Oh, the ice cream!! So much ice cream! Because folks driving back to NYC know it will just melt so they leave it. My host friend in NOLA gets tons of booze left behind, too.

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Me too, almost every time. My current guests leave tomorrow and yesterday I saw them going into the apartment with lots of groceries. As they will be flying back to their home country tomorrow I’m hoping for a good grocery bonus :slight_smile:

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Once in a while I’ll have a guest show up with a suit or other formal, business type clothing, so the 2 hangers I have on the Sally Bowles screen come in handy. But sometimes I tell them to just drape it over the sofas because I don’t use them.

It’s sorta humorous because I just offer a bed in the corner of my living room, so to see this elegant person emerge after showering, blow-dry and suiting up, is a hoot.

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I still think the listing of this amenity is odd. Isn’t “is there a closet with a rod” more important? Isn’t are there shelves or drawers for your clothing more important? Someone can check hangars on that list and not have anywhere to actually hang them from. Sorry-- my odd sense of humor sometimes takes over.

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It’s your inner Joan. :slight_smile:

Jeez, I think the last time I used a hanger was in 1985. But honestly, hangers are a big deal for some people.

I used one this morning. Most of my clothes are on hangers. My guests get much nicer hangers than I do.

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Wait a minute…you don’t use hangers at all? I can’t even fathom. So do you use wall hooks or just fold and put your clothes on shelves and in drawers (or over the backs of couches)?

P.S. If the avatar is you…you sure don’t look Asian ~ you look like my neighbor Jim, who’s red-haired, freckled, Irish, great golfer.

Is that you Jim? : )

Someone told me in the beginning when I started a year ago to use the KISS principle. So true. I rent my entire house and he said: no personal photos, nothing of great value, . I have had the following walk out the door: a pepper grinder, a Molinex blender/beater - it was not new and I’ve replaced it with 2 egg beaters - ha ; one pool towel, teaspoons - I’m sure they get thrown in the bin in error, a bottle opener, an LED torch for night time use which is magnetism and housed on the fridge. I have had pots and pans damaged - they must have been shocking cooks - had to throw the wok away and have now replaced it with an indestructible stainless steel one. If you decide to have LED candles in the house, make sure you explain to every family member how to turn on the battery. Dad came in lare and tried to light the flickering part with the gas lighter used for the stove. I don’t want candles etc in the house or on the balcony as I have a thatched pavilion. One needs to expect these things happening so just be aware and don’t get hung up about it. If you can discover the loss and you feel it important, deduct it off the damage bond.
Basically, if you have a good manual and strict rules of engagement, you will get the right people I will say I have a “blacklist” and so far there are 2 families on it.

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I am fibbing a bit I suppose. I’ve got a few shirts in the closet on hangers. I never wear the shirts. My wardrobe consists of shorts and T shirts and all of that goes in a drawer.

As for me and my name. No, I’m not related to Vera. If I were living in Norway my last name would begin with a V and the ending would be and still is -ness. For some reason I didn’t want to show my true identity here, which I’m sure everyone is dying to know! :smile: And I don’t play golf, just walk the course–the edges of it anyway–when I’m at our desert place.

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@prettylittlehouse I rent out a full apartment so I don’t have personal belongings in there. This year statistics: no stolen things (ever). Broken things: 2 glasses. I trust my guests they will treat my place with respect and they do. So far they seem to “feel my positive energy”, so I think;)

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@SandyToes - Sandy is this a unit you actually live in or is it an investment? I have always had the vague sense that folks are must less respectful of properties they sense are simply an investment, money-marking enterprise, rather than someone’s home.

I have had some jewellery taken and a brand new $400 speaker, both by the same guests, 4 young female back packers who were my 2nd or 3rd guests ever. I also had someone spill a full milo on the bed, under the electric blanket and not say anything for more than 3 weeks ruining the whole lot (thanks) and someone else from a band slash up the $300 air mattress. Damaging stuff and hiding it I think is on par with stealing so I would be just as cautious as this.

What I’ve learned: I do not take any large groups anymore, I do not take back packers anymore, so,e of who, seem entitled to steal and they are doing it tough full time travelling lol.

I don’t have a lock of my room (not possible as it’s an antique door) and have about 10 bottles of Chanel perfume and 1000s of dollars of makeup and so,e expensive clothes and I really don’t feel it’s at much risk as none of its ever been stolen. However, I would lock up what you can and don’t keep so many knock jacks and stuff about as a. You might not notice if it goes b. Your listing will look better and less cluttered with it gone.

It’s both a unit I live in and an investment. It was purchased to have a home base when in town for a month or two each year. It is not a stripped down rental unit but completely furnished with all the comforts and conveniences of a home including décor items. I have an owner’s closet with clothes and personal items which also houses the towels, linen, etc., for the rental business.

It’s a great set-up except that I don’t usually know the dates of travel very far in advance so the unit is often booked. This year and last had me looking for other rentals for some of the dates which put me back to square one on why we got the condo.

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I find I have to block my own dates in advance, period. Otherwise I will end up not being there for a month at a time and that is no good. I really have to be at my place at least once a month to keep everything ship-shape. Plus, I don’t want to be away longer than that. :wink: But I am only two hours away. It is a different dynamic.

I think guests are extremely curious–many like staying in a private home for authenticity and the chance to explore another person’s life–and most open every drawer and try to open even the locked doors/cabinets.

We are now at the point where we leave “easter eggs” out (a whole drawer full of high end makeup and toiletries I don’t use anymore, a bottle of vodka in freezer etc.) to hopefully keep guests from getting more aggressive. Believe, the makeup gets used, the toiletries get sampled, the perfume and vodka slowly and steadily disappears from the bottle…

If you lock a door, put the lock up at eye level. I used to put the hasps at bottom of door to be more aesthetically pleasing but I’m sad to say that so many people tried to open it (despite large “PRIVATE” sign) that the hasp dug a chunk out of the wood.
DO NOT ASSUME YOU WILL FIND DAMAGE OR THEFT IN TIME TO KNOW WHO DID IT!

Stolen things:

  1. Passport stolen from its case (this was the WORST)
  2. Boxes in attic (including one of family photos–why?) had been opened, rifled through, and photos left all over attic
  3. Glasses with local brewery insignia
  4. Towels, books, (these are a cost of doing business, I don’t care so much)
  5. Expensive condiments (coconut aminos, maple syrup)
  6. I used to have a bottle of vodka in my freezer. I haven’t had a sip since May, but every couple of weeks, the bottle is down an inch or so. We consider this another easter egg…
  7. Midcentury vase was broken, glued back together and turned so that damage wasn’t visible until time to dust
  8. Fancy smelly candle
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I never thought people would go through personal photo albums stashed away in my extra guest room closet but this old guy from Europe did. When I asked him what he did for a living he said he visited/managed all Seattle’s recycling bins. Which is kind of weird. After he left I moved all my personal stuff into another room under lock and key. People who understand antiques and collectibles often find stuff they can sell at a profit on Ebay.

I have the opposite experience. I usually have to take everything the guests need out for them because they don’t like to open drawers and cabinets even when we’ve invited them to. I rent a room in my house.