Two nurses walk into an Airbnb....

[Laura2592]

This just happened to my sister, who is a labor and delivery nurse, and her friend, a surgical nurse. They rented an Airbnb that a friend of a friend hosts in a city on the west coast for a week long visit. They walk into their space to find a transient gentleman in no pants, wandering out from the bathroom. Both parties were shocked. My sister immediately assumed it was the previous guest not yet vacated, but it turns out it was a homeless man who got wind that the unit was vacant and decided to move in and shower. 

So my sister contacts me and asks what to do, knowing I am a fellow host and I know the host of this unit. I tell her to message through the app and explain what is happening. She does. In the meantime, the man explains he has a right to be there because apparently the cleaner told him the code and he was told he could stay. Seems that the host started using 2 cleaners and the original one didn't realize, so she just thought the place was vacant for a while because it wasn't on her schedule. So she told this gentleman he could hang out. This host does have cameras but nothing tripped that seemed unusual. So she's not sure how the guy got in or why it didn't show him. 

So the host calls ABB support to figure out what to do. They are 100% useless. It takes about an hour and change for the cohost to arrive and try to evict the man, the police to be called and the man to actually leave. Then the place needs to be cleaned again. The host offers to comp the stay. 

The moral of the story-- be careful who cleans your remote property.

[Pat271]

Yes, and don’t give out your exact address.

[Jillian115]

@Laura2592 that is so crazy. I have always worried that if I hired a cleaner they may cut corners but who whole have thought they would give out the door code.  

[Laura2592]

@Jillian115 Yes its very eye opening. I never even considered one would, but it could happen very easily. I think it also points to the need for hosts to changes codes before every person enters--- even if its a cleaner who is supposed to go in more than once. 

[Helen744]

@Laura 2592, coulds things get any more ghastly, oh yes it can. Oooh H

[Lorna170]

@Laura2592   This was not an issue for AirBnB - it was an issue for the owner to have the police evict the trespasser, file a police report and to sue the cleaner who gave out the code.  

Also, IMO, the owner should have offered to put your sister and her co-worker up in a residential hotel until it was confirmed that NO ONE ELSE had the ability to enter the premises because they had the code from the cleaner who was giving it out.

[Laura2592]

@Lorna170 It was unclear that the man wasn't a lingering guest. So the first step was to contact the host through the ABB app. My sister was not about to call the police when she was not sure the status of the individual. And as the owner was remote and never had anything happen like this previously, of course she wanted to report it to ABB. 

But yes, the police were involved after other attempts to resolve were not fruitful. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Laura2592 

You can't make this stuff up.............. wow~

[Christine615]

We have one to a friend after he discovered his cleaners were renting his beach house when it was vacant. Now he’s sold on the idea of cameras. 

Hope the cleaners are prosecuted for theft. 

[Carter50]

Wow.  If there is a way to take advantage, people will figure it out.  I use a door lock that has 100 possible codes that can be assigned.  Every individual that accesses my home has a personal code.  The lock logs all code uses and also logs if the door was locked with the bolt from the inside.  I make it clear to each person that I know whose code was used to open the lock.  Nothing is full proof but, hopefully, this is a deterrent.

[Gillian166]

Even though i don't live in a city with a homeless problem, I don't trust cleaners much, even in a rural area, and for this reason still can't hire any.  Every tradie who comes to the house learns we have dogs, learns we have multiple family members managing the property who randomly pop in, and they learn we have cameras. We have 9 cameras but we usually only point out 1 or 2. My husband is South African, his lived experience has wounded him and even in Australia he can't help but be overly vigilent.