I've just been robbed by a guest. What to do?

[Miki5]

I've just been to my house and found out my last guest, has stolen computer and audio equipment worth about $700. Does anyone know the procedures for theft by a guest? I've already contact Airbnb Twitter and reportered him. 

A few details that may serve as a warning for other hosts:  the reservation was made at the last minute, access to the apartment is by a lockbox.  Airbnb cancelled the reservation due to identification problems, but by that time it was the middle of the night.

When I woke up in the moring, I had a message from Airbnb saying someone had tried to send me malicious material and they had blocked the message and changed my pasword to the site.

With all this going on my first thought was get to my house as soon as possible. When I arrived, I found the place reeking of pot, makeshift pipes made out of water bottles were scattered around, but the worse was the guest had stolen my airport and music system. 

I'm a bit shook up and want to be sure I follow the right procedure for reporting a theft, so if anyone has any info that would be great. I've contacted Airbnb Twitter and reported the guest. 

This is such a shame as up until now I've hosted such wonderful people. 

[Amber1]

Skip twitter - get on the phone with them. 1-855-424-7262. Did you call the police???

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

First call the police. that is not only common sense, it is likely what you will hear from Airbnb. Police can document the issues, and may have inside information on the perpetrator.

[Miki5]

@Kitty-and-Creek0@Amber1

Thanks to you both. I filed a report with the police and called Airbnb.

A note a caution to other hosts: the police told me there have been 10 Airbnbn roberies in my neighborhood ( in Montreal) in the past week. This was a guest who booked at the last minute, and then had his reservation cancelled by Airbnb due to identification problems. Unfortunatley, by the time I was told of this it was the middle of the night.  I went over to my place right away but by then, he was gone, and so were the items he stole.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Miki5

This is definitely a well planned operation. Thank goodness you reported this and can be part of stopping it. So sorry that it happened to you, and to the others. Please do not let it shake your faith in good people.

Kitty

[Coleen2]

After my second ever guest...
I changed our house rules and even now I will be refining them as I read new tips from other hosts.
I definitely took it to heart about leaving a review that other hosts would be aware of the potential problems with this particular guest but I have a feeling she will just create another fake account.
Hindsight and scouring the host forum for other similar entries I see the red flags would have been visible and in plain sight had I not allowed instant book. I think that instant book is not an option that lends itself to security at all.
Just to note for future bookings, my law enforcement friends/security consultants stated that this booking was likely a reconnaissance for a future break in. Based on the small infractions and testing the boundaries of noise, damage, and sound proofing of my home. They also stated that an instant book feature may cause our insurance company to refuse coverage if we ever have a more serious issue. I think screening a potential guest to stay in my home must be a mandatory procedure going forward.
Perhaps Air BnB would offer a free security consultation option along with free professional photographs .
I would encourage through our hosting community as well as through the community in general forums to ask air BnB to rethink the strategy of instant book. The posts related to robbery and illegal activity are beginning to trend even in the last week all with similar threads in the stories. My law enforcement friends have a generated report of Air BNBs ( mostly North America, Europe, and Australia ) with hosts being robbed, vandalized, and or suites being used for illegal activities.
I live on site and work from home so the likelihood of it being an issue for me is less than a non-owner occupied rental.
I was also informed that the more value a criminal finds, they can potentially weigh the risk of escalating it to a violent crime to get what they came for.
Things to be aware of if Air BnB chooses to go forward with mandatory instant book as rumors have lately been circulating.

[Miki5]

@Coleen2

Thanks for all the info. I've taken off Instant Book, and no longer allow guests to book the same day. I think that's how they slip through the screening process. Due to the time diference - I'm EST - this time Airbnb discovered something suspicious with the guest's ID but in the middle of the night. Obviously for a host this is too late, because they won't discover the email until morning and by the guest is gone, and the damage done.  The thought that this theft may have been a trail run is a scarey thought.

The police did mention a very high number of Airbnb theft recently. There's definitly an organized crew out there.

@Kitty-and-Creek0

Thank you for your positive message. I was more shook up then I thought, but reading your email before heading to bed helped put things under a more happy light.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Miki5

I know you were shaken by this experience, so would I be. It is terrible to consider that we are part of a "family" through Airbnb, and we have been "hacked" by thieves. Realistically, we should know that there is a hacker for everything.  Some would be innocently having fun - because it is there, and a challenge - and others are malicious.

I have not used Instant Book, and do not plan to. I want to get an intuitive feel for a prospective guest from how they appear in their photo. I also do a search online for them, check out how they present themselves on Facebook and who they are on LinkedIn. I don't care what color they are, who they sleep with, how they worship, or where they are from. I am interested in who they are as people. I hold high standards of integrity for myself and expect that of others I welcome into my home.

I have changed my settings, thanks to you, to not receive reservation requests for the same day. I did have that same day setting primarily because as resort managers in the past, we had some really outstanding guests "off the road." Now I have done some rethinking on that, and perhaps that is not such a good idea.

We all have photos of our home and amenities, descriptions of our places for the public to browse and information about ourselves. This does leave us wide open for thieves and opportunists. I believe that if I had to use instant book I would de-list my home. Other than the violation and harm done by thieves, I could rationalize that it is "just stuff" that could be replaced, and covered by insurance. The insidious part of it is that trust has been violated, and boundaries. It makes us feel vulnerable in our own space. That is not what we signed up for.

Thanks for bringing this to the front page of discussion here. It is a wake up call for us all. Again, my empathy for your situation. I hope that the authorities will be able to catch and prosecute the individuals involved.

Kitty

[Sharon114]

Hi Kitty, I totally agree with your comments.  I too will de-list my property (I rent two rooms in my own home) if I am forced to use Instant Book.  I think that we will not be alone.

[Miki5]

@Kitty-and-Creek0@Sharon114

I'm crurious why you both mention the possibility of Instant Book becoming mandatory. 

[Sharon114]

I sincerely hope this is not the case but there is a lot of talk on these pages about Instant Book being made mandatory at some point in the not too distant future.  Perhaps airbnb could clarify their intentions and let us hosts know if these rumors are true or false.

[Sharon114]

This is something being talked about a lot on these pages.  I just wish airbnb would clarify the situation once and for all.

[Miki5]

@Sharon114

Oh, yes, I checked some forums and they seem to be testing "Mandatory Instand Book" in some markets. What a horrible move if they go forward with this. Hopefully they'll get enough of a negative reaction. Fingers crossed.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Sharon114@Miki5

This is such an uneasy feeling. For a hotel, yes. For a private home? Where I live? Even with my record of superb guests over and over, I still want to look in the eyes of the guest profile photo and see their integrity. Speaking of which, they have announced that they will down-play the importance of clear and accurate profile photos for guests. That does not sit well with me. This is not about equal opportunity hosting. It is about the fact that I got an intuitive tip-off from a profile photo, that a man with a substantial criminal record was applying to stay in my home. Sobering.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Miki1

It is one of those issues that keep coming up and we hope there is no truth to it.

Kitty