My guests have left w/ my door keys

[Frances11]

Hi all.

I've just said goodbye to a very nice couple from China, and they left with the keys.  I'd really like them back, of course, but also wonder whether I should get my locks changed.  Also, Airbnb corporate does not seem to have a way to deal with this sort of thing, which seems strange.  So here are my questions:

1) Should I ask them to mail me the keys (to another address)

2) Should I change my locks

3) If I change lockst and / or have to get another set of keys made, is there a way I can get Airbnb to get the guests to pay for this. It's expensive to do!

Your thoughts / advice much appreciated.

Thanks!!

[Dorothy15]

Hi Frances, My understanding is that the onus is on us to organise the return of the keys and you have little recourse.  Sounds like it is just jolly unlucky but I can't imagine you would have to change the locks. The guests probably don't want the keys anyway. Can you message them and ask them to drop them somewhere or have them posted to a friend's house? If they are good guests, they won't mind dropping them in the post for you. I have dreaded this happening to me. Hope you have a spare set!

[Ralf5 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Frances11,

I had a case two years ago, where guests lost a key (their whole rucksack with the key inside got stolen at the Oktoberfest in Munich) and after questionning the guests if there was anything inside the rucksack, where you could track back my address, i.e. a print out from the airbnb travel plan or any other documents. As they denied, just clothes inside, because they wanted to buy some of these festival outfits and needed to put their other clothes somewhere, after this I decided to not change the lock.

At least they paid for the key, which was about 10 Euros.

In your case, the keys are still there and if the chinese couple is already back in China, I would either ask them to send the keys with ordinary postal mail - and yes for security purposes I would choose a friend's address to recieve the parcel. Or you also could tell them to throw the keys away into the rubbish bin  and I would order another set of keys.

In the first case the guests would pay for the shipping fee and in the last case  you can collect the money for  re-doing the keys through the airbnb mediation center, they open a case and the guest has to agree for the charge.

If there is nothing attached to the keys like little tags with address or name, I wouldn't be too worried and would not change the lock (they probably don't go to next theft to tell him "these are the keys from Frances and the address is xxxx"), but of course this is a personal opinion.

But if you don't live in your own property, there might be some house rules attached to your lease contract, which oblige you to change the lock in specific cases, if this case I would contact your property manager and ask him about the lock, and if you must change it, then I would try to get these extra cost back from the guests (also through the mediations center, may be with a kind note "unfortunately I had to change the lock because of the property security rules ..." or similar.

Good luck

[Amaris0]

This happened to me a couple of weeks ago. Although in my case the guest left in my absence with my keys. We had discussed the night before that she should lock the door on her departure and post the keys through the letter box into the property since I would not be available at the time she was checking out. I returned home later but there were no keys so I sent here a message asking what she had done with my keys. She responded almost immediately full of apologies, in her hurry she rushed off with the keys; she also telephone to apologies. I informed her that under the circumstances I would need to change my locks and claim it off her security deposit as I was not comfortable with the keys being sent by post. She understood  my reasons. I submitted a claim along with quotes which was approved by Airbnb. 

I would suggest you contact your guest ASAP. You might be happy for them to post the keys back which would be an easy solution but if not, then you might have to liaise a bit with the guest to pay at least half the fee for cutting new keys or changing locks; I do feel you should both take responsibility, although it's not fair to blame you entirely. If you were in a hotel and you checked out without returning the keys to the reception then it would be charged to your payment card.

Good luck resolving this,

Ama

[Anonymous]

This is exactly what has happened to me.  My guest left two days ago - after i had gone to work.  I left the keys with a note asking her to lock up and post them through the letterbox.  The house was locked, but no keys posted.  I contacted her right away through airbnb and then her personal email, but she's not responded to either.  i know she was planning a trip to York and then London, so still in the country.   I have no idea whether she's left with the keys (which i'd prefer she did) or left them on the doorstep - which a previous guest did (?!?).  Bizarre behaviour, but there we are!  I'm in the dilemma now of whether to get the locks changed. If i knew she definitely had them, then although that's a pain, it's a better scenario than some unknown having found them on the doorstep, waiting for an empty house.   Any advice would be appreciated 🙂  karen 

[Ralf5]

Hi @Frances11

Since there have been a few various thoughts how to handle your problem, I am just curious about what you are going to do.

It would be nice, if you could keep us informed.

Thanks

[Marcus27]

Hi,

We have a clause in our house manual, if a guest leave with our keys or lose them we charge a fee.

If they have simply forgot to return them. We contct Airbnb whom hold back some of their deposit

until the guests have return the keys by post to a diffrent address

[Alessia74]

Hey guys, I had the same problem, and after it happened to me once I decided to change my locks. One of my friends told me he was using smart WiFi locks. At the beginning, I was not so much convinced about this idea, but then I contacted the seller and he gave me advice and helped me out choosing the most suitable for my door. 

[Wendy-And-Adam1]

Hi, I had a guest who booked for 2 people but turned up with 5! Our property only accommodates 4. We contacted Airbnb who cancelled the reservation and they left. However they took our keys with them and they have failed to return them, even though they told Airbnb that they would post them. We had the locks changed because we were uncomfortable with them having the keys and didn't believe that they were going to post them. I've submitted a claim to Airbnb who are querying why we changed the locks even though the keys have still not been returned! Any advice would be appreciated.

[Michelle378]

I have just had a guest deny having taken my key which is causing me much distress.  This bloke didnt look very savoury but I try not to judge by appearance and so when he requested a key I merely handed it over (my only one, guests keep loosing them).

Anyway he and his wife came and went but on returning from “dinner” were rude and so I kept out of their way.  It was some time later that I realised they had left ...

I informed Airbnb but they seem to be dragging their feet and the bloke is now stating that ‘he never had a key’.  I feel very uncomfortable, more so due to his bare faced lie.

I am a single mother who has to go out of the house to work, furthermore I can’t really sit on guard waiting for Airbnb.

any advice welcome

[Helen350]

Hi @Michelle378 @Wendy-And-Adam1 , I've just had a similar experience, a guest has left with my key whilst I was sleeping,has not responded to messages & phone is coming up with "Number not recognised." He seemed a bit of a dodgy character on arrival, stuttery, evasive, not the nice middle class well spoken sort we usually get in the UK, but then I didn't want to judge & treated him like everyone else..... He kept going out last night, coming back 5 minsthen going out again.. Strange... If only I hadn't let him have a key... I left a note on the door saying where to put key, so it's doubly worrying he took it. 

[Michelle378]

If you have a straight forward lock that you can replace yourself I would do it, mainly for peace of mind. 

Good luck

[Helen350]

Doh! Silly me! He DID leave the key after all- just not where I said, having misunderstood.. several hours later he repliedto my message, what a relief, I then knew where to look. All's well that ends well! We gave each other 5* reviews.

[Sarah977]

@Helen350  Yes, it's always better to check around thoroughly before freaking out and accusing or assuming the guest was irresponsible or a thief. I've seen posts here where hosts thought guests had stolen something, only to find it stuffed in the back of a closet, for some unfathomable reason.

[Helen350]

@Sarah977 Oh believe me I checked high & low! But never expected to find them on top of THAT door frame! (Woman alone, mind plays tricks..., what if.....?)