Help - security alert! My guest just left the keys in a plant pot outside...

[Manda9]

Hi, help urgently required. I have two guests staying in a room in my house, they are two friends (girls) who are staying for a week as they are 'between homes'. They both have jobs and arrive home at different times - and I only issue one set of keys - so there is a key issue. However, they have not approached me about this so far (they are 5 days into their stay). OK are you ready for this?? Sooooo, just now.... I discovered the keys nesting in a plant pot right outside the front door. That's right - clearly visible laying in a small bush planted up in a pot right next to the front door to my house. In broad daylight. I'm so stumped I don't know what to do or say! HELP PLEASE.

PS. There's nothing in my Airbnb house rules about this - in my 'Information Pack' it clearly states that keys must not be copied - but there's nothing about NOT LEAVING THE KEYS OUTSIDE FOR THE OTHER PERSON.

Thoughts and advice welcome. Thanks in advance.

[James1173]

You could take the keys, pretend like you know nothing about it, take several hours before responding to the guest when they alert you, chastise them for having left the keys out (unless they claim they "lost" them), then they should have learned a lesson not to leave out keys in the open. They may just leave your door unlocked at that point.

Or you could just tell them what you saw and hopefully they'll be accomodating. This is one of the risks of opening your home to strangers; you need to protect your property and belongings so you should have sufficient insurance, could install surveillance equipment, and also trust that if anything happens, you can file a claim against the AirBNB host guarantee policy.

[Sarah977]

@Manda9   You say they are sharing a room in your home. Are you home most of the time? Can they not just knock for you to let them in? 

Or you could give them a second key. If they both have jobs and come home at different times, it seems like a reasonable thing to do. Or get a lockbox for the front door that they have to leave the key in.

Of course it was clueless to leave the key where they did.

[Rachel0]

@Manda9 Well of course it was stupid of them to leave the keys where anyone could have seen them and used them, but as you know that they both work and arrive back at your place at different times, it would seem sensible to provide them with a set each.   Is there any reason why you would be unhappy to do this?