The disappearing guest

[Susan10]

I had a guest check in Sep 3, on the 17th (about 2 weeks in to his stay) he left and has not returned yet.  His check out date is Oct 1.  Should I be concerned?  I messaged him on the 22 through the platform and asked him if he is ok, was he returning, and perhaps did I need to make arrangements for his personal belongings.  He did not return the message until one full day later, apologising for his lack of communication and assuring me "he would be back in time" to collect his things and leave my place clean.  His message just didn't ring true.  Said he was visiting his brother at the Delaware beaches (which is about 2-3 hour drive from my house) teaching him how to kiteboard.  

Am I over reacting?  Should I be worried?  I have guests checking in the day after he leaves and if he doesn't come back?  I don't like the idea that he has my house key and could be re-appearing while new guests are staying.  If he doesn't return do I say anything to the new guests?  That's so awkward.

At what point should I contact Airbnb's - with their limited customer service? 😞

[Laura2592]

@Susan10  hi there fellow Maryland host!

Yeah I might be a little concerned, but only because he may try not to pay for his entire stay. It seems unusual to rent a place and then not use it. But maybe he just has a lot of disposable income?

I would send him a message the day before check out with your instructions. You had his assurance he would comply, just do your standard "hope you had a nice stay! Here are your check out instructions. Safe travels..." email. 

I would not be surprised if you get a case filed where he wants a discount for not using the space. I might contact them ahead of time and just let them know that you have a guest who didn't really stay during his stay. Not that they will do anything, but it may help you to have it on record if he does go to them. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Susan10 

I personally would not worry too much..... it seems like your guest might have just booked a place for 1 month with plans to spend some time away. When hosting long-term guests, some book a place because they need a *home-base* where they can store their belongings, come and go as needed, without worrying about check ins/outs or sudden change of plans. 

As long as he comes back on time to gather his belongings and check out..... I don't think there's much you can do other than just send him your usual reminder a day or two before the checkout date with instructions about returning the key. Maybe also include that there are other guests checking in after he checks out, so  a heads up that unfortunately you have no room to be flexible about the check out time. 

[Laura2592]

@Jessica-and-Henry0  thanks-- I am not familiar with the habits of LT guests as we don't have them. Knowing the area the host is in, I do wonder that the guest would book a place several hours from this destination to visit family.  Surely, the family might have said "hey, that's far. How about a place nearer to us?"  Maybe I am just suspicious, and perhaps this guest really just wanted to pay for a storage locker for his personal belongings, but I would think this was off.

[Colleen253]

@Susan10 The guest has replied to your query, so he hasn't gone missing. Why try to deal with something that hasn't happened? Though it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a plan for what you would do if he or any other guest did in fact go missing, especially since you operate with classic lock and key. You might line up a locksmith you can contact at the drop of a hat to re key your locks, but also think about installing locks that have keycodes  instead. 

[Helen3]

If the guest doesn’t return in time you would need to pack up their stuff and change the locks.

you would then need to change the locks and charge them for this and  any additional cleaning through the Resolution Centre. @Susan10 

[Susan10]

Alright, I do think it is quite unusual for a guest to rent for one month and then only stay 10 days at the beginning and then not request any kind of adjustment/refund.  But, the consensus seems to think this is normal.  I understand that guest do not have to check in with me concerning their whereabouts, but again, this particular case seems a bit odd.  I can't do a key code, that I know of, the entryway door is a sliding glass door.  

I will know more by Thursday.

[Colleen253]

@Susan10  I don't know that it's exactly 'normal', or not, but I don't think what the guest is up to while he's gone is relevant. Just my opinion. He has followed up with you, hasn't been any trouble otherwise, and says he'll be back to check out. Why think otherwise, or fuss over what he may or may not be up to? I think in a case like this, operating based on the facts seems a reasonable thing to do.

[Alexandra316 · Accepted solution]

@Susan10 Maybe he had something that he needed to store, like kitesurfing equipment, and it was easier for him to just keep your place. Maybe he just didn't want to pack up all his stuff. Maybe he thought he'd only be gone a day or two and it ended up taking longer. 

I had a similar situation a couple of years ago with some American guests. They rented the place for a couple of weeks, and in the middle, they went to Quebec City, a destination that's a really long way from where my place is located. It so happened that I had to enter the unit while they were gone because of an electrical problem, and I found that there were about 40 cases of wine they had picked up locally and they just wanted a handy place to store it while they travelled around. 

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about it. 

[Russell49]

I would just be happy that he is out of the house!

[Susan10]

UPDATE:  He did come back, clean up somewhat, and then checked out.  Thanks, everyone for you help.