Do Guest rummage in your Private Things? How do you know they do? Give concrete examples, please.

[Olga464]

I am the inhouse host. No locks in the rooms. In one I live. Another one I rent out.

[Olga464]

@Huma0 save your nerve system. Ignore everything except the fire.

[Alan475]

Hi Huma,

Suggest you contact a Locksmith company as you can add a Privacy lock to any door without compromising the existing door- ware. We have them and have a master key that can lock guests out of that room or area especially when your not at home. I would also suggest anyone that shares their space to have them installed as extra safety during the night. 

[Alan475]

@Huma0 

[Kathleen438]

I am a new host but set up my house assuming people will be curious.  So far my few guests have been wonderful and respectful. Some use the common areas and some do not.  On purpose, I charge more than what airbnb suggests because I do not want the guests who are looking for the cheapest deal out there.  I rent out my master suite and offer living room, dining room and kitchen as common areas.  I provide guests toiletries, snacks, tea and coffee, water, phone chargers, and all kinds of little amenities I like to have when I travel.  I have a cat who needs access to my room and the common areas where her litter box and food are so do not lock my doors.  I re-keyed all the locks inside my house so each bedroom will lock with an individual key but my bedroom key is the master key.  So when the old cat is gone, I could lock my private areas.  I have a closet I can lock with the same master key, drawers and cabinets on my antique dining room furnuture and desk that I lock when people are here. So I can lock up my liquor, antique silver and china, postage stamps, computer password book, and anything else I don't want people to access.  I also have a locked outdoor shed and have considered hiding cash, passport and that type of stuff in the shed where no one would think to look.  I always password lock my computer screen when I am done using it and my son has set up my wifi router with a guest log-in so even a hacker cannot access my personal wifi channel.  That way if someone watches child porn or does something illegal, it can be traced to the guest.  I love to entertain friends so always have extra food, drinks, dinnerware, etc on hand.  Although I don't want my stuff damaged or abused, no piece of furniture or rug is worth more than a few thousand dollars.  If guests peek in the linen closet, pantry, or even my clothes closet, they will not find anything interesting.  I don't keep my great-grandmother's silver or china out where it can be accessed.  I have no problem with guests helping themselves to ketchup, mustard, butter, olive oil, salt and pepper, an apple, a bottle of water or using the appliances.  If they were out-of-town family members staying with me, they would be using my stuff the same way but I wouldn't be making money from their stay!  Some people are certainly more considerate than others but I guess that is the purpose of the ratings and reviews.

[Mark116]

@Olga464  We host an entire apartment, so other than a few boxes of stuff in one closet, there are none of our personal items. 

We did have one set of strange guests who went into the linen closet, where we have extra comforters/quilts stored in plastic zip containers, and opened every sealed bag of linens, got out 3 different comforters, used them and then put them all back in different storage bags, so we had to basically rewash the entire contents of the closet not knowing what else they may have used and put back in storage. 

[Suzanne302 · Accepted solution]

@Olga464 

I just had two instances of guests snooping in private areas. I live in the home and have 3 very clearly marked areas that say "PRIVATE, No Guest Access." The only door that has a key lock is my bedroom door. One set of guests attempted to open my bedroom door, they opened the office door (clearly marked private, remember!) and snooped around, then they also entered the third private area, my garage, and stored their things in there.

Another set of guests just a few weeks later snooped in the office.

I also have guests who use my kitchen dishes even though I clearly tell them there is a guest cabinet with things designated for their use. This doesn't bother me as much as people entering the private areas.

Since these two incidents, I am now locking the office door (it can still easily be opened with a pin) and I reversed the lock on the garage door so you need a key to enter the garage from inside the house. I'm hoping that ends the snooping.

@Huma0 

To answer your camera question, yes, you can have cameras in private areas, but yes, they do need to be disclosed. That's how I knew my guests were snooping. A motion sensor triggers an alarm on my phone and records 30 seconds. I would never put cameras in common areas, but areas guests are not supposed to be in, fair game!!