EVERYTHING in the house was stolen. EVERYTHING.

[Heather1031]

Completely gutted... We have been Airbnb co-hosts for almost a year. Spent so much time, energy and money making our house perfect for guests. So much so, that Airbnb contacted us to make our listing an Airbnb Plus. It was gorgeous. Today we received a call from our manager (Airbnb Super-Host), letting us know that our last guest CLEANED US OUT. They literally took everything. How does this even happen?! Are we the first to have this happen? I feel so violated and sad.

[Colleen253]

@Heather1031  No, you are not the first, and sadly won't be the last. So sorry 😞 It takes a LOT of effort and vigilance to prevent these things from happening. Strong prevention methods and even stronger back up security is needed. Airbnb listings are prime targets. 

[Geraldine60]

I am so so sorry that this has happened to you.  You both must be heartbroken.  What is the world coming too which such awful cruel people.

I send you my best wishes,

Geraldine

[Helen3]

Hello @Heather1031 

How awful. I am not surprised you feel like this.

I wouldn't say having your listing completely cleaned out is common at all. Having it damaged and items missing/broken does happen.

I am sure your experienced co-host is advising you on what to do in this situation and has already reported the matter to your police. Your co-host will also be taking photography of the listing and will help you gather evidence of replacement costs and repairs. Hopefully you have CCTV too so can provide video evidence of the guests cleaning out the property.

Your co-host and you need to discuss how you will make a claim through Airbnb guarantee and how you will work with Airbnb to cancel upcoming guests penalty free (as I presume you aren't help to host with a cleaned out property). You can also look at making a claim on your specialist home insurance for STRs for areas not covered by Airbnb Guarantee.

Going forward I would review with your co-host security levels on your listing and how they are vetting guests when accepting bookings and what security you have outside your home to monitor your guests.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Ahh @Heather1031  😞 that's awful...

Call the police and ask them for police report, contact Airbnb immediately and file a damage claim. As far as I know, Airbnb will not give you your guest's personal information but if they have it, they should give it to the police. If you find out who your guests were you can file a lawsuit against them.

But... I am repeating this all the time for years now, and will do it again - we all should verify our guests by ourselves. We should ask them to show us their IDs, we should take a photo of their IDs, we have to know who has a key to our property and our possessions. We shouldn't give a key to total strangers and then be surprised if they clean out our property.

I talked to an insurance agent about such a scenario and he said the insurance agency doesn't cover a theft done by guests (just classic robbery where the lock on the entrance door is broken) He said - you gave them the key and let them in. And that's logical.

[Kiomara1]

Hi Branka, I'm a new host and trying to learn on the way. Question...how can I get to know my host? Up to what I have seen from Airbnb is that they send just the name and fee reviews (if any). How can I obtain or ask the guest more information and ID? Please advise 

[Kelly149]

I'm sorry since this won't help you now @Heather1031 but in addition to @Branka-and-Silvia0 very excellent point about knowing who exactly is in your house, I also feel very strongly that all ABB hosts should have "eyes" on their listing: doorbell cam, trusty neighbor, something. It is rare, but devastating so we must have a way of knowing if too much comes in the house or too much goes out the house.

I do hope the police and ABB and your home insurance are able to help you restore what you've lost.

[Heather1031]

Thank you all for your expertise and input. We have taken the proper steps in regards to filing the police report and working closely with Airbnb. I will update as things progress. I appreciate you all for taking the time to share your knowledge.

[Helen3]

Hi @Heather1031 

Please do this is a hot topic for many hosts and we would appreciate learning from your experience of making such a large scale claim.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Heather1031,

I feel so sad for you, reading your message here, it really is awful. 

It sounds like you have everything in hand and are working this through with the Police and our Support Team.

I really hope you get this sorted and can start rebuilding your home. I know it's not easy, but it will get better. 

I wish you all the best and if you need any support, we are here for you in the CC.

Lizzie