Guest leaving belongings

[Charlotte1073]

1. I have a small, self-contained air bnb at the end of my garden. It’s usually let to holiday makers for a few days at a time.  About 3 weeks a woman booked who was to all intents and purposes homeless, as she said she had recently sold her house (we didn’t know this before she booked). She had a large amount of luggage (her worldly goods). We have a gym (a small wooden structure) in the garden where guests can leave their luggage. She left on a Friday and asked if she could pick up her stuff on the Monday, as her friend wasn’t available to pick it up before then. I agreed, but it’s been three weeks and she hasn’t picked it up. I keep contacting her (air bnb email) asking her to pick it up and give me a definite date to do so, but she keeps making excuses. No other guest leave the luggage and my partner can’t use his gym.

[Helen3]

Hello @Charlotte1073 

i would never agree to a guest leaving their luggage at a listing once they have vacated. 

Tell her she has 48 hours to collect her property or it will be disposed of. Tell her it's not acceptable for her to leave her luggage for three weeks after her stay when she committed to collecting it within four days . 

you could charge her for disposal through the Airbnb platform. 

[Jennipha-Lauren0]

Hey Charlotte,

We have a homeless problem here in the USA that can lead to situations like this. I am also a long-term landlord and have some experience in the area of abandoned property. That is basically what you've got. The best step is to contact the local authority in your area and ask about "abandoned property disposal laws." You may need to put an ad in the paper, allow a certain period to pass, and then it's all yours for the dumping.

I might suggest one thing: if you open it and find photos (we do this when storage units are left unpaid and it's time to junk the stuff), we pull the old family photos and save them. Mostly, I am just sentimental and post online in community groups if anyone who knows her or her family would be able to hold them for her.

All the best

Jenny (Montana USA)

[Shirley26]

On my AirBnB website under "Additional Notes",  I have the following statement:

Items left behind beyond one week will either be donated, recycled, or trashed.

[Debra300]

@Charlotte1073,

We assume no responsibility for our guests personal belongs and always throw away items that are left behind.  If we find that items have been left behind after checkout, we contact the guest to inform them and ask if they will come back for their stuff.  If they don't respond, it's likely they have left the area or the island already and are unlikely they'll return.  At our US listings which are long-term stays only, we tell guests where their items are located, e.g., the deck, next to the garage or at the curb, and they should pick them up before the weather changes, someone else gets them or garbage pickup day.  

[Paula]

Hello @Charlotte1073, our Hosts have shared various suggestions. Have you had a chance to read them? Are there any updates since you posted here?

Keep us posted.

[Charlotte1073 · Accepted solution]

HI Paula I was getting desperate after 3 weeks, but in the end the guest showed up with a friend and took away all her belongings (probably prompted by all my messages). It was a difficult situation because I didn't want to get rid of her property and I am aware that the rental situation is difficult at the moment. However, the situation had got out of hand and we needed our gym back! Thank you to everyone who replied.