Host keeping items left behind, even after guest contacted host the same day as departure for these items!

[Cynthia1074]

Hello

We were in a rush to get to our next stop, and realized 6 hours after we left an Airbnb house that we had left a few items behind, including a reading lamp and bedding.  Contacted the host who claimed he threw the items in the trash and declared that we should not have "abandoned these items". This was 6 hours after we left the place, the same day! We highly doubt He threw them away, we suspect he decided to keep them.

After 24 hours, he added that he is keeping the items because the place 'was a mess", which was not true. Mind you, there was water out front from leaking hoses, and a pile of leaves we had to walk over to get to the door. 

Long story short, Airbnb is not doing anything to help us. So although host is supposed to contact you if you leave items behind, it seems legal by the rules of this site that the said host could decide to keep everything or trash it. And you have no recourse, because there is no penalty for the host to do so. 

[Huma0]

@Cynthia1074 

While I would not personally discard of any guests' items without checking with them first, unless I thought they were discarded on purpose (that happens way more than you can imagine), it is not the host's responsibility to look after your stuff if you forget it. It's your responsibility to check you have everything before you leave. 

Leaving discarded items behind just adds to the host's cleaning schedule and, if they have a fast turnaround to do, they do not have time to deal with it. They need to get get the place ready for the next guests and that could mean within well under six hours.

I know that sounds harsh and I would certainly hang onto anything that I felt was valuable or left by accident (I had a very recent guest who was truly grateful I hung on to one dirty sock she left on the floor and washed it for her!). However, so many guests discard things at a listing because they don't have room in their luggage/can't be bothered to take it and just assume that it's okay to leave the host to dispose of it.

[Cynthia1074]

Did you read the entire post? I called the host THE SAME DAY and told him we had forgotten a couple of items. He responded he decided that the items were abandoned (which was not true) and had already trashed them (or decided to keep them) without notifying us that he actually saw the items but did not contact us. This is against Airbnb rules. I told him we would turn around to come and get the items but he would not hand them back to us. 

And we are not talking about a dirty sock here, but a reading lamp and bedding.

[Martin3344]

@Cynthia1074

Guests leave things all the time, generally bits and pieces of clothing, phone chargers / plug adapters and other minor items that are easily replaced. I don't feel the need to contact guests routinely for these as it is really their responsibility. Hotels take a similar approach.

However I would of course do so out of niceness if it was clearly an item of value, or if there would be a straightforward way to return it (eg guests are still in town when items are discovered, or known to be planning a return visit). If guests contact me while I still have an item in my possession then I arrange to return it to them (at their cost).

What more concerns me here from what you have written however is that it seems that the items were not in fact thrown away as abandoned items, but kept by the host as some sort of inappropriate recompense for the perceived state of the property after you left it. This is clearly out of order and would amount to theft of your property if you are requesting to have it back.

If you have got this in writing then I would recommend that you escalate with Airbnb support to ensure that you are able to recover your lost items that the host is keeping from you. You are also of course able to alert other guests to this host's behaviour via your review of the stay.

[Cynthia1074]

 I did call the host as soon as we arrived to our next destination. Airbnb rules clearly state that the host had to place a courtesy call and let the guest decide if he/she prefers to come back and pick them up or ship it to them at their cost.

This is what concerns me the most: That the host (same if it was a hotel) decided to dispose of a guest's belongings as he pleases, and writes in the chat that it is what he is doing. Even with these proofs, Airbnb has not been helpful. I need to add that the host has anger issues, and I have heard him scream at his family at the top of his lungs multiple times. He even punched a wall after screaming at his kid. Trying to solve the issue with him only escalates the problem and then he gets angrier and angrier and can't control himself. It's a volatile situation and it's impossible to solve this with him as it can become dangerous. Needless to say, we are never going back there. He has a few other guests talking about his anger spurs.  

[Jonathan1945]

Whoa the anger management stuff is insane! There has to be a way to report this stuff to AirBnB or report the listing to the city in general. Terrible. 

[Cynthia1074]

I am looking into it. I am sure the situation would have been resolved easily if the host did not have anger issues. A civilized conversation should have taken place, as it was only a text or call away, but the host escalated this with his angry attitude, which was the real issue here. I will pick up new items at a store, but I am shocked that people can act like this and get away with it. Down the line, it is a safety issue.

[Helen3]

What resolution do you think would be possible in this scenario?. @Cynthia1074 

Either

1)the host got rid of the items you left behind as you didn't notify him until six hours after check out  (and they were taken away by his cleaning service)

Or

2) he has them and is holding you ransom because you say he had concerns about how you left his property

In either scenario it's highly unlikely further discussion would be fruitful.

You do seem to be one of the unluckiest guests I have come across to have so many situations where you find the listings you booked are not as advertised.

[Mark116]

@Cynthia1074  I'm not aware of any rule that Airbnb has about mandating that a host 'give a courtesy call' to a guest that leaves something behind.

Guests leave all kinds of stuff, most of which is clearly meant to be left and for the host to dispose of, people have left bedding, clothing, suitcases, all kinds of stuff.  It's possible if the place was left messy that the host did throw the items away, especially if there was a turnover that day.

[Cynthia1074]

So if you travel anywhere and forget something behind, it's a gift for the host?  

[Mark116]

@Cynthia1074   You keep talking about Airbnb rules on what hosts 'have' to do, but I don't think such a rule exists.  There is definitely no rule anywhere that Airbnb would ever have about calling anyone since they want all of the communication on their platform so it can be tracked and retrieved.

The bottom line is if you leave items in an Airbnb or a hotel or anywhere there is zero guarantee that you will get them back, sometimes you do, sometimes you don't.  

If this host believed you had abandoned the items, then its reasonable that they were thrown away.  If the host is keeping them and refusing to give them back, he can't do that, and it's shocking he would have admitted such a thing.

[Cynthia1074]

I understand, and that's why I am shocked. This was not the first time we stayed there, but we did not realize we could not trust the host. I am surprised Airbnb doesn't have a better resolution center, this could have been worked out very quickly, but it doesn't seem they did anything. He admitted again and again that he had my items, and he did this because he was angry and started writing insults to us on the airbnb chat, and then he kept getting angrier and angrier, it's all in writing. I think he was just a bully. 

 Airbnb kept on reassuring me that this was not tolerated. Hosts should not project their anger onto hosts and they should keep everything professional.

[Cynthia1074]

I do clearly indicate that the host has anger issues. With hindsight I am glad we are not going back there, even to pick up our items. No one should have that much anger. 

[Huma0]

@Cynthia1074 

Yes, I did read your entire post. Did you read my entire reply?

Of course, it's not okay for a host to keep your belongings as recompense for you leaving the place a mess and, if he has stated as much, you certainly have a right to complain to Airbnb.

If I am not sure whether a guest left something on purpose or accidentally, I would of course ask them and hang on to it until they responded, for a reasonable amount of time.

However, it is also not the host's responsibility to hang on to items, especially if they appear to be 'discarded' and, yes, guests often intentionally leave stuff behind and expect the host to dispose of it, including things far more valuable than a lamp and bedding. In most cases, when I have contacted guests about these things, they don't even bother to respond, let alone come to pick it up.

Also, if you left the listing tidy, how was it that you missed a lamp and bedding?

[Cynthia1074]

The lamp ended up being an exact match to the lamp on premises, and the bedding was a bed protective cover under the sheets, easy to miss.  For the 1st 24 hours, the host never mentioned any issue with the place. And it was not a mess. I cleaned the place before leaving. He only made that remark after I asked him to take the items off the trash, as they were not his, and I placed that call the same day.

If you read Airbnb's rules, the host has to give you a courtesy call to let you know that you left an item behind, and then give you the choice to either come pick it up or mail it to you. It's in the rules which obviously you are not familiar, with or choose to ignore.