Being nosy - Holiday home owners - do people steal stuff?

[Polkadotpjs]

On the back of the other thread about what people want to see in holiday homes I wondered if half of it is practical or workable. I was thinking about y work where we have a dishwasher that can't be used because if dishwasher tablets are left for it, people steal them ! Ditto spare loo rolls in the cubicles or nice hand soap! I'm not a journalist so don't think that. Just wondered if there's a balance between nice stuff and risking it going walkabout.
We went away last weekend and was pleased to see dishwasher tablets and laundry liquid but then disappointed there was no foil ! I'd have taken some and left it if there if I'd thought

No, that's not precisely it (not what I said, anyway). She isn't doing it to 'get one over on them', she buys extra things because she feels the kitchen is under-equipped and NEEDS that extra pan/properly sharp knife/baking tray (because she herself felt the lack while cooking there) and is therefore doing them a favour!

She's not doing it to be nasty, though yes, I think it's a bit PA.

Camping parks are worse, we have holiday lodges and camping parks and at the parks we had to buy holders for the hand wash and washing up liquid as it would go missing every single day. We have a honesty box tea and coffee set up too and that definitely doesn’t cover itself for the amount of supplies we go through but it’s a nice touch for our campers.

We had to change the toilet roll system as they’d open it and take the huge roll of toilet paper too.

lodges aren’t as bad but we do put in just over what we’d expect them to use. In regards to dishwasher tabs and toilet roll. We do have a fair few accidental breakages but not really any thefts.

I have a holiday let except it's our own home that we move out of during the summer. A bugger to move all our stuff out, but it does mean that the place looks very homely and not sterile and that the kitchen is fully stocked with absolutely everything. If I can cook a Christmas dinner for 8+ people there, then you're all set for summer meals!

I leave 3 toilet rolls per WC, it's self-catering so no I'm not buying enough toilet paper for your entire stay, but you'll get more than enough to last you a good few days. I do this no matter how many people are staying in the house, so if there are only 3 of you then you're getting 9 toilet rolls for a week. I also leave coffee pads, a massive box of different teas, fancy Pukka teas, olive oil/salt/pepper/spices/herbs, enough dishwasher tablets for one machine run per day plus a couple extra, a big bottle of washing detergent, a small pack of bin bags, a full cleaning kit, hoover, mop etc, the works. In my welcome pack, I also do 2 bottles of local wine, a local lemonade, some beer, some nuts, crisps and olives. I also leave big bottles of local artisanal shower gel in each shower.

Overall, no one has taken anything, not anything I've noticed. Before the summer I clear the bookcase of any books that I'd be sad to be stolen just in case people do exchange books whilst there. Same with anything else I'd be sad to see go.

The biggest thing for us is that people move furniture around, which I find really strange. We have a large outdoor dining table in the garden and another large one that's extendable in the veranda, but for some reason one group decided to take the heaviest dining table from our lounge into the garden! No clue why, makes me chuckle to this day.

We have cupboards in the utility room that are locked and have "private" stickers on where we keep our personal belongings and the amount of people who try to break them open/have a nose is honestly ridiculous. You're not finding anything in there other than my winter clothes, slippers and the roller blades I've never used!!

We have cupboards in the utility room that are locked and have "private" stickers on where we keep our personal belongings and the amount of people who try to break them open/have a nose is honestly ridiculous

Reverse psychology! I reckon if you got rid of the “private” stickers then they’d stop trying to look.

Unfortunately not. This is the 6th year of renting and it's only this year I put the stickers on hoping to deter people. Happens every year 🙄

Our local pub on the main road, opposite the sea where the camper vans take over had to take the toilet paper set up out as people were breaking it open to nick the toilet paper. The type with one big loo roll per cubicle. It was always the Ladies loos that got targeted. The bar staff clocked women going in with a flat handbag and watch them coming out with the same handbag bulging. So they changed it to those little sheets in a box.
The half decent Gin glasses got nicked by customers taking them outside to the beer garden. Plastic ones now for outside and pound shop ones for indoors.

This is the 6th year of renting and it's only this year I put the stickers on hoping to deter people. Happens every year

Good lord! People are really appalling.

It depends if its someone's house they use themselves as well. I rent out my own house with Air bnb from time to time, complete with sentimental Teddy bears of my own on a shelf and would be upset if they disappeared. But I think people realise that it's my own home. I don't get many children staying though.

I've stayed in holiday let's which are obviously used by the family and has personal belongings in it. I wouldn't assume things are for taking.

I would be more forgiving if I didn't leave literally everything that a person could possibly need in the house, but absolutely everything is there. I ask renters to let me know if they're missing anything and haven't been asked for anything for about 4-5 years. It's madness!

Wow, that sounds like a nice rental, it is always nice when there is cupboard staples etc left and a welcome basket. Really makes the stay very welcoming. I can't understand people that don't look after other people's stuff.

Currently staying in a luxury Cornish cottage. It's the most I've even spent on a UK holiday, thought we'd treat ourselves, house has 5* reviews on Airbnb. NO bin bags, empty kitchen bin with food on the bottom with warning sign on wall that guests who don't use bin bags will be charged, NO dishwasher tablets, NO kitchen towel, no dishwashing sponge or brush, half a used loo roll per WC, no toilet roll holder, so you have to handle someone's second hand bacteria laden roll, bit of liquid hand soap in one WC, but none in bathrooms, no soap bars or toiletries, no bin liners in bathroom pedal bins, yuck. It's the worst equipped place I've ever stayed. I had a bit of a moan so housekeeper kindly dropped off TWO bin bags, 5 dishwasher tablets and some loo rolls plus pack of biscuits as apology. Feel like giving up with self catering in the UK! This stuff is basic surely!?

Where an Airbnb is cleaned by an agency @FiggidyFoggedy sometimes it's really sloppy. You did right to complain

Certainly not luxury, that’s for sure.

That's terrible, you really need to let the owners know as I expect they are paying for a service that is not being provided.

I own a cottage in Cornwall and I provide everything. It's easy for me because I do it all myself.

I did message the owner who, whilst friendly in her communication, didn't actually apologise or sound shocked. The house is luxurious, White Company bedding, all mod cons, spacious, it's weird to then be SO tight with the basics that actually matter! A lot of check out requirements and chores listed for guests too, 'cos 'Covid'. That excuse is wearing thin. It doesn't feel like 'luxury'. It's strange no one else has mentioned these things in previous reviews. It stings due to the eye-watering cost of the holiday.

We took a fish slice by accident once. We'd brought some of our own utensils (cooking for 15, and had bad experiences with quality in a couple of places) and the one in the house was identical to ours. DH and I shared the packing up and it was months later before we noticed that we had two. I was too embarrassed by that point to fess up to the owner.

You should review it accordingly.

I suppose there's a difference between renting locally and renting to international travelers and for how long.

When flying for a few days with hand luggage only, missing loo roll and dishwasher tablets would be highly annoying.
When I stayed at one place for a month, it was something different.

I once took one roll - we stayed at two places during the holidays, the second one was just for three nights and they warned us in the last information package that they provide "enough loo roll for the first evening". I panicked a bit and took one of those left unused in the first accomodation, as we were reaching the second place in the evening, unsure about shops opening hours and so on.
We came there and there was enough for our whole stay...