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

You would genuinely need to be told in advance not to steal from a hotel or holiday home?

i've never had anything stolen from my holiday cottage. I leave a jar full of dishwasher tablets, child's farm baby bath wash, l'occitane soap, coffee table style books etc.

but i don't leave foil/cling film - plastic tubs for food storage though.

I did have a guest last week completely destroy the outdoor furniture cushions. looked like they'd be slashed with a knife!! to be fair they offered to pay for replacement cushions.

There isn’t a lot you can do, we only do ours through airbnb as you can allow leave a review on the renter that other hosts can see. We have had a few people recently book who all had reviews from previous hosts, two had stolen from properties so we declined their booking. Airbnb are getting better at removing reviews where guests moan that they have been caught stealing. You can claim for theft, hosts are also aware if a guest has had a theft claim against them which is handy.

I have taken the little shampoo bottles from hotels.

They are yours to take.

I think it depends where the place is which, to a large extent, determines the type of clientele.

We've used the same place on Harris eight times over the last 20 years.

No dishwasher but there's always plenty of Washing Up liquid and powder or whatever for the washer. Locally sourced handwash in the loo and at least enough paper to get past the Hebridean Sunday (no shops open at all). I suspect people top things up rather than the owner's caretakers adding bits.

We might have 'borrowed' the odd book from SC if we'd got engrossed but equally we've left things for the house too.

I've stayed in cottages where they obviously are planning for this ...we were told quite assertively that only 2 loo rolls would be supplied (for a week) so we took our own but then found some in the linen cupboard. We didn't touch their supply. Then there's the sliver of kitchen foil left in the drawer - not enough to do anything with but boxed ticked. It's too much aggro to ask for more.

You end up feeling like the owner is a suspicious tightwad who thinks you're a thief but now I've read some of these stories I'll try to be more sympathetic.

Yes - we've bought sets of wine flutes (can't drink the lovely bottle of prosecco they've put in the welcome pack in ordinary wine glasses!) and then left them for the house on a number of occasions (we have several sets at home).

We've also left quite a few bogrolls behind on many occasions, having bought a big pack.

We stayed in one where they left a note with the books to the effect that it was fine to take (most of ) them and to pop a donation in tje bix they had for the local lofeboat. Any local interest/bird spotting books etc were very clearly marked that they were to be left in the cottage. No idea if that actually worked though.

Yep. I try to leave a few helpful things for people, to make their stay comfortable but they walk out with them, and I never know what is missing when I have a quick changeover period of 4 hours ( I need at least 3hrs just to clean) . There have been many speed drives to the local supermarket! Some things I can understand being accidentally taken or mistaken as being their own, but others...makes me want to be mean and not leave anything!

So far this Summer season - dog food bowl and jar of dog treats, a torch, 2 x umbrellas, spoons, forks, many, many toilet rolls, shampoo, conditioner, handsoap, towels, facecloths, bed pillow and throw, spare charging plug and wires, and the wire and plug for the tv streaming device. Once had my entire pantry cleared out - herbs, spices, olive oil, salt and pepper, selection of teas, coffee etc. If its not locked up, it disappears unfortunately.

A more interesting thread would be what guests leave behind!!!

I have taken the little shampoo bottles from hotels.

They're yours. They're included in the room rate. Use them daily or take them daily, they're yours.

I went away for the weekend and before my bf joined me I put wine in the fridge and suppled nuts/olives etc.

When we were going home my bf said to me "it's wrong to steal" and I agreed, thinking WTF!

He then said "so why did you pack the wine we didn't drink?" I replied that it's mine because I bought it. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing it transpired that he'd seen the remaining wine in my case and took it out on the grounds that it was in the fridge when he arrived and didn't think I should steal it.

I told him if he wanted to see the receipt for the wine I'd paid for and he said "good thing you didn't "steal" it then, but it's on the counter in the apartment"

I was carrying both our train tickets (returning to a manned station where they checked tickets on arrival - this was about 19 years ago) and when I passed through the gate I only showed my ticket. He got stopped and shouted to me where was his ticket so I just shrugged and carried on walking. It was worth the cost of the wine to see what a tosser he was.

I accidentally took a towel home from a holiday cottage last week and I emailed to apologise and have posted it back!

The things that disappear most frequently for us are umbrellas, tupperware, hangers and hairdryers. I think these are often taken home by mistake. I've had a Bluetooth speaker, Amazon Firestick, bedside lamp and full set of wooden skirt hangers taken over the last few years, often by the unlikeliest guests. I've never accused anyone of theft as it's not worth the retaliatory review and things can get mislaid. Luckily most guests are decent. I don't mind people taking the odd paperback, I buy them from charity shops. I had one light fingered cleaner who got through the supplies at an alarming rate and would charge me a lot for cleaning products even though I told her to use ours. I label as many things as possible as it does seem to deter thefts. I would never leave anything too valuable or sentimental in the let. I'm always amused to see new sparkly lets appear with all mod cons, leather Roberts radio, expensive speakers and high end china provided - it will all get taken or destroyed within year or so unfortunately. I had a friend lose a whole set of expensive saucepans and another had all her Emma Bridgewater mugs taken.

What are insurance policies like for this sort of thing? Is it worth the cost of insuring your nice mugs, sheets, hairdryers etc?

Quite a few of the cottages we've stayed at have had a label on the book case to say we are welcome to swop, which was great. But recently we went to a really well appointed cottage with a fabulous kitchen bin and an amazing vacuum. That proved to be very expensive for us.....Immediately on our return home, DH was on the internet buying the same ones for us.

My SIL had a TV taken, guests left very early in the morning and left the door unlocked. Guests said that it was there when they left the cottage, and suggested someone local could have stolen it!
According to SIL, very unlikely it was anyone local as the cottage was very remote.

It's not worth claiming for individual small items generally. I keep our insurance powder dry in case we're unlucky enough to get the guests /party trashers from hell one day. I knew one host who had a large group destroy her house, they sent them a massive bill, assuming they wouldn't pay, and they did straight away and said they'd like to book again next year 😯

Oh gosh I’m sure it will look like we steal loo roll the way my kids get through it 😂 I’d never think to take things there’s enough crap packing up 3 kids without adding extras (and obviously morally it doesn’t sit right).

We have had 2 - one seaside, one city centre. Both now sold.

We used to replace stolen hairdryers, scissors, pillows, iPod dock, adaptors for overseas guests, cheese graters, knives, sellotape, tea towels, towels, cushions.....

We once had a group of guests who completely rearranged all the furniture - bed in the living room, dining room table upstairs far from the kitchen.

In the city it was pillow cases ruined by make up, hair dye; in the country it was sand and dog hair.

To be honest, we didn't really get too bothered. Often it was error or just an accident. For big things we had insurance. Small things are just business expenses.

We did have guests who cleaned their muddy boots on three white towels, leaving our cleaner to don full haz mat stuff as it looked like poo. And loads who did things like take duvets and pillows to the beach.

but i don't leave foil/cling film - plastic tubs for food storage though.

@livingthegoodlife Maybe you need to rethink this one.

If your guests have food that needs covering up in the fridge (open packets for example) what are they supposed to do?

Or make a sandwich to take on a walk?

Or if they want to use the oven or grill? (no foil?)

The cost to you is miniscule.

I expect when staying 4 or 5 * to find everything I need, like in my kitchen at home. Self-catering is just that! Like cooking at home. Not everyone eats out every day.

Fucking HELL.

When I think people cannot surprise me any more with their sheer wierdness.

And to the poster who admits she steals from every holiday cottage or hotel she stays in... stop doing that. Get help if you need to, but FFS how can your moral compass be so broken?

If this isn’t acceptable then accommodation should say so given that it’s so widely acceptable.

So you need a notice to tell you not to steal? @user73

Or 'substitute' in your opinion.

I've stayed in self catering for 40 years. I've never taken a single thing.

The stuff in the houses is not YOURS and it's not your role to decide which books to swap.

Thing is ......it's self catering. You buy food so why wouldn't you buy basics like dishwasher tabs etc?

I own an Airbnb house. All 5* reviews and I have never had anything stolen of any note. The odd towel perhaps and maybe the odd book. I leave 3 x dishwasher tabs and 3 x washing tabs. I leave a range of spices and herbs, olive oil, ground coffee, tea bags, milk, toiletries, 3 x loo roll in each bathroom, bin bags, foil, baking parchment and cling film. We have a brilliantly equipped kitchen. But dishwasher tabs - you're not supposed to supply them for the whole stay!

We leave a few spare loo rolls per WC. What I find odd is that nearly every guest leaves no loo roll at all behind, there's usual a empty roll on the holder - what are the chances you used every loo roll down to the last scrap and didn't need any more? People must pack away the spares or be determined not to leave their own spares behind. Toilet roll always seems to be a contentious issue 😆

Oh all the time!

It's usually consumables like the bottle of handwash, washing up liquid etc. During covid I was replacing the anti viral spray we left weekly. A bottle should have lasted a couple of months but it was hard to get hold of in retail shops.

I've lost pictures and ornaments though. I don't put anything of value in but I do put time and effort into finding interesting and quirky objects.

My bookcase bears no resemblance to the one I set up. Guests are always taking books but most leave one in exchange so it's a nice turnover. Every so often it gets a refresh from me when I buy £1 books from the local charity shop to fill any gaps.

The one that annoys me is the walking maps. They are expensive and we clearly mark them but they frequently get taken home, probably by accident but I've never had one posted back.

@DrSbaitso Like home insurance I have an excess that makes it not worth claiming for a £40 hairdryer.