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

393 replies

Polkadotpjs · 03/07/2023 21:06

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

OP posts:
CatOnAHotShedRoof · 04/07/2023 10:41

We used to rent out a caravan through (rhymes with Harkbean) and, every time we went to use it ourselves, something was missing. And now just the small stuff either, like loo rolls, mop & bucket, dustpan & brush or sink plugs. We found someone had tried to pull the TV off its wall bracket, damaging it so much we had to buy a new one, the storage box behind the caravan had been broken into (padlock broken) and our own patio furniture had been used & the DC's toys taken.

It cost us a fortune to keep it up together and "Harkbean" just shrugged and did nothing. Will never do that again.

PatchworkElmer · 04/07/2023 10:41

We stayed in an air BnB and DC had a small wee accident in the bed (which had a mattress protector on). We washed the sheets and hung them up, but they were damp when we left. Emailed the owner to confess and they couldn’t have been nicer- I was expecting them to leave us a horrible review but they replied saying they appreciated that we’d washed them and also that we’d bothered to let them know… makes you wonder what others have done on the past!

BertieBotts · 04/07/2023 10:47

We accidentally stole either one or two mugs. It was a Christmas visit and we'd received a couple of novelty mugs as presents and they got mixed up with the holiday home ones so DH packed a couple of the ones from the holiday home in error, I only realised when we got home (in a different country!) we didn't say anything or post them back.

Annalisea · 04/07/2023 10:48

This thread is really shocking. I’ve never stolen anything from a self catering let .I really appreciate it when owners make an effort to make a place really nice. If people steal it impacts everyone.

I wonder if B and Bs have this issue too?

Annalisea · 04/07/2023 10:49

Also if owners have an ounce of sense they will take a hefty deposit in advance.

Jem123456789 · 04/07/2023 10:49

We rented out our villa in Spain for a few years and nothing was ever taken.

guffaux · 04/07/2023 10:49

We were accused of stealing the visitors book (which we hadn't of course! what possible gain could there be Grin Confused - ) it took several emails back and forth to convince the owner . I'm sure they found it but somehow never confirmed that with us.

Davros · 04/07/2023 10:54

Visitors get online shopping deliveries sometimes but we supply spares of lots of stuff. We have extra packs of crockery, cutlery and glasses all available if things get broken and run short. These are all ikea mind you, but they're very strong and acceptably attractive. We also have a book for "damages/repairs" which is checked regularly. My biggest problem is managing the heating at a distance and trying to guess what temperature to set. There is a thermostat at the house but it's difficult to use

Emeraldrings · 04/07/2023 10:56

My parents used to rent a holiday home every summer for the family and we would all split what we were talking. So someone would take soap and toilet roll and someone else would bring washing up liquid and dishwasher tablets. Never assumed the owners would leave anything.
Although we did get caught out one year when no one took toilet roll and we all complained because the owner hadn't left any! Mad dash to the supermarket that afternoon.

DeliciouslyDecadent · 04/07/2023 10:56

On the side as a guest, we once had a holiday in a Cornish cottage. It looked lovely but there was dust under the bed (clearly never had a proper vacuum) and there were no cushions at all on the sofas. The fire alarm went off in the night as the battery was flat and hadn't been replaced regularly. Had to hunt for ladders or anything to turn it off. There were also 4 dishwasher tablets for the week.

I reported all to the agents and they came back with the news that the owner had removed cushions and never replaced them as children previously had destroyed them.

You can buy a cushion for a fiver.

steppemum · 04/07/2023 10:57

we have had a holiday let, and at one time my parents acted as agents for a group of Brits with holiday lets overseas. The tenants were usually Brits, and it seems British owners know what British tenants want.

On the whole, we haven't done too badly, the odd sheet/towel/teaspoon which is usually by mistake. Most people are fine, but they do tend to do whatever they want, so we expect a fair amount of wear and tear.

But one house had a group of lawyers and their families come to stay.
About 3 families with 6-8 small children between them, including several in nappies. (big house)

The house was trashed. The cleaners had to call up for help (remember they get the time between 10 am and 3 pm to turn the house round).
The place was full of dirty nappies, just left anywhere, and not closed rolled up nappies either. Food smeared on everything - sofas, floors etc. Wet towels left festering in heaps, rubbish scattered everywhere and not bagged or put in bin and so on.

The cleaner commented - I think they have a nanny and cleaner at home, and didn't bring them on holiday with them....

ManateeFair · 04/07/2023 10:58

We’ve had guests steal our books and leave their shit unwated books behind, stealing isn’t okay if you leave your own crap behind.

I think perhaps the problem is that if your guests are strangers, they don't know whether the property is your second home which you occasionally also rent out to guests, or a property which you operate solely as a holiday cottage business.

Generally speaking, in a holiday cottage (or a hotel) a shelf of second-hand paperback bestsellers is not the owner's personal library. They're simply books that previous guests have left behind for someone else to read, and as they weren't the owner's choice in the first place, it's neither here nor there what specific titles they are.

However, if your property is your second home with your own books in it, books that you want to keep and read yourself when you stay there, then of course you don't want people taking them. But do the guests actually know that?! Because I think if they aren't aware that the books are your personal property and not a bunch of paperbacks left by other guests, they would assume that swapping a book is perfectly OK and normal.

Doesthishurt · 04/07/2023 10:58

Not a holiday home, but I worked in a covid test centre during the pandemic, and was shocked at the entitled attitude of one of my co workers, a real "Karen" type. She saw me carrying a packet of large anti-bacterial wipes to clean the bays, and asked if she could have them for her home ! " They are great to use at home" she said, obviously having taken them before. I replied that we were short of them, and they were for fighting the virus, not for personal use, and she sulked off. A few days later she announced she needed some bin bags, again for HER home, and took an armful of bin bags !!

starfishmummy · 04/07/2023 11:03

Annalisea · 04/07/2023 10:49

Also if owners have an ounce of sense they will take a hefty deposit in advance.

As careful guests who dont wreck the place and certainly never steal things we are always put off by places wanting a hefty deposit in case we have trouble getting it back.

NeedToChangeName · 04/07/2023 11:08

DeliciouslyDecadent · 04/07/2023 08:20

Nothing annoys me more than paying £1K for a week in a holiday cottage and finding I need to buy loo rolls or I can't run the dishwasher enough.

(I don't go back to that sort of holiday home.)

It's completely mad and mean for owners to leave something like 4 dishwasher tablets on the basis you might run it every other day, or not enough loo rolls.
I also get annoyed when there is no cling film or foil, no kitchen roll, or cleaning stuff - like 1/4 bottle of washing up liquid.

The cost to them is minute but the inconvenience to the client of having to shop for basics like this is not on- it's a holiday FGS!

Why they think anyone would steal a loo roll when they are paying £1K for a week ,beats me. And if they do, the cost to the owner is nothing.

@DeliciouslyDecadent I agree with you. My heart sinks when a holiday house has 1 toilet roll, 2 dishwasher tablets. Its so unwelcoming

If it's such an issue with people taking them home (and I'm sure most don't) just charge an extra £4 for the holiday

Japansummertrip · 04/07/2023 11:08

Sad, that people have enough money to go in holidays and feel the need to steal from others; there is so much luck if culture and respect for other people things and the environment.

The amount if rubbish people leave in parks, beaches, etc is unavailable. I thought a Europe and the UK in particular was and advanced country.

Georgyporky · 04/07/2023 11:14

My holiday home is in Europe. Before the WWW I only advertised in UK & never had a problem.
When I made my own website I got punters from all over the world & the thieving started.
I eventually realised the Europeans were using their own cars, unlike the Brits & others who were flying & couldn't put things in their suitcases.
Easily solved.

SophiaLarsen · 04/07/2023 11:20

Never taken anything from a holiday home and always loved if it there are books, esp local ones. Decent knives and a knife sharpener and decent chopping boards.

However, we went to stay in a lovely little fishing cottage in St Ives one Feb. My aunt and uncle live nearby and we met up for dinner one night. They brought their dog so she stayed in the holiday home with our dog while we went out (holiday home allowed dogs to stay unattended).

When we got back later, the corner of the bottom step of the stairs had been really really chewed Shock. We were pretty positive it was not our dog as he was too old for that kind of behaviour but couldn't hand on heart say that the stairs weren't already like that as it was day 1 and we'd not really taken a close look.

We erred on the side of caution. There is a great little DIY shop in St Ives so we got some sandpaper and varnish, sanded back the damage (creating a bit of a new curve to the stairs that was not there before) and revarnished. The newly renovated bit looked great but far too new looking so DH stippled it with coffee and it looked perfect. DH is very talented at DIY.
We often wonder if the damage had already been there and the owners think of the family who stayed who fixed the stairs Grin

TheWalrusdidbeseech · 04/07/2023 11:20

Nothing annoys me more than paying £1K for a week in a holiday cottage and finding I need to buy loo rolls or I can't run the dishwasher enough.

same

Even if you are a very tight owner, at least leave some soap, a dishwasher tablet per day plus a couple of spare, and at the very least a loo roll per toilet per day, with couple of spare. Anything less than the very minimum is just taking the mickey.

People on holiday do not want to rush to the supermarket first thing to buy essentials. They might go out for breakfast and meals, but they will have showers and use the loos!

huntingcunting · 04/07/2023 11:20

Who are these people nicking stuff??
I cleaned holiday huts in the mountains in Austria for nearly 2 years and I had to check inventory after each group of guests left. Nothing got nicked - ever.
More often than not people left stuff which we cleaners were allowed to keep - olive oil, condiments, all kinds of food, shampoo, shower gel etc.

The were only allowed to put out one dishwasher tablet per day. 3 bin liners for a week's stay. And 1 toilet roll per week per guest.
I always thought that was a bit mean though as guests were paying 1000s to stay there.

Although nothing got nicked there were a couple of times when the guests left one of the huts completely filthy - in one case they'd definitely had an orgy. That was absolutely vile to clean up.
And another time someone had shat in every bed (in a 8-bed hut).

TheWalrusdidbeseech · 04/07/2023 11:21

Georgyporky · 04/07/2023 11:14

My holiday home is in Europe. Before the WWW I only advertised in UK & never had a problem.
When I made my own website I got punters from all over the world & the thieving started.
I eventually realised the Europeans were using their own cars, unlike the Brits & others who were flying & couldn't put things in their suitcases.
Easily solved.

god knows why anyone would anyway, but I am sure people can chuck pillow case and towels in a suitcase

DragonflyLady · 04/07/2023 11:27

I clean a community centre - and if I leave spare loo rolls out they get nicked!!

Rocketpants50 · 04/07/2023 11:27

I was the opposite - managed to leave some clothes hanging up in the wardrobe. Moved on to a hotel where I was staying for a job after my holiday and realised I had left my work clothes behind the morning of the meeting! Messaged the owners but apparently I had definitely not left any clothes behind - I had hung them in a suit bag in the wardrobe on arrival and forgotten to pick them up as I left!

SophiaLarsen · 04/07/2023 11:27

We also go on canal boats. Never nicked anything but have broken stuff. We always fess up and it's usually stuff like a glass or a mug and the company is always like 'meh, that's fine'

Did have one incident where my extremely strong friend hauled the canal boat to the side of the canal and really tipped it over. Loads of glasses and crockery went for a Burton and the deposit was adjusted as you would expect. DD also dropped a windlass in the canal so when we returned the boat, we bought a new one from the chandlery but fortunately they are as cheap as chips.

TheDogsMother · 04/07/2023 11:31

I've done seven years of hosting so far and nothing has been taken. I'm very thankful as all the cutlery, crockery and accessories are fairly high end and would cost a bit to replace.

The state of the bedding at times, now that's another story !!