To expect to be able to lock the airbnb?

[Ninotpoir]

Our family are staying in an airbnb, which is pretty remote but is part of a property with a number of different accommodation options. The one we have is entirely ours to use, and is quite close to the cafe on site, plus some of the activities the place is known for.

So there are probably 20 guests staying on the property in the various houses, camping etc, and people are coming and going all day to visit the Cafe and activities.

We realised on the first day that there are a few external doors, all but one lock from the inside (the push button lock on the handle) but one doesn't even have a lock - it's a sliding door right by the main cafe area. No keys provided at all.

Aibu to think it's normal to expect to be able to secure our accommodation both when we are out of it, and also when we sleep?

We did ask for a key but the owners sort of laughed it off saying they've never had a problem. I'll mention it to them in the review, but should we also let airbnb know that the accommodation isn't secure? I wouldn't have booked it if I knew.

That is not acceptable at all. I suggest you make people aware of this security issue in your fedback.

There is no conclusive evidence that Madeline was kidnapped from her bed. But I agree that if you book accommodation you expect to be able to lock it to keep the occupants and their property safe.

If you complain to airbnb I'm pretty sure you will get at least a partial refund, as I believe that is against their regulations. There's definitely a policy which says if hosts rent rooms then they must have a lock.

Of course it wouldn’t be rude! It’s something the vast majority of potential guests would certainly want to know.

Are you sure it doesn't lock if you turn the handle a certain direction line tilt and turn windows? I would double check with the owners and ask if there a way of preventing access from the outside. If you've just asked for a key they may presume you know how to lock it without one.

Pp makes a good point. Complain to Airbnb themselves and ask why an unsecured/unlockable property is being listed.

Thanks but no it is a fixed wooden block for a handle (looks hand made) attached to the glass door. We asked if it locks as part of that conversation and that's when they laughed at us.

I would 100% leave this in the review.
It will help others make their choice. Some people it may not bother, but I'm pretty sure most parents would not be ok with this. I wouldn't, and if I read this in a review i would feel thankful for the information and book elsewhere.

I've reported it to airbnb. They're going to raise it with the hosts. I haven't done a review yet so maybe should have waited until after the reviews but it's done now.

Did you report this by phone OP, if so, did they seem shocked/surprised about the locks? Will they come back and tell you the outcome?

I've reported it on the message system and yes they seemed shocked, agreed they wouldn't be happy to stay in an unsecured listing. They're letting the host know it's a security issue. I decided not to ask for a partial refund as it feels a bit wrong. But I've put it in my public and private reviews so hopefully they get the message and others can see in advance of their booking.

I was brought up in a place where no one ever locks their doors but if I was staying somewhere different and new I would absolutely want to lock the doors. You never know who's about. Very strange to not have a lock on an external door.

Definitely not rude to mention in a public review. It’s simply the truth, and you did raise it with them (in fact I’d also write in the review that you raised this with them and they didn’t do anything about it and it just made you feel unsafe). It’s not about what they think is ok, it’s about common sense. If you rent a room /house, you expect to be safe there. Not being able to lock it is NOT safe.

Nope, that's not OK at all. You cannot have such a cavalier attitude to your guest's security. It may never have been a problem but it could turn into one tragically quickly. I would definitely mention it in a review as it's something the owner really needs to address.

What if your child was a sleep walker/eloper? Plenty are.

Surely they wouldn't be insured? That would also bother me.

The host told a "funny" story about a family staying in our place, who's kid went missing out of their bed and they were hunting everywhere in the property (including the pond) frantically. Turns out the child had snuggled up on the sofa, covered themselves in blankets and gone to sleep. But that stress wouldn't have been there if they knew they'd secured the place..

Please state it in a public review. I travel alone and I think lockable doors and windows are a minimal requirement! I’d want to know if I was planning on staying somewhere unlockable.
And bloody hell, thinking that a ( potentially) missing child near a pond is a “funny story” is madness, and a bit sick.

This! As a woman, anywhere I pay to stay in, has a lockable door. That is absolutely basic and non negotiable.

It also reflects poorly on them that a) they laughed at your concerns and b) they thought the child story was funny. I'd have been out of my mind.

Can you buy a padlock, or even a bike lock, when you're out tomorrow and use that to secure the main door? It's not great but better than nothing.

(including the pond)

😱😱

No lock for just adults is bad enough but it's listed as a family rental and it has a pond? Please tell me that it is fenced off properly so a youngster couldn't sneak out through the unlocked door to have a "paddle".

No it was just next to the property, slightly hidden under lots of bushes and with reeds. I didn't notice it at first, so a kid could wander in very easily.

I think that also needs to be in the review. I know you felt a bit uncomfortable about mentioning things but seriously, it's both insecure and outright dangerous and some other family might be very unlucky on that front, to put it mildly. It is not acceptable in my view to be making money out of renting out a property where guests are put in this position.

It would probably annoy me a little but wouldn’t make me that anxious. It’s presumably no more insecure than the tents people are camping in at the site, so I can sort of see why the owners might feel it’s not a big deal.

However, I think people that aren’t happy with camping for that very reason might pick the apartment option because they expect to be able to secure it. So I do think it should be clear in the listing and mentioning it in the public review is, to my mind, exactly why public reviews are so valuable on a site like airbnb.

Surely that has got to go against AirB&B Ts&Cs. I'd report it to them.

Your car would likely not be insured if the keys are not appropriately secured - an unlocked premises is not 'appropriately secured'. Anything held in the car also not insured for the same reason. This is wholly unacceptable to be honest and why I use airbnb as a backup option given it's not generally subject to the same regulations as 'mainstream' hospitality