Airbnb burglary (LONG)

[3isEnough]

I almost posted on here about a week and a half ago asking if I’m the only one who doesn’t like the idea of staying at an Airbnb. It seems like everyone I know stays in them regularly, but I’ve always been reluctant to do so. I always think someone - a previous tenant, the host, a burglar - will come in and take my daughter in the middle of the night, or steal our stuff, or commit some other crime. Nonetheless, we were in Costa Rica for the last 2 weeks and despite staying in some really nice hotels in different areas, we needed to find a place to stay in a little surf town and there weren’t many options other than Airbnb.

I was so reluctant to stay in an Airbnb that we waited until a day prior to book it. DH found a really cute, updated little house that was well-reviewed, so we decided to book it last week for 4 nights. The 1st night (last Weds) we arrived after dark and it was raining so hard that the ceiling was leaking. I messaged the host who promised to send the handyman and her assistant the next day (the host is a ppty mgmt company with several properties). Those guys came to the house while we were gone the next day (Thurs). They were also supposed to figure out the oven but forgot, so the assistant came to the house again on Fri while we were out. We were at Manuel Antonio Park all day and got back to the house around 7p. It gets dark early there so it was already dark out when we arrived at the house. We noticed the light was on in the house but didn’t think much of it since the assistant had been there. I also noticed that the front screen looked like it had moved 1/2” or so and I even checked the window (next to the front door) to see if it was open/unlocked, but it was locked. We barely got the front door open when DH and I immediately saw clothes all over the living room floor.

I should also mention that the house had a high fence around the entirety of the yard, but it was a really pretty modern fence with horizontal bars. The host told us to keep it closed at all times, which I did think was a little odd but figured maybe there are car thefts there (we parked inside the front yard with gate closed).

Anyway, as we had parked that night I saw a guy walking down our street (in the dark), which was the first time I had seen anyone on the street at all. I was already worried about him when we pulled into our yard, but since we closed the gate I felt a bit safer. Once we realized the house was burglarized, my mind raced to the guy in the street who I thought might be coming for us. We jumped back into the car and got out of there as fast as we could. We parked about 1/2 mile away at the nearest strip mall and called the police, but with our broken Spanish it was extremely difficult to convey to them what happened. We wanted them to go to the house, but Costa Rica doesn’t have addresses (everything is “100 meters past Paseo Colon”) so we couldn’t even tell them where the house was. I also tracked my iPad, thinking that was the only thing of value in the house and I wanted to see if it was taken. Oddly, it showed it was still in the house. Eventually the Airbnb host sent her assistant and police to the house and we returned. Turns out the thieves broke in through the shower window and stole all of our iPads, AirPods, electronics and some other stuff. The fact that my iPad had initially tracked to the house means they were likely in the house when we arrived home, or had just left and were still in close proximity to it. I also think the guy walking the street was their lookout.

The thieves ransacked all of our suitcases and broke open the safe, got our passports, my wallet and my AirPods. The only good thing was we later found our passports and my wallet tossed on the floor. They didn’t take anything out of my wallet except cash. Also, the house and all of its contents, including the other safe (not available for guests’ use) and 2 locked cabinets were all untouched by the thieves.

I was able to track my iPad and AirPods for the next 2 days and could see them travel all over Costa Rica. The police didn’t do anything except write a report, and we incurred a $3500 loss. Our homeowner’s insurance covers it except our deductible is $5K, so no recourse there. I’m working with Airbnb to attempt to secure a refund on what we paid for the home, but there’s no assurances I’ll receive a full refund. I strongly suspect the host and/or her assistants were in on it, but there’s no way to prove it. We stayed at a nice Marriott resort the next night a few hours away and the mgmt there told us they hear similar stories all the time about burglaries and host involvement.

So that was my first and last stay at an Airbnb, I’ll never do that again. Although I’m sure the vast majority of them are safe, there’s very little recourse if something goes awry. And I especially would not stay in one in a foreign country, it was really difficult to call and work with the police and ultimately, we are completely out of luck. I’m very grateful we found our passports and that none of us were hurt, but I can’t help think about how things could have taken a completely different turn had we arrived 10 mins earlier.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to let others know about the risks of staying in an Airbnb, esp in a foreign country.

[jgenie]

How awful! I’m so sorry this happened to you! How lucky you were that you didn’t happen upon them when you returned to the house.

[essnce629]

Yikes!!! I'm so sorry, what an incredibly horrible experience! Glad you are all safe.

Sent from my SM-A526U1 using Tapatalk

[pinkmomagain]

I'm so glad that you all are safe! And I'm so sorry you had this experience.
I've never stayed in an Airbnb. I never saw the appeal (I LOVE hotels!) and now I know there are some serious risks.
I hope you recoup some of your $.

[wencit]

Thank you for sharing your story. I’m so glad you were unhurt but sorry this happened to you. I’ve never stayed in an AirBnB (didn’t see the appeal) and now I probably never will. What a crazy story.

[wendibird22]

Wow. I cannot imagine what that was like to deal with. A cautionary tale for sure.
I am glad you and your family are safe.

[NCGrandma]

What an experience—thanks for sharing it.

This reminds me of some recent threads where a BBBer was going to be traveling alone and was looking for AirBnB recommendations (in one case, as an alternative to staying in the conference hotel). I couldn’t imagine why someone would be comfortable with an AirBnB in that situation, but I thought maybe I was too hesitant. Stories like this really reinforce my view that I have no interest in trying an AirBnB.


Sent from my iPad using Baby Bargains

[doberbrat]

I'm so very sorry this happened to you. I cant even imagine.

[carolinamama]

What a scary experience! I'm sorry you went through it but so glad you are all safe.

[AnnieW625]

Oh my that is awful! Air BNB is usually my last resort. We have done it four times and it has worked out every time, but yes I hear you about worrying about stuff like that especially in a foreign country. Good luck getting reimbursed for your stuff. Air BNB should cover everything. I would fight them on it if they don’t.