Never Invite Strangers Into Short-Term Rental Accommodation

Two foreign women invited two men they had recently met to their Airbnb on Maraval Road around 4:00 a.m. After the men left, the women discovered jewellery valued at approximately $26,000 — including a gold chain and earrings — had gone missing. Short-term rental accommodation creates a specific vulnerability that guests frequently underestimate: unlike a hotel, there is no front desk, no security staff, and no surveillance inside the unit. Guests staying in an unfamiliar city are also less likely to have a trusted local contact who can verify who someone is. The combination of late-night socialising, unfamiliar surroundings, and strangers being brought into an unmonitored space removes the only real protection available — controlled access to your room. Once a stranger is inside a short-term rental and out of sight, any valuables left in the open or in an unlocked bag are at risk.

Steps to follow:

• Treat your short-term rental accommodation with the same caution you would apply in your own home — do not invite individuals you have only recently met, regardless of how well the encounter went.
• Store passports, jewellery, and significant amounts of cash in a locked travel bag or portable safe when hosting any guest, no matter how briefly they visit.
• Before allowing anyone into your accommodation, confirm that at least one member of your group knows the person’s full name and can contact them independently; meeting someone at a bar earlier that evening is not sufficient vetting.
• Use the door chain or secondary latch whenever you are inside the unit, and check that all windows and sliding doors are secured before sleeping.
• If guests depart and you suspect theft, do not clean the space or move items — document the scene with photographs and contact police before attempting to pursue the suspects.
• Report the incident to both police and the rental platform (Airbnb, VRBO, or the management company) immediately — platforms retain records of guest account activity and identity documents that can assist investigators.