Unbelievable! A Guest Left Gucci Bags and Shoes for the Host?

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Hello, and welcome to Snowball Rentals’ WeChat account, where you can read about recent developments in the US short-term rental market.

Special statement: this incident comes from the internet and is unrelated to Snowball Rentals.

A YouTube Shorts video only 15 seconds long received more than 4 million views. Creator @gabriellist22 showed viewers a luxury home in Miami used as an Airbnb.

@gabriellist22 said Airbnb guests had left many valuable items in the home, including Gucci bags, slippers, Chanel sunglasses and various designer clothes.

@gabriellist22 exclaimed:

“Leaving Gucci bags in an Airbnb is outrageous!” “Unbelievable! There are Chanel glasses too!”

“Should I proactively return them, or wait for the guests to contact me?”

Some commenters envied the host, saying a windfall had fallen into their lap. Others suspected that the guest deliberately left the items as a trap.

Others thought it was staged, or that the guests had not checked out and were still sleeping upstairs.

Special statement: this incident comes from the internet and is unrelated to Snowball Rentals.

Whatever the explanation, this short video sounds a warning for hosts: how should valuable items left by guests be handled to avoid disputes?

Airbnb’s official Ground Rules for Guests describe the issue of belongings left behind only broadly. Airbnb expects guests to take responsibility for removing their personal belongings, but does not specify hosts’ obligations after items are left behind.

(The above provisions come from Airbnb’s Ground Rules for Guests.)

Airbnb emphasizes that hosts may establish their own house rules, including how belongings left behind are handled. For example, rules can specify a storage period or charging conditions, such as handling and postage fees.

How Should Hosts Respond When Guests Leave Valuable Items Behind?

Based on Airbnb community discussions and our practical management experience, hosts can take the following three steps:

1. Contact the Guest Immediately and Record Communication

After finding a forgotten item, such as a Gucci bag, immediately contact the guest through Airbnb’s messaging system, explain the situation and ask whether they want it returned.

Hosts on Airbnb’s community forum recommend keeping all communication on the platform so there is a record.

For example: “Hello, I found a Gucci bag in the property that seems to be yours. How would you like to arrange its return?” This demonstrates honesty and avoids misunderstandings that private contact might cause.

2. Store Items Safely, Photograph Evidence and Follow the Law

Before the guest responds, keep the items safely and avoid damage or loss.

People on Reddit forums such as AirBnBHosts mention that most US states require hosts to keep belongings left behind for 14–30 days and attempt to return them. Hosts are advised to photograph the items, such as the Gucci bag in the video, and upload the photographs to Airbnb as evidence.

If the guest does not respond promptly, handle the items according to local law, for example by donation or lawful disposal.

3. Agree on a Return Method and Prevent Potential Risks

Discuss how to return the items, such as asking the guest to pay postage or collect them. If the guest ignores the request, you can initiate a request through Airbnb’s Resolution Center.

The video also reminds us to beware of traps: some guests may deliberately leave items and then accuse the host of theft.

Hosts should record videos of the property at check-in and checkout to document its condition and protect their interests by preparing ahead.

Scan the QR code to join our “Short- and Mid-Term Rentals: Mutual Support Discussion Group”!

Hosts, have guests left valuable items behind in any interesting incidents you have experienced? Share them in the comments or a private message!

If you:

Hope to increase rental income through short-term rentals;

Cannot spare a great deal of time to handle the small details;

Occasionally need to use the home yourself, making it unsuitable to empty out the furniture for a long-term rental;

Then:

Snowball Rentals’ management team is your best choice.

From pre-launch vacation-rental styling, big-data analysis and online marketing to tenant screening, dynamic pricing, customer service and sales, cleaning and repairs, Snowball Rentals provides everything as one complete service for your home.

This Week’s Booking Results

Through long-standing relationships with insurers, assignment companies and technology companies, Snowball Rentals rents homes for medium- and long-term durations at short-term rates, then gives owners a rebate of 5% in management fees to maximize their income.

As the weather gets cooler, Seattle’s short-term rental low season is approaching again.

Short-term rentals in peak season and mid-term rentals in low season: this is the new strategy we have repeatedly emphasized and tried this year! Some recent large bookings have been like a ray of sunshine. Homeowners, let us support one another and face the approaching low season with confidence.

For the following detached home with a lake view in Seattle, Zillow shows an estimated long-term monthly rent of about US$4,248.

With the owner’s trust and support, we carefully furnished the home and immediately began short-term rental operations. Fortunately, because the home’s condition and location are both good, short- and mid-term bookings have continued to come in.

As shown in the booking screenshot below, a guest recently rented this home from February 28 to March 31, a total of 31 nights, at an average monthly rent of US$7,000.

In summary, after Snowball Rentals operated this property, monthly rental income rose from US$4,248 to US$7,000, an increase of about 65%.

Securing such a large booking in low season is no easy feat!

As mentioned above, this 31-night booking from February 28 to March 31 covers 1 month of the short-term rental low season, which runs from September through March of the following year. We believe performance can be even better when peak season arrives!

For homeowners, combining short- and mid-term rentals in this way can earn more in peak season and help them get through low season smoothly. Even if the low-season rental figures look less dramatic, they still outperform long-term rentals and give homeowners a strong sense of financial security.

More importantly, the owner does not have to worry about maintenance or cleaning. When something needs to be discussed with guests, we also help with communication and oversight.

Here, we again thank the owner for placing trust in the Snowball Rentals team!

After nearly two years of Airbnb’s downturn, we at Snowball Rentals hope to help owners make steady progress in low season, navigate the challenges safely and lay a better foundation for next year’s peak season.

Once again, heartfelt thanks to our homeowners for their trust and support. Whether the market is strong or weak, Snowball Rentals will stand with you and look for ways to increase your income!

Some homeowners will surely ask the hard question: was a large booking like this just a stroke of luck? What if the home does not rent? A long-term rental is more stable—even earning less is better than earning nothing!

Our answer is: the outcome depends on what we do.

Vacation-Rental Styling

Competition on Airbnb is becoming increasingly intense. The days of piecing together secondhand furniture, taking phone photos and earning easy money on Airbnb are over. Airbnb hosts have moved toward professional operations.

Careful design and furnishing before launch, followed by professional short-term rental operations, will be the only choice for a rental that continues to generate high income.

Here is another of Snowball Rentals’ core services: vacation-rental styling!

In previous WeChat posts, we introduced many homes styled and furnished by us. The vacation rental featured in this week’s booking results was styled by its owner, and it is also exceptionally attractive. Let us take a look together:

When choosing a short-term rental on Airbnb, would this home’s appearance attract you?

If you would also like to make your home more attractive and earn more rent, please contact us at any time!

This Week’s Short Videos

We regularly update short videos every week.

The content you need is all here.

👇🏻 Homeowners are welcome to follow us 👇🏻

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We also share practical vacation-rental styling plans and creative ideas to help you achieve more with less spending!

Keep rental income growing!

Referral Rewards

If you are already a Snowball Rentals homeowner, you receive a US$500 referral fee for each referral.

If you are not yet a Snowball Rentals homeowner, you receive a US$250 shopping voucher for each referral.

Snowball Rentals Management

1. Full service — We provide pre-launch rental design, furniture procurement, furnishing, professional photography, online marketing, copywriting, tenant service and sales, cleaning, supply purchasing and property repairs. You only need to be a hands-off owner; we handle the rest.

2. Multi-platform promotion — We promote the home on Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway and other mainstream platforms for maximum exposure.

3. Dynamic pricing — Using big data, we adjust prices every day according to seasonal demand, holidays, last-minute vacancy offers, weekends and local activities, maximizing the owner’s income.

4. Income-improvement SOP — We follow 44 secrets for maximizing short-term rental income, optimizing each property’s online marketing, on-site operations and other aspects to work toward maximum income.

5. Flexible owner stays — Owners can flexibly choose when to stay themselves. This is especially suitable for owners with multiple residences around the world.

6. Terminate at any time — Management does not require an annual commitment. The owner can end the agreement with one month’s advance notice.

7. Corporate housing — In addition to nightly rentals, we work with insurers and assignment companies to provide executives with hotel-style managed accommodation for stays longer than 30 days.

8. Transparent fees — For rentals longer than 30 days, we charge 15% of accommodation revenue. For nightly rentals under 30 days, we charge 20% of accommodation revenue.

Author’s tip: Personal views, for reference only.