Post by High Priestess on May 30, 2016 0:01:49 GMT
Lynita shared on NHF Jan 2015
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-101734
Guest has packages sent to my address without permission
Has anyone had a guest have packages mailed to a host home without asking permission? This guest made a reservation, then altered the dates. As soon as I accepted, he sent me a message telling me about 2 packages that were coming "One from Amazon and one from LEP. I hope that is ok with you." I'm feeling very uncomfortable. He's coming from a foreign country, I'm a single woman hosting and he will be my only guest. Am I over-reacting?
Thanks!
13 comments•2 likes
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Deborah
Deboraha year ago
No, it is not okay for someone to have mail sent to your home without your permission. To help prevent this, I strongly advise all hosts who don't want guests getting mail, to state clearly in your house rules that guests cannot receive mail at your home. See my house rules where I state that.
Basically this is one if the many types if things hosts need to think ahead about and address in house rules.
However, even if you have not addressed this yet in your rules, you can tell the guest right now that he may not receive mail at your home And that any mail received will be given back to the postman as undeliverable. Tell him to pay for a PO box in your area to receive mail there.
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Deborah
Deboraha year ago
One. Of the reasons why hosts do not want guests receiving mail at their place is because that is a way for guests to claim your address as their permanent address.
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Lynita
Lynitaa year ago
Wow. Excellent advice, Deborah, and I'm updating my house rules as we speak! It's really odd, because he only booked the reservation for 2 nights. Something's fishy ...
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Carolyn
Carolyna year ago
It does sound unusual! Only two nights and he's getting packages there? Also, when guests receive packages or mail, you are then holding something that belongs to someone else. So you can also tell your guest that you can't allow deliveries because you risk being liable for any possible damage to the package - not that you're going to damage anything; it's just a good thing to tell guests, so that they understand why you won't accept packages.
Julie and Eric
Julie and Erica year ago
I wouldn't mind a short-term guest having a package delivered. Amazon and LEP (if it's Limited English Proficiency) packages should be fine as long as you make it clear you aren't responsible for them. I think I would have preferred him asking first, but traveling can be hectic.
A guest once asked to have some packages delivered because they were working a conference. I said no worries but things can disappear from front porches around here, and if I happened to see it, I'd bring it in (as I do for the other renter's packages when I see them). It wasn't a big deal.
Reply Like 4 likes Delete
Lynita
Lynitaa year ago
That's a very positive and diplomatic way to address this situation, Carolyn! Thank you for the suggestion!
Reply Like 2 likes Delete
Lynita
Lynitaa year ago
Thanks for a different perspective, Julie & Eric! It's something to consider.
Reply Like 1 like Delete
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
Like Julie & Eric, I used to allow guests to receive mail at my house, thinking that a package or two from Amazon would be harmless, but numerous guests abused this privilege or began to take liberties. Examples: (1) I told a guest he could receive "one package" from Amazon, and then he began to receive packages every day. (He was staying a few weeks). (2) A guest who was to stay for 5 days asked if he could receive "one package" at my house, and then signed up for a bank account using my home address as his permanent address. I discovered what he had done when, a week after he had left my home, I began to receive numerous bank account mailings for him. (3) One guest, when given permission to receive mail and packages from Amazon, but no companies other than Amazon, ordered packages from MANY different on-line companies that put all customers on mailing lists. Months after he left my home I get all kinds of junk mail for him from these mailing list companies that he ordered from. (4) Another guest, when told that he could ONLY order from Amazon, and no other companies, also ordered packages from other companies, and again he got my address on their mailing list. (5) One guest, without asking me, began to receive mail from her new employer at my home, and 9 months after she has left, and after asking her twice to have her employer stop sending mail to my house, I still get mail for her about every month from her employer.
So keep in mind that even something simple-sounding like a couple packages from Amazon can lead to abuse, because guests can begin to take liberties. THey may not understand why you limit them to packages from Amazon, or limit their mail in any way. By the time they understand, it is almost impossible to get them off mailing lists they have gotten on and you may be getting mail for them at your house for years to come. I still get mail for people who have not lived at my home for 15 to 25 years.
Reply Like 3 likes Delete
Lynita
Lynitaa year ago
Very enlightening, Deborah! The mailing list issue would never have occurred to me. Thanks for the information.
Reply Like 1 like Delete
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
The mailing list issue can be a huge issue but if the person is only going to be there two nights, it is less likely getting in mailing lists will be a problem, however there is another type of problem that can occur. And this would be that with only two days at your place, guest will have a very small window of time to be there to receive packages. It is then possible that packages might arrive for guest after they leave, and then you have the problem of guest asking you to go to post office to ship them elsewhere or trying to set up appointment to pick them to from you, or other things that require more work on your part.
Reply Like 1 like Delete
Amelia
Ameliaa year ago
Thank you for this
Reply Like Delete
Lynita
Lynitaa year ago
Exactly, Deborah! I just explained to my guest that I would not be able to accept packages because I didn't want to run the risk of damage to the packages or their disappearance off of my front porch. I also updated my house rules using your fantastic, comprehensive house rules as my example! Thanks!
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Annette
Annettea year ago
I really don't see what the fuss is with it. I have had short term guests receive mail which they needed during their stay. Tickets, programmes for their theatre show, etc. not a problem at all. Any junk mail, for me or guests, just goes in the bin.
Reply Like Delete
Tracy
Tracya year ago
My main issue for mail is that I don't want the council claiming that another adult lives here as that raises my Council Tax. I have had two sets of tickets sent ahead of time on the requirement that they are sent with my name on the items, and that's not been a problem. I have a pending longer term guest and they are clear that they cannot establish accounts etc using this address.
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-101734
Guest has packages sent to my address without permission
Has anyone had a guest have packages mailed to a host home without asking permission? This guest made a reservation, then altered the dates. As soon as I accepted, he sent me a message telling me about 2 packages that were coming "One from Amazon and one from LEP. I hope that is ok with you." I'm feeling very uncomfortable. He's coming from a foreign country, I'm a single woman hosting and he will be my only guest. Am I over-reacting?
Thanks!
13 comments•2 likes
Following
Like
Jacky
Andrea
Delete
Hide
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
No, it is not okay for someone to have mail sent to your home without your permission. To help prevent this, I strongly advise all hosts who don't want guests getting mail, to state clearly in your house rules that guests cannot receive mail at your home. See my house rules where I state that.
Basically this is one if the many types if things hosts need to think ahead about and address in house rules.
However, even if you have not addressed this yet in your rules, you can tell the guest right now that he may not receive mail at your home And that any mail received will be given back to the postman as undeliverable. Tell him to pay for a PO box in your area to receive mail there.
Reply Like 2 likes Delete
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
One. Of the reasons why hosts do not want guests receiving mail at their place is because that is a way for guests to claim your address as their permanent address.
Reply Like 2 likes Delete
Lynita
Lynitaa year ago
Wow. Excellent advice, Deborah, and I'm updating my house rules as we speak! It's really odd, because he only booked the reservation for 2 nights. Something's fishy ...
Reply Like 1 reply Delete
Carolyn
Carolyna year ago
It does sound unusual! Only two nights and he's getting packages there? Also, when guests receive packages or mail, you are then holding something that belongs to someone else. So you can also tell your guest that you can't allow deliveries because you risk being liable for any possible damage to the package - not that you're going to damage anything; it's just a good thing to tell guests, so that they understand why you won't accept packages.
Julie and Eric
Julie and Erica year ago
I wouldn't mind a short-term guest having a package delivered. Amazon and LEP (if it's Limited English Proficiency) packages should be fine as long as you make it clear you aren't responsible for them. I think I would have preferred him asking first, but traveling can be hectic.
A guest once asked to have some packages delivered because they were working a conference. I said no worries but things can disappear from front porches around here, and if I happened to see it, I'd bring it in (as I do for the other renter's packages when I see them). It wasn't a big deal.
Reply Like 4 likes Delete
Lynita
Lynitaa year ago
That's a very positive and diplomatic way to address this situation, Carolyn! Thank you for the suggestion!
Reply Like 2 likes Delete
Lynita
Lynitaa year ago
Thanks for a different perspective, Julie & Eric! It's something to consider.
Reply Like 1 like Delete
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
Like Julie & Eric, I used to allow guests to receive mail at my house, thinking that a package or two from Amazon would be harmless, but numerous guests abused this privilege or began to take liberties. Examples: (1) I told a guest he could receive "one package" from Amazon, and then he began to receive packages every day. (He was staying a few weeks). (2) A guest who was to stay for 5 days asked if he could receive "one package" at my house, and then signed up for a bank account using my home address as his permanent address. I discovered what he had done when, a week after he had left my home, I began to receive numerous bank account mailings for him. (3) One guest, when given permission to receive mail and packages from Amazon, but no companies other than Amazon, ordered packages from MANY different on-line companies that put all customers on mailing lists. Months after he left my home I get all kinds of junk mail for him from these mailing list companies that he ordered from. (4) Another guest, when told that he could ONLY order from Amazon, and no other companies, also ordered packages from other companies, and again he got my address on their mailing list. (5) One guest, without asking me, began to receive mail from her new employer at my home, and 9 months after she has left, and after asking her twice to have her employer stop sending mail to my house, I still get mail for her about every month from her employer.
So keep in mind that even something simple-sounding like a couple packages from Amazon can lead to abuse, because guests can begin to take liberties. THey may not understand why you limit them to packages from Amazon, or limit their mail in any way. By the time they understand, it is almost impossible to get them off mailing lists they have gotten on and you may be getting mail for them at your house for years to come. I still get mail for people who have not lived at my home for 15 to 25 years.
Reply Like 3 likes Delete
Lynita
Lynitaa year ago
Very enlightening, Deborah! The mailing list issue would never have occurred to me. Thanks for the information.
Reply Like 1 like Delete
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
The mailing list issue can be a huge issue but if the person is only going to be there two nights, it is less likely getting in mailing lists will be a problem, however there is another type of problem that can occur. And this would be that with only two days at your place, guest will have a very small window of time to be there to receive packages. It is then possible that packages might arrive for guest after they leave, and then you have the problem of guest asking you to go to post office to ship them elsewhere or trying to set up appointment to pick them to from you, or other things that require more work on your part.
Reply Like 1 like Delete
Amelia
Ameliaa year ago
Thank you for this
Reply Like Delete
Lynita
Lynitaa year ago
Exactly, Deborah! I just explained to my guest that I would not be able to accept packages because I didn't want to run the risk of damage to the packages or their disappearance off of my front porch. I also updated my house rules using your fantastic, comprehensive house rules as my example! Thanks!
Reply Like Delete
Annette
Annettea year ago
I really don't see what the fuss is with it. I have had short term guests receive mail which they needed during their stay. Tickets, programmes for their theatre show, etc. not a problem at all. Any junk mail, for me or guests, just goes in the bin.
Reply Like Delete
Tracy
Tracya year ago
My main issue for mail is that I don't want the council claiming that another adult lives here as that raises my Council Tax. I have had two sets of tickets sent ahead of time on the requirement that they are sent with my name on the items, and that's not been a problem. I have a pending longer term guest and they are clear that they cannot establish accounts etc using this address.