An Airbnb lost-and-found process should help you identify an item, contact the right guest, and agree a return without exposing personal details or disrupting the next stay. Start with a factual record of what was found and where, then use the reservation conversation.
This guide covers belongings left behind after checkout. For missing door keys or access fobs, use our lost-key response plan; that situation also involves restoring authorised access and assessing security.
Record the find during turnover
Give the cleaning team a simple reporting process. Ask them to note the room, location, time, and a plain description before moving the item into your agreed storage arrangement.
Found-item record
Property and room: [location].
Found on: [date and time].
Description: [observable details].
Found by: [team member].
Stored at: [private internal reference].
Likely reservation: [reference, if known].
Guest contacted: [date and channel].
Agreed next step: [collection, shipping, or other arrangement].
A photo may help identify the item, but avoid including private documents, readable addresses, or other guests' belongings. Keep the record in the appropriate private operations system.
Confirm ownership before arranging the return
A useful first message identifies the general item and asks the guest to confirm details. If more than one recent reservation could be relevant, do not guess based only on the room where an object was found.
Hi [first name], we found [general description] after checkout at [property]. Did anyone in your party leave an item like this? Please confirm [a distinguishing detail] so we can check it belongs to you. If it does, we can discuss [actual available collection or return options] here.
Do not access a guest's phone, laptop, or private account to identify them. If an item needs a special handling process, use an appropriate local contact rather than improvising.
Agree collection around the property's operation
Set a specific handoff time and place with someone who has agreed to manage it. A departed guest should not re-enter an occupied rental to retrieve an item without an arrangement.
Confirm who will collect it and how the handoff will be checked. Avoid leaving belongings in a public doorway, unsecured mailbox, or shared hallway. Keep the collection plan separate from the next guest's entry instructions.
Confirm shipping before sending
- Confirm the recipient and delivery address privately.
- Check whether the chosen carrier accepts the item and destination.
- Agree packaging, service, timing, and the actual cost.
- Use the appropriate platform payment process where applicable.
- Record dispatch and share tracking if the service provides it.
Airbnb's forgotten-item guidance tells guests to message the host directly and says shipping costs can be covered through the Resolution Center. It does not set a universal shipping price or a guaranteed return outcome.
We can send [confirmed item] using [checked service]. The quoted packaging and delivery cost is [amount], and the estimated dispatch date is [date]. Please confirm [address and agreed arrangement] before we proceed. We will share [tracking or dispatch confirmation] once it has been sent.
Write a realistic holding policy
Decide how your team will store, label, and follow up on unclaimed items, taking applicable local requirements into account. Do not copy a retention deadline from another country or describe an internal preference as an Airbnb-wide rule.
Document each contact attempt and final agreed action. Keep medicines, identification documents, perishable goods, and unusual or potentially hazardous items out of a generic “post anything” workflow; confirm the appropriate handling route for the actual item.
Add one prevention step to checkout
A short reminder to check drawers, sockets, and the bathroom can help without turning departure into a long chore list. Add it to your checkout message, and make sure the co-host handover identifies who owns any outstanding return.
Make departure and follow-up details clear. The Check-in Guide puts verified checkout steps and host contact information in a guest-ready welcome book.