You might recall the story that broke some time back about the AirBNB host who returned to his apartment to find his renter hosting an out-of-control BBW Panty Raid Party.

If you missed that one you can read all about it on fellow BoardingArea blogs Just Another Points Traveler and Point Me to the Plane.

It isn’t clear if City-Data forum member wehotex ever read this story, but after a recent AirBNB stay of his own he began to wonder how exactly hosts could be so trusting to allow guests to stay in their home unattended.

And also, what liability might guests be subject to if the host is less than honest?

I noticed that the host had her products (she makes costumes and masks for a livelihood) on display. If I was a dishonest person (i’m not), I could have walked off with some of her stuff, anything in her house. Is there a risk in using the service for the hosts or guests. If the hosts accused the guests of taking something from the house, would they have recourse to charge your credit card?

“Trust is a beautiful thing” appears to be the theme running through this thread. And the passion with which the AirBNB hosts and guests who add to the discussion express their conviction to this philosophy would indicate that the business model is going to be successful in the long term.

I’ve met so many cool people doing AirBNB. Lots of people out there are open, welcoming, and don’t come from a position of mistrust as the default. ~timberline742

You just have to learn to open up and trust people. It brings great things to your life. ~rosa surf

But while some people address the fact that guests are required to provide ID and credit card information, which deters theft, no one so far has really addressed wehotex’s concern about hosts making fraudulent theft claims.

Now, I presume this isn’t much of a problem primarly because the host would have to prove somehow that the guest stole valuables – not just that valuables were missing following a guest’s stay. But then again, I’m not a lawyer.

Lawyers, if you are reading this, would you kindly chime in in the comments section below as to whether or not AirBNB guests should be concerned about this type of accusation.

And AirBNB guests, has this ever crossed your mind when renting? Have you ever been accused of taking something from a host’s residence?

Read the thread in its entirety: How are AirBNB hosts so “trusting”?