"Aren't you afraid someone will steal something?"

This is by far the most frequent question I get asked when people find out I list my personal apartment on Airbnb. 

And my response? No. I’m not worried, at all.

It’s a reasonable question, and I get people’s concern—sort of. But let’s take a reasonable approach to the question.  What are you worried someone might steal? A knick knack, a drinking glass, a book or maybe a candle from your coffee table? How bad would you feel about that? Would you feel victimized? You might, but more likely you'd probably just be miffed and think, "Huh, what an odd thing for them to take."  

But what about something really valuable—like jewelry or your TV?  Think about it.  Do you really believe someone is going to steal my 55” off the wall without my noticing and reporting them to the police and to Airbnb?  As for jewelry and other valuables, Airbnb suggests having a small locked area for stowing things like that, and that’s a solution that makes sense. 

Good advice, but I think there’s a larger question here: what level of trust do you have in others? How much faith do you have in humanity? Generally speaking, do you assume the worst in people or do you give them the benefit of the doubt? I personally put a lot of faith in people—I always have and I always will. Trust a total stranger to stay in my apartment, not steal anything, and leave it in good condition when they’re done? Yes, I have. Yes, I do. Yes, I will.

But you don’t have to go on faith, or subscribe to my philosophy. Airbnb publishes guest profiles and reviews. That gives you some good information to go on. And you can rely on your own instincts, starting with your first interactions with a potential guest. For my more skeptical readers there's this: Airbnb provides every single host with a $1,000,000 Host Guarantee at no cost. Whether something is damaged or stolen, they've got your back for up to a million dollars in coverage. One. Million. Dollars. 

So while I'm not personally afraid of someone stealing or damaging something of mine, it is great having the peace of mind knowing I am covered if something ever happened.  Which brings me to the final question you're probably asking, "Have you ever had anything stolen?"

After two years of hosting over sixty different groups of guests, ranging from the sole traveler to six best friends having a girls’ weekend, I have never had one thing stolen—not one.  But I have met some pretty amazing people.