Our Airbnb guests charged their EV up without asking – & then left a note… it was like leaving the heating on all night
AIRBNB hosts say guests charged their electric car up without asking, it was like leaving the heating on all night.
The hosts, who have not been identified, took to the site’s community page to say that the visitors were at least “honest” because they had left £20 along with a note.
The post said: “My question is, how do you know someone is charging their car if you are not local to the property?
“As it is 2.5kw per hour, that is not far from having heating on all night, running oven, washing machine, tumble drier etc.”
The host then appealed for information from others, writing: “How are other hosts controlling it?
“How do you know, they are charging their car?
“I don’t believe adding it to T&C’s will make any difference. If they have a 3 pin plug, they are highly likely to charge their car.
“We are with British Gas and whilst it is smart meter, there is no option to read the meter unless you are in the property. So no option to see/track continuous usage.”
In the same online conversation, a woman says a guest left a charging cable out of her window.
They wrote: “Our rental unit doesn’t have any outside plugs – so the guests plugged into an outlet in another building on our property (without asking first).
“When they were done charging, they left their extension cord plugged in – but draped across the grass (during a rain storm).
“We were not so much concerned about the cost of power as much as how rude this was – and also, the hazard of a live cord across the yard in the rain.”
Earlier this month, another Airbnb host was left fuming after her guests spent a fortune charging up electric cars from the sockets.
With no purpose-built charging stations nearby, a group of holidaymakers allegedly used an extension cord hung out of the window to fill up their batteries.
Amanda believes that as many as 20 cars piggybacked onto her supply in recent years, sending her energy bills through the roof.
While she has not been able to confirm the full cost, she expects the ordeal to add about £600 onto her outgoings amid a cost of living crisis.
The fuming homeowner has now taken steps to avoid similar “electricity theft” including installing specialist charging points at her property.