Thieves steal $40k of items from Gold Coast woman’s short-term rental advertised on booking.com

A devastated Gold Coast woman who had $40k worth of items stolen from her short-term rental property is urging others to be wary. Read her warning.

A Tallai woman who had her short-term rental property ransacked by “professional” thieves is urging others to be wary when using online booking websites.

Rachael Collins said her property was “raided” by a guest who paid for a two-night stay at the house via the booking.com platform.

She said the thief stole $40,000 worth of items then “bleached the whole house” to cover their tracks.

The single mum said the ruse began last Wednesday night when she received a last-minute booking from a male guest via her booking.com listing, which she accepted.

She didn’t meet the man face-to-face when he checked-in.

Rachael Collins from Tallai. Picture: supplied

They exchanged messages back and forth throughout his stay in the rental, which is just 80m away from the main house where Ms Collins lives.

She first noticed something wasn’t right when the guest left in a hurry last Friday morning - two hours before checkout.

“I actually heard what I thought was his car revving, not realising it was actually my motorcycle,” Ms Collins said.

“And then he flew down the driveway with his back passenger door flapping open.”

When the Tallai woman checked the rental property, she found the house completely stripped of its contents, except for large pieces of furniture.

Rachael Collins’ property in Tallai that was ransacked.

Ms Collins said the thieves broke into a locked up garage and stole a motorbike, as well as a TV, kitchen items, linen, wall hangings and more from inside the house.

“If it wasn’t bolted down, they took it,” she said.

“They worked through the night to be gone by 8am Friday morning and then bleached the whole house.

“It’s definitely a professional job.”

The Tallai woman then discovered the guest had used a fake name and suspected stolen credit card details to make the booking.

“I was devastated. It was more the shock, for me,” she said.

A short term guest who booked via booking.com stole $40,000 worth of items from a Tallai home.

While third-party insurance will cover the cost to replace the stolen goods, Ms Collins said it cannot replace sentimental pieces.

The single mum said she reported the incident to booking.com, but had not even received a return phone call from them. The Bulletin contacted the company for comment, but did not receive a response by deadline.

Ms Collins said the website needed to improve its guest verification process.

“Booking.com just couldn’t give a s**t,” she said.

She had the following advice for others renting out their property online for short-term stays:

“Ensure that you are actually meeting the people at check-in and verify them.

“You really don’t know the people that are going into your house.”

The incident was reported to police, who confirmed they were investigating.

Originally published as Thieves steal $40k of items from Gold Coast woman’s short-term rental advertised on booking.com