Uncomfortable in 30 day booking, one week in

[Melissa1211]

Hello,  not sure what I hope to achieve here. Just some advice, please.

I am in the process of moving from Greece to the UK and made a 31-day reservation in Athens because the move took longer than expected. On arrival, the host told me to be quiet as the neighbours weren't happy about him using the apartment for Airbnb, which I am as I'm here alone. And it is not his fault, but it is not pleasant being in a building where the people are really angry about Airbnb. 

This morning someone was thumping at the door like a debt collector and since nobody knows this address, I decided to ignore it as I wasn't expecting someone and I am alone. They came back again and again about 3 times in an hour and since they were banging so aggressively, I found it really creepy and just did not answer. 

When I looked at my emails, I saw my Airbnb host said that the neighbour said that I had thrown trash out of the window into her garden which I had not. I explained it was not me and he said okay. Then someone comes thumping on the door again two more times. I ignored it as they had already discussed it with my host and him with me. Then the next thing I know someone is back again, this time taping aggressive notes to the door saying "Don't throw trash!" I didn't! With every bit of tape added, the man was punching the door dramatically and aggressively. 

I took the note down and contacted the host to say look, why is this still ongoing? Then he started sending me pictures of trash to prove trash was in this woman's garden.  Then he said "I will not ask for money this time" - money for what? and said if I do it again the police will come. 

There are an awful lot of people in this apartment building, many (not me) having illegal lockdown gatherings but it is automatically assumed that I, the Airbnb tenant threw the trash? I am a 30-year-old professional woman, I don't know why I would throw trash out of a window and into some random woman's garden. Now I feel incredibly uncomfortable in this apartment and wish I could leave. I really don't appreciate the host not giving me the benefit of the doubt, and dread going in and out of the building. The cancellation policy does not allow me to leave and I don't want to lose 3 weeks worth of a booking because I can't afford to lose $700 and just go elsewhere. But I don't appreciate the host's tone and accusations, and the aggressive neighbour repeatedly coming back to my door again and again. I seriously wish I had not booked for so long.

[Sarah977]

@Melissa1211  Contact Airbnb customer service and explain exactly what is happening and that though you booked a month's stay and can't afford to lose that money, the situation is unliveable. Make sure to tell them about your host's attitude, and what he said about not asking for money "this time". Press for refund, even though it doesn't concur with the cancellation policy, which is not something I would normally advise a guest to do, but in this case seems warranted, as you have not been able to peacefully stay there.

It's possible that is either an illegal rental that the neighbors  have been unsuccessful at getting shut down, and/or the host has allowed partiers and trash throwers to stay before and hence the neighbors' aggressive behavior. They may just be fed up and look on all his renters as trouble without giving you a chance.

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[Gordon0]

Good advice from @Sarah977, @Melissa1211. Get on to Airbnb, pronto. This isn't OK and you shouldn't bear the brunt of what's going on. 

[Melissa1211]

Thank you so much for your response and assistance Sara, I really appreciate it. I have contacted Airbnb so will see what they have to say. 

Kind Regards, 

Melissa 

[Dale711]

Hi @Melissa1211,

Welcome to the community! 😊

I am sorry to hear about your experience and understand you’re feeling disappointed.

Since you’re alone and concern about your safety issues, leave this place as soon as possible.

Find in the Help page, contact Airbnb Support Help Center, take a photo of the notes and the email from the host, do ‘ live chat or leave a message with the team [ not an Airbnb bot] usually that is someone here to respond to you within a few minutes.

Present all the evidence to the team, request

1. Airbnb to cancel the reservation on behalf of the host or either by the Airbnb side.
2.  the refund of the remaining nights and
3. ‘urgently’ relocate you to a new place within your budget
4. explain that you are uncomfortable to continue to stay 

You have paid the Airbnb fee, do get involved with the Airbnb to help you to find a new and safe place immediately. Typically, the team will pass the incident to the case manager, and they will call you, keep your phone next to you and acknowledge the incident that happens to the manager. 

The host's fault.

As harrassed you to pay money about trash. The host should come over to meet you and the neighbor, responsible and dealing with the neighbour in the incident and warn the neighbor shouldn't banging the door.

The neighbor is aggressive.

They shouldn't come few times to bagging the door, it may necessary to contact the local enforcement, because you’re alone and you doesn't know the neighborhood.

Do consider leave a honest review to warn other guest about your experience.

I hope you can resolve as soon as possible and Airbnb help you to find a new and safety place.

Stay safe.

[Melissa1211]

Hello Dale and Dan, 

Nice to "meet" you. 

Thank you very much for your response and suggestions. I've contacted Airbnb support now. Unfortunately, I could only send a message (maybe because it's Sunday) but hopefully, they will get back to me soon. I really hope I am able to move to a new place. 

I received a response from the host again this morning after I queried what charges he apparently might need to make. He said he needs to said a Cleaning Lady over to the neighbour's house at his own expense and won't pass on the charge. This too is ridiculous as even from the photos they sent me of the trash, someone has literally tipped a small few items in her yard that could be picked up in 2 minutes so I doubt he is sending over a cleaner I have to pay for. He then continued to accuse me saying that "this never happened before" and lecturing me on the need to "respect other people". Ugh. 

[Dale711]

Hi @Melissa1211,

Nice to meet you too, the pleasure is mind. ✌️

Thank you for sharing your update.

Hopefully, the team will contact you soon.

Often to leave a message to the team and remind them it is ‘ urgent.’ 

I would feel the same, wondering why the host should discuss the issue with neighbors. If I’m not wrong with his actions, the host may send you an extra cleaning fee by the’  Resolution  Center’  after your check out, he may request you to pay the additional cleaning fee, and you have 72 hours to respond. 

Do update to Airbnb message about the host will call the cleaning lady over and what you thought about it. 

Airbnb will much appreciate that any updates on the incident.

[Sarah977]

@Dale711  She isn't "unsafe". This isn't a safety issue. It's a situation where she is being harrassed by neighbors who don't want her there. It's uncomfortable and disturbing for her and she shouldn't have to put up with it, but no one is threatening her safety.

[Dale711]

1. Uncomfortable in 30 day booking,
2. Now I feel incredibly uncomfortable
3. On arrival, the host told me to be quiet
4. This morning someone was thumping at the door like a debt collector
5. as I wasn't expecting someone and I am alone.
6. They came back again and again about 3 times in an hour and since they were banging so aggressively, I found it really creepy
7. There are an awful lot of people in this apartment 
8. the aggressive neighbour repeatedly coming back to my door again and again
9. Then someone comes thumping on the door again two more times
10. Then the next thing I know someone is back again, this time taping aggressive notes
11. the man was punching the door dramatically and aggressively. 
12. the aggressive neighbour repeatedly coming back to my door again and again

What are all this mean to you ?

Safety?

“Its uncomfortable and disturbing for her and she shouldn't have to put up with it, but no one is threatening her safety.”  ???

What happen Melissa walk out from the apartment, the neighbor come near to her? 

What happen that they come again this night? 

What would you says? You concern she are in safe place? 

                                                                                                                                                      @Sarah977 !

[Gordon0]

Like @Sarah977 says, an uncomfortable/disturbing stay (which she'll probably be able to escape from), but her safety isn't being compromised, despite the words you have curated, @Dale711.

[J-Renato0]

@Sarah977  @Gordon0 

Maybe it is a matter of interpretation.

If there is a man knocking your door and making loud noise when knocking... would you feel safe?

If someone put an agressive note hanging on the front door, would you feel safe?

It sounds like a menace, what wold be the next step?

Moreover, the host says he will call the police if more trash appear in other´s gardens without proof that it was his guest who threw it!

Yes, maybe she is not unsafe considering the literall meaning that that word convey, but psychologically speaking, the guest may feel as if she was surrounded by angry people and being accused of something she denies.

@Melissa1211 

If you had recorded the sounds of the angry man knocking the door it would help a lots.

Have you taken a picture of the note hanging on the door? Every evidence or proof you can have may help you with your arguments.

How can the neighbour prove that it was you who threw the trash ? If he can not prove, it is false accusation.

[Ann72]

@J-Renato0  I agree with you and I wouldn't feel safe in @Melissa1211's situation.  Someone sending a note or passing a note under the door, accusing me of something I didn't do - uncomfortable.  Someone aggressively pounding repeatedly on the door - unsafe.  Behavior that aggressive over a minor issue speaks to someone who might lost control.

[Sarah977]

@J-Renato0  Yes, that could definitely make a guest feel unsafe. It is threatening, but not on a physical level. No one has tried to force her door open, or threatened to hurt her or physically blocked her movement in and out of the building. She is being unacceptably harassed, though, for sure

Pointing out that reporting this to Airbnb as objectively "unsafe",  isn't really what is unacceptable about this place.  Safety, to me, is about something like a rickety staircase, nails sticking out, no way to get out shouod there be a fire, a person being physically threatened or abused. 

There are too many people who equate objective safety with their feelings. Guests have claimed a lusting is unsafe just because they have irrational fears of neighbors because of their race, or because they saw sme drug dealers out on the corner who ignored them completely.

[J-Renato0]

@Sarah977 

You say "No one has tried to force her door open, or threatened to hurt her or physically blocked her movement in and out of the building. "

If someone had forced her door openned, it would be a "violent attack".
If someone had hurt her or roughed her up it would be an assault!

In both cases, she would be already a victim, and if she was still staying there, she would be in potencial risk and also unsafe of course.

It is possible to be unsafe without being assaulted or before becoming a victim.
If there are evidences or suspicion that something danger are about to happen, some place or situation can be considered unsafe and dangerous.

It is not because many people has not been infected yet with covid19, that they are safe (if they have not taken the vacine).
It is not because a terror attack have not happened yet that a country or city can not raise the level of security based of information and deduction that something bad may happen at once. So they can suspend for example a football match because they consider it unsafe to let the match take place.

I think the title of this topic is causing confusion - "uncomfortable in 30 days". Being uncomfortable is not the same as being unsafe indeed.
However, the entire situation reported (being it true) show that the guest can both feel unsafe and can be in an unsafe situation in fact.

[Sarah977]

@J-Renato0  I don't think any of us see this as a situation that is acceptable in any way. The guest is entitled to quiet enjoyment of the property she booked and certainly a woman alone isn't going to feel safe with strangers constantly banging on her door, yelling aggressively, leaving nasty notes and accusing her of things she hasn't done. It's an intolerable situation.

What I was speaking to is the difference between perception and reality. If the guest tells Airbnb that she feels unsafe, that's totally legitimate. Our feelings are valid to us, even if others don't agree that we have a good reason to feel like that. That the listing itself is objectively unsafe is something else. To me that would mean that there's a rickety staircase, or nails sticking out, or someone in the building who makes sexual comments and tries to follow her into her room or touch her.

Don't get me wrong, as described by this guest, I think this listing should be suspended because of the host's behavior and his taking bookings for a place where the neighbors are brazenly hostile.

But semantics are important, especially when dealing with Airbnb. Good hosts who have done nothing wrong at all have had their listings suspended or delisted because the guest claimed it was unsafe, rather than that the guest simply felt  unsafe. Some guests feel unsafe because there are homeless people out on the street, even though those people haven't threatened them in any way, other than to ask for spare change. Which makes them feel harrassed or in danger. Those guests would insist that it is objectively unsafe, simply based upon their fear of homeless people. 

I'm not in any way trying to invalidate that this guest could feel unsafe. I'm a woman and have been in situations like that myself. But if no one has any intention of hurting her, and are instead simply obnoxious, crazy, vocally aggressive people, who think it's okay to bang repeatedly on someone's door, accuse them of things they didn't do, and make them so uncomfortable that they leave, that is not objectively unsafe, it's just a horrible and unacceptable situation.