Unprofessional Host

[Loren2211]

I have been renting a unit now from February to may. I am a traveling medical professional and have 13 week contracts. So I found this unit on Airbnb and decided to rent it. The host from the beginning was unprofessional. It said it was pet friendly and the pictures looked decent. When I arrived to the unit she claimed she forgot to leave the key there for me and to enter through the unlocked basement and go up and unlock the security chain and enter that way and that she would drop the key off later that evening. So she finally shows up and gives me the key and is upset because I have a pet (mind you I marked that I needed a pet friendly unit and said I had 1 pet). She lectured me for 10 minutes about my pet and to not use any of her linens and to make sure I cleaned up after my pet so there was no odor from them whenever I left and she also stated to not lose her key because that was her only copy. Weird. So I finally get to unpacking and started noticing how gross this unit was. There are spiders, black mold in the shower, previous guests pet hair floating around, dirty silverware, and even ants crawling around the unit. She also staged the apartment in all the pictures and it has the cheapest ikea furniture and no supplies. No toilet paper, no paper towels, one bottle of cleaning solution that is off brand (mind you we are in a pandemic and you cannot find proper cleaning supplies so I am totally screwed and keep looking every time I go to the store). I have had to stock this apartment like its my own personal unit I leased for a year.  Now as the time has progressed with staying here she shows up every weekend unannounced and several times during the week. She will block my car in so I can't leave and she just "works outside". I have a feeling she is coming into the unit when I am not there and is going through my stuff. I don't trust her and I have no clue what my rights are as a guest while booking and staying through Airbnb. Please help with any info you have or suggestions. Thank you!!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Loren2211 

I would leave at the first available opportunity and find another place. There should be lots of availability particularly if you are a key worker.

[Stephanie1616]

I would get out as soon as you can! 

[Sarah977]

@Loren2211  I have a hard time understanding why you've put up with this situation since Feb. Contact Airbnb, explain the situation, and hopefuly they will make sure you are refunded all of your unused days and find yourself another place to stay. Check out the program Airbnb has recently instituted for matching up hosts with health care and other essential support workers.

[Inna22]

@Loren2211 hosts are supposed to provide essentials and are not allowed to enter your unit during your stay. Airbnb should be able to support you. What is puzzling to me is timing. Your 13 weeks are almost up at this point. Are you looking for a retroactive refund? That would not be an honest thing to do. You should messaged the host to address it then left if they were not responsive. If you are looking for a plan going forward, it should be 1. message the host 2. call to aribnb 3. move. All of it tonight

[Loren2211]

Well I got resigned on at my hospital so I will be in this area until August. It’s progressively getting worse and at the time I booked there was not very many options for stays with my criteria (entire unit to myself, pet friendly, and not over $2000 a month). Now with the pandemic a lot of healthcare professionals have gotten their contracts cancelled due to lack of work in certain areas of expertise. So I want to know if they will allow me to cancel and not charge a fee for cancelling and if I have to finish paying out my time until May. I don’t expect ANY MONEY back from days that I have actually stayed in the unit. I’m not into it to steal money from her or gouge her. I just want to know if I have a case to stand on to cancel my reservation without getting screwed out of my money. Communication is not the best with her either. 

[Sarah977]

@Loren2211  Yes, I would think you have a case to get refunded the unused portion of your booking. Contact Airbnb customer service (expect a long wait, they are swamped right now).

It's good to hear you aren't expecting a refund for time already stayed- you'd be astounded how many guests try to scam a full refund after they've made use of the place, that would be what prompted Inna's question to that effect. 

As an aside- long term guests are often expected to provide their own supplies, like cleaning products, coffee and tea, toilet paper, etc. Hosts will often provide a starter items, enough for the initial week or so, so you don't have to go shopping right away, then it's up to the guest to purchase their own supplies. Long term stays are provided for differently than short ones, as they are normally discounted as compared to a short stay. So it's a good idea for you to get the expectations about that clear with a host on the next place, before you commit to a booking.

[Sandra126]

The host should be thrilled to have the income! Hopefully you will find a great place until August. 

[Marie82]

@Loren2211  sorry to hear u are having an issue during ur stay. But 2000 per month for a full unit u cannot except a Penthouse. I am not sure what part of the world u are staying but in 2000/month in many countries is 1 flat unfurnished without utility incl.

Personally i will never host on Airbnb 1 month booking as there is a lot of confusion in guest minds what to expect compared to weekly stay. 

[Sarah977]

@Marie82  Nowhere did Loren indicate that she expected a penthouse, where did you ever get that notion? She said the place was quite dirty, that the host was fussy and lecturing about the pet, after already telling the guest it was fine to bring her pet, the host doesn't even apparently have a spare key to the unit(which is absurd), the host is disrespecting the guest's privacy and blocking her car in, that the unit was staged for the photos and wasn't at all like the photos on arrival. These are all quite legitimate guest complaints, having nothing to do with expecting the Ritz for $2000/month.

This host sounds horrible.

[Loren2211]

@Marie82 Well I’m in Saint Louis Missouri and $2,000+ a month here goes quite a long way. It’s not like living in Chicago or New York City or Paris or wherever you are referring too.  It’s the Midwest. I am a California native (lived in Los Angeles too so we cover that basis as well) and I know what pricey is.  So $2,000 or more a month should actually get you something decent and clean. Thank you for your input and lack of understanding from the guest perspective. And when you book longer than a month it is specified between the host and guest what is expected. She didn’t hold up on her end of the deal. Also, before you criticize maybe you should be more considerate of the background of the story and not just assume all guests are terrible and we don’t know how to function in a rental unit. Thanks 😊

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Loren2211 

As someone who hosts long-term guests (exchange students) your host sounds like a nightmare. If/When you approach Airbnb it's really important to have proof - photos and messages thru the Airbnb messenger are best. Also, my experience has been..... it helps if the messages show that you brought up issues politely and only wanted to find a mutually beneficial way to manage differences but the other person (in your case the host) stonewalled or responded inappropriately. While CS does have a tendency to favor guests over hosts, it's always better if you have proof to support your claims and show that your expectations are reasonable and fair based on what was covered in the listing description.

Hope this helps~ good luck!

[Loren2211]

@Jessica-and-Henry0  Thank you!! I was looking for a response like this. I just want to know what to do in the future when it comes to booking and if it’s worth trying to cancel the rest of my reservation. Thank you for your tips. I will definitely do that keep it in mind for my future trips. And thank you for being kind in your response. 

[Inna22]

@Loren2211 I am glad you are not looking for a retroactive refund. Going forward please massage your host asap even if you are not looking to move out immediately. You should still start a conversation. Hopefully the host will surprise you by sending someone to re-clean the place and by promising to not enter the property. If not, it is a requirement for you to give the host a chance to remedy anyway. Then perhaps start looking for a new place and when you find something that works (I will be more than happy to take $2000 for my 3 bedroom 2.5 bath property downtown Chicago right now!), negotiate your exit through Airbnb

[Sandra126]

Clean listings apply regardless of if it's a mud hut or a mansion. Basics.