Can I cancel a Dirty Property

[Caitlin9]

Hi there,

We've booked a bunk house in Wales and my mother-in-law drove past yesterday to see where it was. The family currently visiting was there and said they were really unhappy because it was filthy. They showed her the cooker and fridge which were unusable. The freezer was full of old out of date food. The shower was grimy, there was no cutlery in the cupboards and the family had had to go out and buy cups because they didn't want to drink from the ones there.

My mother in law obviously doesn't want to go next tuesday for our stay.

She's asked me to cancel but there's a strict cancellation policy and our stay hasn't started yet.

I've left messages for the host who is on holiday.

Do we still pay the fee if it is too dirty to stay?

[Zandra0]

You can cancel and lose 50% of your payment or you can check in and contact the host if it's filthy, giving them a chance to address your concerns. What are the reviews like for the place ? Do they all mention a problem with cleanliness? If not then the problem could be an exception and could be resolved by the time you stay.

On a separate note; it's poor form to go and check properties out in advance of your stay.

[Debbie62]

If the property is not acceptable upon check-in, you can contact Airbnb about cancelling the stay and you would probably get a full refund (with adequate evidence of your issues). The problem would then be having an alternate place to stay. I agree that it's poor form to go to a property prior to your stay.

[Helen3]

Caitlin when you booked your property - what did the reviews say about the cleanliness and facilities at the property. I am sure if there had been awful reviews you wouldn't have booked.

Have you been keeping an eye on recent reviews? Are they all positive or are some expressing concerns.

Personally I would contact BnB and say what has happened and that you have tried to contact the host ahead of the booking but haven't been able to reach them. Ask their advice and whether it might be possible for them to reach the host for you to discuss your concerns in advance of your visit.

As others have said if the property is as bad as your mother in law says (I presume you have photographic evidence), I am sure BnB will help you find an alternative property. If you can't get reassurance from the host, have a look at alternatives.

I stayed in a property in Portugal that had good reviews but in the months leading up to my stay had mixed reviews. I contacted the host in the run up to my visit who assured me all was fine and issues had been fixed. I should have trusted my instinct the property was so basic and had little hot running water. A ruined holiday for us.

[Melanie33]

While I have every sympathy, if you hadn't gone to look at the property prior to check in you would still be in blissful ignorance and you may well find when you check in that it is lovely and clean and you have a great holiday.  If it is not good when you get there then you can contact Airbnb and they can sort for you. 

I hope that your worries are unfounded and you have a great time.

Mel

[Sandra126]

If guests came knocking on the door of a present stay I would be extremely annoyed at someone having disturbed my guests. Really very annoyed. Upset, even. It is entirely possible that the place will be clean before you get there, I suggest that you state your concerns to your host. Perhaps say also that you went to visit the present guests, they will probably mention it in their now even worse review anyway. (we were disturbed by future guests inspecting the property).

I once had an early guest park outside the house on the grass for an hour, and my guests were miffed about that, not sure what was going on. They complained, and this one didn't even enter the property!

[Barry196]

Hi - as a guest I booked a place - which on arrival seemed OK - as we upacked it became apparant that the  place had not been cleaned properly, there was insects crawing around the bath shower and we then we noticed the broken  bed supports , kitchen pots and pans with grease marks as well as numeroues air freshners - and damp stains up the wall in the hall way, rusty bath tub, poor curtaining etc.  It had a 4 and 5 star reviewe soim we felt comfotable booking.  We considered contacting the host however the problems were numerous and in our view were not fixable in the time we booked - so I guess we did not have the nerve to challenge the host - so we asked the host by text what we do with the key up on leaving - a message came back and we followed the instruction and left.  It was late in the day we had travelled most of the day to get to the let - so we ended up finding a hotel.  I guess you will realise we are new to Airbnb  and not the youngest - and may be we should have been tough.  We then recieved a message to review and it seems unfair to base a review on 1hr in the property.  I then looked at the reviews the place had - and the majority really said little about he place. Maybe we should attemp a refund - but as it stands we put it down to first time experience.  Not sure if the host will give us a review. However I scanned the Airbnd we site and could not anything that might set some sort of standard for cleanliness.