Issue with the host

[Aleksandra152]

Hi there, could you tell me what shall I do?

Due to a job duties, I had to move for a short time to Berlin & I'm rentig a room via AirBnB till the end of the month. The host lives in the flat as well.

The problem is that I suffer from physical issues (clinically stated depression). It's not dangerous, but it's a state when you really need to feel safe--and I informed my host about this. However, she ignores this information and all the time makes scenes that make me feel worried and anxious (she e.g. made a scene that I used a children mug (!)). She enters my room and puts my things from side to side. Every time we meet, she criticizes the way I behave. I also feel discriminated as a non-German, as she implies that I cannot use kitchen/bathroom items in a proper way.
I've been living at her place since 31.10.2019 and I have already noticed that my depression symptoms got worse, e.g. I cannot fall asleep without having additional help.
I informed AirBnB--is there any other thing I can do?
Many thanks for your help!

Aleksandra

[title edited]

[Ralf5]

@Aleksandra152 ,

Your thread got posted in the german speaking community, may be you should post it again in the english speaking community platform.

I am sorry to hear, that your depression got worse due to the behaviour of your host.

However, all these little things happening in every day are in my mind material enough to look for a new accomodation regardless the cancellation policy of the host (health always comes first). You can try to find a solution with the airbnb support, make some photos of the "forbidden" items you used and repeat the dialogues in the airbnb messaging system, so that the support can follow up.

Which cancellation is applied for this listing? strong, flexible, …?

[Sabine-Ingrid0]

Den Gastgeber für die eigenen phsychischen Probleme verantwortlich zu machen ist schon eine bemerkenswerte Sicht der Dinge.

@Aleksandra152  Warum gehst du nicht einfach in ein Hotel, dort sind klare Regeln und du musst dich nicht damit auseinandersetzen ob du aus Kindertassen trinken darfst.

[Aleksandra152]

@Ralf5 Thank you for your kind and supportive words - it really matters and helps 🙂 Thanks for the hint; that's a good idea.  I let know AirBnB know; let's see what is their policy in such weird situations (I am writing from Berlin).  Perhaps the bare fact that I am in touch with the support will make this lady realize that her behavior may be taken as rude and/or inappropriate . This is her 1st time as a host, so maybe she simply lacks experience and intercultural competences. 

@Sabine-Ingrid0 Right now I haven't received my salary for this month yet, and without proper means it's not so easy to change the place and just wait for a refund. If the circumstances were different, I would move out asap.

[Anonymous]

@Aleksandra152  Greetings from Kreuzberg, and sorry to hear about your situation. The behavior you've described of your host would probably induce some anxiety in just about anyone, even those who don't suffer from depression.

It does sound like, as you say, this host has no experience in hospitality - in or out of the home. This is the risk that guests take when booking a listing with no reviews; you might be getting someone who's not ready for Prime Time and probably never will be.

I don't know what the basis of her criticisms are, but clearly there are unresolved issues between you. You've made the choice to get Airbnb involved, and perhaps it's for the best that there's a paper trail of the conflict. But moving forward, you are best off discussing with your host that both of you are mutually unhappy with the home situation and coming to an agreement that allows you to terminate the booking early. If the cancellation policy is Flexible, all you have to do now is hit the Cancel button. Otherwise, either you or the host can submit a Change request to alter the end date of the booking and transmit the agreed-upon partial refund.

[Susan151]

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@Anonymous wrote:

@Aleksandra152  If the cancellation policy is Flexible, all you have to do now is hit the Cancel button. Otherwise, either you or the host can submit a Change request to alter the end date of the booking and transmit the agreed-upon partial refund.

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Andrew, is this true? I thought that there were long term cancelation terms that over-ride our "standard" ones. Am I wrong? [And yes, I am too lazy to look it up right now.]

[Anonymous]

@Susan151 it's true, if the booking was 29+ days it's defaulted to the Long Term cancellation policy. I don't know from this post whether the booking is actually of that length, but if it's genuinely until the end of November that would be the case.

[Julie3708]

If you can leave and book elsewhere, it would be really Fabulous for our well-being. See if you can qualify for refund or early termination. Any headaches or depression ain't worth for staying with non-adaptive hosts.

[Helen350]

@Julie3708 This post is a year old! So I'm sure it's all resolved  now! The host gave her a good & gracious review, in which the host appears a lovely young lady, the sort I'd love to stay with. It seems from the reviews that the host was merely helping to educate the guest to behave in an appropriate manner, i.e. turn lights off, not leave then on all day long! And I sense the host was trying to help, being kind, by telling the guest how to use amenities properly, being like a mother to the guest.... Poor host, maligned for nothing! She was gutted by the bad review, when she'd done her best to be accommodating.