Am I a bad guest for wanting a refund?

[Stephanie881]

Hi, 

I am using Airbnb for the first time, so I am unsure what to expect of hosts. I am currently thinking about requesting a (partial) refund because I am sharing a bathroom with 5 people and in 2 weeks, the host has never (!) cleaned the shower, shink, bathtub etc. There has been weird slime, mascara and an assortment of people's hair left all over the place and I think the host cannot reasonably expect 5 different guests to manage this situation themselves (we don't have any cleaning supplies, the host locks them away). 

Apart from this, the host is so nice, so I feel kind of bad for requesting a refund...on the other hand I feel like the host only wants guests' money to flow into her pockets without doing any actual work. 

I told the host, but the situation has not really improved. Do you think a refund is ok in this situation? 

Thank you for your opinions. 

[Alexandra316]

@Stephanie881 Not a bad guest, no. That is pretty gross: there is no way that a bathroom should be used for 2 weeks without cleaning. Did the host mention this in their listing at all, that you are responsible for cleaning and/or cleaning supplies? Different listings have different expectations of guest responsibilities and behaviours.

What is your ideal outcome here?  Do you want to move to another Airbnb? If so, I would contact Airbnb and ask them to assist with that, explaining the situation. I don't really think it's fair to continue to stay AND ask for a refund. Also, you've been there for two weeks: I don't nescessarily think it's fair to request a full refund, if the stay has otherwise been okay.

If the host seems nice, as you mentioned, I would try and resolve it with them before getting Airbnb involved.

[Clara116]

@Stephanie881 So good that you ask..............so 5 people sharing a bathroom - and never cleaned in 2 weeks?? What do your house rules say??? Did you read the full listing??? If the bathroom is shared I would imagine it might say that guests clean up after themselves???? Just a guess......I am most curious - are you all staying for long stays?? I would ask the host for cleaning stuff and get with all the others and everybody gets to clean up after themselves. Or ask the host to please see how she can get it clean...............suggest to the host that you don't want to call and ask for a refund. Plus you want to have a good stay and asking for a refund for something like this will certainly strain the stay, I am guessing. 

Imagine HOW can a host clean up after 5 people I know how a bathroom shared by 2 gets quickly. 

Just talk with the host!!! Communication is so important. good luck, keep us posted

and thanks for asking us...............best, Clara

[Stephanie881]

It does not say anything about cleaning in the listing or the house rules, and even if it did, the host could not expect us to wipe the floor or scrub the shower in my opinion. This is not part of "cleaning up after myself" 🙂 

If this is normal, I am just not using Airbnb anymore. 

[Fred13]

There is nothing 'normal' about 5 people sharing one bathroom,  It is probably more representative of an inexpensive place with 5 people ( & host) not working together, at all.

[Emiel1]

@Stephanie881,

I think when guests (are the people sharing the bathroom also guests and complaining ? ) mentioned this in their reviews and give low ratings for cleanless, situation will change quickly. As you mentioned it allready to the host, she should not be suprised it will be reflected in reviews also. A refund will be difficult, if situation after complaining is not improving, maybe contact Airbnb and ask for relocation.

best regards,

Emiel

[Stephanie881]

@Alexandra316

In the listing, it did not say anything specific about cleaning, only that it is a shared bathroom.

I don't really want the hassle of moving to another place because I have certain requirements (e.g. a proper office desk) and could not find anything suitable which is within my budget. If it's unfair to request a refund in this case, I'd rather stay and not ask for any. 

I would not expect a full refund, but since I've been cleaning myself 15% would be justified in my opinion...

[Alexandra316]

@Stephanie881 15% sounds perfectly reasonable. I would ask her about it and see what she says. As a few other people have said also, communication is key.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Stephanie881

Before even bringing up the topic of a refund, I think communication about cleanliness (or lack of~) should be first, and the host should have been informed with pics and given a chance to remedy the situation.

Despite requests if there were no improvements and you ended up doing the cleaning because you couldn't stand the mess, if it were me, I'd WARN the host before taking any sort of action. That I plan to request the cleaning fee be refunded AND the host pay me a cleaning fee if the host does not come or send someone to clean!!! And I'd probably take before and after pics as proof.

As others have said, communication is key.

[Colleen47]

Agreed. Ask for a solution or bring it to her attention first. If she is unaware there is a problem she will be defensive when you ask for money back. Communication is key. @Stephanie881

[Sandra126]

When a host is rated low in the reviews about cleanliness, they start getting messages from Airbnb getting increasingly stern until the listing eventually is suspended if the rating doesn't rapidly improve. They even send videos of how to clean. So, the host HAS to take action if they want to stay in business. Cleanliness is one of the most important issues for guests, there is no excuse not to have a clean listing. It is not normal, keep using Air! But look at the ratings for cleanliness. So rest assured that your low rank for cleanliness will have an effect, especially as I hope that others are ranking it low too. Take @Jessica-and-Henry0's advice.

[Susan151]

@Stephanie881. Have you talked with the host about this? I would probably start there, myself. I would choose my next step based on their response, and follow up.

[As an aside, this is the problem with hostel-like AirBNBs where there are multiiple groups staying in the same place, sharing a bathroom. I would expect that the bathroom would at least be wiped down daily by the host or host-designate in any place that has good reviews.]

[Sarah977]

@Stephanie881   No, this is not normal. You said you mentioned the situation to the host and she has done nothing about it. You also say the host is "so nice". Collecting money for bookings and expecting 5 people to share a bathroom and kitchen that the host never cleans isn't "so nice" in my book. 

I read and responded to your other topic post yesterday about the conditions there. As I mentioned, several of the reviews mention how clean the place is, and that could be because those reviews were probably written by guests who were there when the people sharing the place were actually clean.

I wonder how strongly you have spoken to this host about the conditions? Speak to her again, and tell her in no uncertain terms that the situation is awful- that if she's not willing to clean  on a regular basis, that you'll have to look for another place and apply for a refund. That she locks the cleaning supplies up indicates that she doesn't expect guests to clean. She can't have it both ways.

It doesn't make you a bad guest to ask for some refund in this case, but if you just continue to stay under the present conditions and expect a refund, that is bad guest behavior.  If you bought a dress that the seams all started to rip out on the first time you wore it, you'd be justified in taking it back and demanding a refund. If you just kept wearing the dress as is for weeks and then took it back 2 months after purchase, chances are the store would tell you they wouldn't take it back.

[Stephanie881]

@Sarah977

I'm also starting to think that former guests were tidier and just kept everything clean themselves. Another option is that they simply didn't care/notice (many under 20's in this area), in which case I seriously have to question Airbnb reviews from now on. 

I told her again about the bathroom situation after which she cleaned the shower, but to be honest, the bathroom still is not clean...she did not clean very obvious dirt in the bathtub (maybe expecting nobody would use it), nor did she clean the mirror covered in makeup-stains. 

My personal conclusion is to never book a shared bathroom again 🙂 

[Sarah977]

@Stephanie881  A private room in a shared home with the host, as opposed to the multi-guest hostel-type situation you now find yourself in, would probaly be fine for you, even if it's a shared bathroom with the host and their family.  Hosts are usually into keeping the bathroom they share with guests clean. Or, like you say private bedroom/bathroom. If you ever come to Mexico and book with me, that's exactly what you'll get and I can assure the bathroom is squeaky clean 🙂

If you're going to continue to stay where you are, it might be less aggravating to just go out and buy a bottle of cleaning liquid and spend 5 minutes each day cleaning that bathroom. Not a job you should have to do, but if you're going to stay on and the host won't do it, at least you could make it livable for yourself.

If I was in your situation, I'd be inclined to write in big letters in lipstick or eyeliner on the mirror:  Fellow guests- how about cleaning up after yourself in the bathroom- it's gross in here!  Sounds like your housemates are used to mommy cleaning up after them.