new appliances have not arrived for the rental

[Bebe28]

Sorry if this long, but question for owners and/or renters, if you have ever experienced this type of situation...I have a month long rental coming up in about a week. In the description of the condo, the owner clearly states, fully remodeled including new kitchen appliances (fridge, range and dishwasher); they are on order and should arrive on this date. Well,  that date was about a month ago, and still no appliances. He has  provided me, via text, two other delivery dates, the later, of which, is in 5 days. Today I spoke with him on the phone, asking about what's going on and what if the items should arrive during my stay? He said he, or his "guy," would come in and spend a half a day ripping out the old and installing the new. Not really what I want to deal with, during my vacation, but ok. He also got sort of short with me when I brought up the topic, saying well, I can't help this. It's beyond my control and COVID, blah blah blah.  And, I am already getting a " great deal" which I can assure you, I am not. I understand it's not his fault, had he been more understanding, I may not even be pursuing this.  So, my question is, do I have any recourse in terms of cancelling or getting a discount? I should add that he said the old appliances do work and are in good condition, he remodeled, so he wanted new. I hope this is the case, if they don't get here before I check in.

Also, I have not signed the lease yet, if that matters. He never said anything to me about this, but maybe it's in print somewhere? OK, TIA if you have any advice.

[Robin4]

@Bebe28 

I guess the leading question is......did you book this property on the basis that it would have a remodeled kitchen when you arrived.

Covid -19 has played havoc with just about all hosts schedules, Bede we are all going through a frustrating time. Every day I am having to deal with booking cancellations or deferments because of pandemic border restrictions. It's hard to say that black is black and white is white any more! We live on a day to day basis.

Having said that, the host has no right to get agitated with you simply because you would like an update on what is going on. Obviously you don't want the holiday you have paid for to be interrupted by tradesmen walking in and out on you compromising your privacy. 

What do I think about this? You have both got off on the wrong foot, I can't see anything but a poor review coming from either of you. If you have other stay options and you can be refunded my feeling is that would be a better path to pursue!

The other thing that has me concerned, what is this 'signing a lease' business all about? 

I would be a bit concerned if the host sprung a lot of terms and conditions on me after I had made a reservation. Was a lease agreement mention in the listing description?

Bede I am sorry you have found yourself in this situation and I am sure the host is sorry too, I just hope all works out for you but I would also hope that there will be a bit of diplomacy on all sides to get around what it a trying situation.

Cheers.......Rob

[Bebe28]

Thanks for the input! The conversation was actually mostly pleasant, aside from the bit I mentioned. I hated even bringing it up to him; I was certainly courteous and calm.  Anyway, at this point, I don't think there is much I can do, but hope for the best. I'm definitely not going to let it ruin my vacation. Oh, the lease agreement is pretty basic. I'm bringing my dog, so that's mentioned; the few other points covered seem pretty standard and harmless?? He has three properties he rents out, so maybe this is just what he does???

[Bebe28]

Thanks for the input, Laura. The guy works in residential construction and I’m beginning to wonder if he actually even ordered the stuff. You would think he would know by now, in terms of COVID, that he should have ordered everything many months ago. Anyway, he has a strict cancellation policy, so I think I only had 48 hours to cancel after he confirmed my reservation. That’s why I was wondering if the lack of appliances would be grounds to cancel. I knew it was a long shot.

[Anonymous]

@Bebe28   Your Airbnb booking already constitutes a binding rental agreement, so in most situations a separate lease would be redundant.

The terms of the Guest Refund Policy would entitle you to a full refund if you have to cancel your stay because appliances are not provided or not functional on your check-in date. It doesn't seem to apply when the old appliances are still in place and functional. So this is not a situation where you'd have leverage with Airbnb to force the host to give you a refund or discount.

Rather, it really comes down to reaching an agreement directly with the host. If having a day of your stay interrupted by the installation is unacceptable, options to consider would include:

- shortening the stay to check out on the day the appliances are scheduled to arrive

-  shifting the whole month to a later check-in

- requesting an exception to the host's cancellation policy in order to get out of the booking

If, on the balance of things, the inconvenience of having appliances changed is outweighed by the hassle of upending all your vacation plans, maybe ask the host to recommend a nice place to spend the day while the renovation is happening. A smart host might take the hint and comp you a day ticket to a spa or something along these lines. But if you come right out and ask for a discount, the well is poisoned and the goodwill is lost.

[Lisa723]

@Bebe28 I have been in similar situations as a host. I always ask the guest whether they prefer to have installation ASAP or to have it delayed until their departure. Different guests have had different preferences. If you would rather not deal with the installation you could ask the host to postpone it until you depart.

@Anonymous @Robin4 

[Cave0]

The listing is part of the contract, it describes what the host is offering in return for the consideration that the guest will pay.  If the listing states that the appliances are new, then that is a part of the contractual obligation that the host is bound by and if they aren't there then he's in breach of contract as he would be if there were no appliances at all.  It all boils down to whether you're staying there for new appliances or for some other reason which attracted you to the listing and whether the missing new applicances are important enough for you to go looking for somewhere else to stay.

[Laura2592]

@Bebe28 we just got a dishwasher installed in our place, replacing an old one that was about to die. We did it on a date where we had no bookings. We don't do back to back check in so we had a bit more wiggle room than it sounds like this host may have had. That is one reason we don't do back to back reservations-- we need time to do maintenance, have grass cut, have the property sprayed for mosquitoes, etc. We have had guests complain when they saw an Orkin van leaving as they were pulling up (early) to their check in so we don't even chance that they would be in touch with any sort of contractor or installer. 

As a guest I would say I would probably cancel this stay and find something else. If its a long term stay I might be less likely to as the inconvenience of a few hours of install might not mean as much over a more generous vacation horizon. I think your host is probably trying to milk every penny out of his high season and probably not thinking much about how strange it is to have appliances redone during a vacation in a stranger's home.