Am I being unreasonable?

[Akram22]

Hi all,

I've recently had my first airbnb travel experience and I wanted to hear other hosts' and travellers' perspectives on something I've come across. 

We booked a Christmas break for 3 days/2 nights at a an airbnb that has a pool bbq in a nice area. I explained to the host that we were really looking forward to this break after a long covid lockdown period and inquired whether the pool and bbq were ready and also asked if she had any additional things she wanted me to be conscious of. 

After our first night we woke up to find a dead mouse in the pool. We removed it using the leaf skimmer which broke in the process. Realizing that this is an outdoor space and not wanting to be an overly demanding host on Christmas I offered to run to the shops very early the next day to buy a replacement or to pay for a replacement. The host apologised for the mouse and said she would deduct half the cost of the net from my bond. I didn't object on the contrary I thanked her but I was a little disspointed deep down. 

Later in the afternoon we were getting ready to bbq, and I proceeded to remove the bbq cover yo find it filthy with grease, food bits and spider webs everywhere. Then as I lifted a cover a mouse jumped out. I couldn't take a photo of the bbq and I had no intention of ruining my holiday or upsetting the host so I just sent a message letting her know this happened and that we used a public bbq instead. I also sent her a photo of the mouse after it ran out of the bbq. She didn't respond. 

After I returned home, I found a request from the host for half the cost of the net, which was a trivial amount. I didn't object and paid it in full, however, I felt the host was being extremely unreasonable so I left a comment mentioning that I am dissappointed that this trivial amount wasn't waived after the second mouse incident in the bbq and our inability to fully enjoy the property's amenities. No response either. 

I thought about this and I decided that just as the host has the right to claim half the cost of the broken net ,despite it being broken while removing a vermin which wouldn't have been there is there were bait stations and proper pest control, I also have the right to claim compensation for the bbq not being ready as claimed by the host in my initial inquiry. I went ahead and made a claim of the cleaning fee only which was less than 7% of the total amount paid. The host declined payment saying it was not related to cleaning and not within their control. I escalated to airbnb and the host still refused to pay that 7% cleaning fee but airbnb decided to pay it to me anyways themselves. 

I had browsed several posts regarding similar topics and I found that many hosts thought mice were a trivial matter but I also found many people claimed a full refund for the visit. I didn't do that. I was actually going to dismiss the whole thing and not even mention it in the review if it werent for what I perceived as extreme greed from the host to want to capitalise on every dollar despite misrepresenting that the bbq was ready and lying about this. 

Sorry for the long post, what I'm hoping to ask is:

1. Am I in my rights to request the cleaning fee? Is it reasonable?

2. Am I in my rights to mention the mice in the review of the property and to rate it poorly? Is it reasonable? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Akram22 I really don't think it is possible to stop mice being outside the property. One falling in the pool is just an unfortunate thing that is surely outside the control of the host.

As for the cleaning fee I am not so sure. Just be careful that when Airbnb say they have paid it back to you it is highly likely that they will deduct the money from the host's next payment so effectively the host may have returned this to you.

Leaving a low rating? Well how was the house, the kitchen the bedrooms etc. A couple of mice outside and a dirty barbecue are only one portion of the entire stay. 4 stars rather than five might be appropriate. 1 star feels a little rough.

[Akram22]

Thanks M&J for providing me with your perspective(s). Your view is fairly aligned with my host's. What upset me is not that were were mice outside but that the host had said the bbq was ready when it definitely wasn't and that they still  insisted on making a trivial claim for an item damaged while removing a vermin from the pool. Having worked as a quality and safety consultant I am well aware of the risks of having vermin near food preparation and also of the counter measures to prevent this from happening, however there were no visible pest control measures. 

I realize that the host sitting in their clean and secure apartment and enjoying their holiday may not appreciate that we had paid for the bbq and the pool as part of the experience yet werent able to utilise them fully and may even go to dismiss it as a minor inconvenience and just attribute it to being out of their control. On our end having to lug all the bbq gear and meats and drive somewhere else then back is not what we were promised and could've easily been prevented if the host were true to their words that the bbq was ready let alone the risk to our health if we were to attempt at cleaning the bbq and using it after it was infested with mice and droppings.

I appreciate your perspective on this topic, I am trying to be fair but having been very accommodating of this matter with no reciprocation from the host is quite depressing. Thank you for your perspective.

[Marit-Anne0]

@Akram22 my experience with rat poison is that they seek to the water after consuming, so maybe there were pest control measures taken to deal with the mice  and one mouse ended up in the pool ? Mice seeking food scraps and fat is only natural, but even though the bbq were a bit unappetizing, lighting it up to a high temperature would kill any bacteria and eliminate the health hazard.

[Akram22]

@Marit-Anne0  thank you for your perspective.

I donot know if the mouse was poisoned and this is why it fell in the pool but I would assume if the host knows we have kids coming and there is poison around it would be only responsible of her to let us know, which she didn't. But then again they said the bbq was ready but it wasn't.

Bait stations do not necessarily have to contain poison, they can also trap mice for removal later. Hotels use bait stations in their outdoors areas all the time, it is neither expensive nor is it an unreasonable measure. 

I respectfully disagree regarding using the bbq after finding droppings, grease and a live mouse in it. I think it is not just a matter of it being unappetizing, rather it is a serious health and safety risk. The bbq needs to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Also, the mouse may have chewed through the gas hose which poses an additional fire risk. I think this would put any guest's life in danger let alone the food contamination risks. 

The host saying the bbq is "ready" in response to my inquiry is misrepresentation and negligent. 

Here is a link to the different diseases directly and indirectly transmitted by rodents: https://www.cdc.gov/rodents/diseases/index.html

Thank you for your perspective. 

[Marit-Anne0]

@Akram22 Renting an airbnb on the private market cannot be compared to a hotel, so in response to your heading, you may be a bit unreasonable.  If you took time and effort to clean the bbq yourself, asking for a reasonable compensation might be in order.

A downrating on cleanliness would probably be in place.

[Akram22]

@Marit-Anne0 

Thank you again. I respectfully disagree.

[Anonymous]

@Akram22   When an amenity is not in a usable condition (and I'd say that applies to the BBQ), you're within your rights to request compensation for it, just as the host is well within their rights to decline and request compensation for damaged equipment. Is anyone being unreasonable? Well, perhaps that's the wrong question, as it seems more concerned with feeling validated than achieving the optimal end result. 

It seems like the end result your actions have pointed to is:  some bad blood between you and your host, a bit of extra holiday stress for your family, a potential negative review that will make your Airbnb profile permanently undesirable for future hosts, and a small retroactive discount on your trip. If these were your goals, then you made the right choice in requesting the refund.

I don't think you were wrong to expect the grill to be cleaned between guests - more often than not, when I've stayed somewhere with a BBQ I've taken one look at the state of it and decided to cook in the kitchen instead. If the host offered no indoor cooking facilities, you'd have grounds for being rehoused and having your unused nights refunded. I would probably mention in the review that food waste had not been removed from the BBQ, and prospective guests could easily infer the problems this could cause.

I would not mention the mice if they were only encountered outdoors. An indoor infestation would be a sign of a pest control failure and a possible health/safety issue, but in my opinion a host is well within their rights to choose a low-intervention approach to the outdoor wildlife unless local laws require otherwise. 

[Lorna170]

@Akram22   You have every right to complain about the BBQ and have the host rectify the situation by either having someone come to clean it or a refund of some amount to offset the inconvenience. of cleaning it yourself  As you have stated that you informed the host of your desire to use the BBQ, the host should have confirmed that housekeeping had cleaned it.  The fact that there were spiders and mice in it meant that this amenity is not often used or the state of it has not been reported by guests to the host.   I have had issues with housekeeping cleaning my grill to guest (and my own) satisfaction, so cleaning products are provided in the event that the guest must prepare the grill for use.  I never assume that a grill has been properly cleaned, no matter the condition upon inspection at arrival and clean it myself.  With reference to the mouse in the pool, the mouse may not have been there when the pool was serviced, and could have fallen in five minutes before your arrival.  The host did err in charging you for the broken skimmer; this, IMO, falls under normal wear and tear (unless you purposely abused the skimmer by banging it against a hard surface and breaking it while disposing of the mouse).  

[Mark116]

@Akram22  Animals getting trapped or falling into pools is a known hazard, so while it is unfortunate about the mouse, I don't know that you can blame this on the host, the pool is outside, animals are outside.  The host is silly to request 1/2 the cost of a new skimmer.

If the BBQ was too dirty to use then your best option would have been to request the  host send a cleaner over to clean and disinfect it.  Asking for a partial refund is fine, you wanted to use the BBQ and you weren't able to. 

I'm not sure I'd mention mice outside but it would be fair to say that the BBQ was too dirty to use and that you found the host was not very responsive to this and other issues, something like that. 

[Ann72 · Accepted solution]

@Akram22  You did everything right.  You offered to buy a new skimmer for the pool and there are only two responses to that:  thank you, or don't worry about it, I'll replace it at no cost to you since it broke while you were actually remedying a problem at my listing.  You specifically asked about the grill and therefore gave the host every opportunity to make sure it was in good shape.  If I had a guest who had requested the grill in advance, then opened it upon arrival and had a mouse run out, I'd be sending over an army and offering a free night.

[Sarah977]

Mice outside: Non-issue. No, hosts should not have to put traps, etc, outside. If you book a place with outside areas, you have to expect that there may be endemic critters around.

Broken pool skimmer: IMO the host should have absorbed this as an accident and the cost of doing business. I do wonder how simply lifting a dead mouse out of the pool would break the skimmer. i would assume you banged it on something.

Unusable BBQ: Missing amenity. Host should have made sure it was clean, or offered a small discount for the inconvenience. However, because you didn't wish to disturb the host on Xmas, you didn't give her a opportunity to offer to come by and clean the BBQ. But you did message her about it, and you say she didn't respond. At the very least, she should have asked if it would be amenable to you to consider the unusable BBQ a trade-off for the broken pool skimmer.

Reimbursement of cleaning fee: No. The cleaning fee covers a whole lot more hours of cleaning and preparing the space for guests than not cleaning the BBQ. The BBQ issue is a missing amenity issue, not a cleaning fee issue.

At this point, just leave an honest review- that the BBQ was unusable due it not having been cleaned and quite filthy, and the host failed to answer your messages about it. Lower star rating for accuracy (missing amenity),  possibly communication, and cleanliness. No, I wouldn't mention the mice, because they were outside and as I said, some critters are natural to encounter outdoors. If the house itself had a rodent infestation, that would be different.

@Akram22