Host forces me to turn off lights at all times other than evening, won’t fix loose cardboards and screws in my room

[Zarin21]

When I booked the place I’m currently staying in, there was no house rule about what times I can use the room lights. Now, recently I had talked about alteration to the checkout date and wanted to shift somewhere closer to my university’s suburb at the end of this month, although we hadn’t reached an agreement before the incident I’m about to describe happened. However, the curtains at my room’s entrance and near my bed directly fell down on my bed yesterday. I was not in the room at that time but heard a noise and came to see what happened. Since the host and I live in the same house, I immediately called him but he simply asked me to keep the curtains in the balcony and that he would cater to it later. I was scared because I could have been injured by the curtain holders had I been on the bed at that point. The curtains had fell down before as well but never on the bed. This time, they left an impact on the cardboard/plywood (I’m not sure what exactly they are) like dividers which are separating my room from the next one. The screws attaching those boards have been loosened and the boards have become unstable, so I’m scared they might fall on me anytime as well. But he said the boards were strong and there is nothing he can do at the moment about them, the highest he can do is call me an ambulance if anything happens and my health insurance will cover it(This happened face to face). Then he went on to say I can not turn on the lights when the sunlight is visible (till 5/6 pm let’s say) and I have to turn them off by 12 am. I repeat, nothing of this sort was/is mentioned in the Airbnb house rules. He quite literally yelled at me and forcefully turned the lights off. There are curtains on another side, he asked me to open them which would reveal a transparent glass door where the sunlight can come from. The problem is, the glass is a partition of balcony and my room and I would feel extremely uncomfortable knowing anyone of this house or nearby can see me. He then said that I should not have privacy while studying and I should not feel uncomfortable if I’m not doing anything wrong. So after I reported the board incident to Airbnb and explained how reluctant he is to do anything, he then started saying I am making up stories so that I can leave his house. Now, that does not make sense, because, why would I in my right mind do something which has the potential to injure me at any time? Furthermore, I had asked him both in real life and through Airbnb text to kindly do something (which he still hasn’t replied to) about the situation before I approached Airbnb. So it’s not like I wasn’t willing to mediate this with mutual consensus at first. Fast forward to the evening, he cursed me a lot (face to face) and said insensitive stuff like I would go to hell, I am a disgrace to the Muslim community (I come from a Muslim family), and stuff. Unfortunately, I do not have any documentation to prove this part, but I have pictures and videos of the loose screws and the unstable cardboards which I have already sent to Airbnb. Other than that, I am confused if I can do anything about the light bulbs; I’m a student and I need to study most of the times- had these rules been mentioned in the house rules, I would have never booked this place in the first place. His reluctance to do anything about my safety, coupled with his sudden hostility and newly made up rules that are being forced upon me makes me feel really unsafe. The Airbnb mediator has said he would ask the host if he would be willing to rectify this situation, and he can offer a solution only after he has responded. Is there anything at all I can do at this moment about this? One of the curtains is still dangling from one side of my room and he hasn’t done anything about that either. 

[Sarah977]

@Zarin21 What a horrible host you got saddled with. His behavior and his demeanor and words to you are wholly unacceptable. Unfortunately, Airbnb customer service is atrocious right now, but if I were in your shoes, I'd tell Airbnb at this point that you can't continue to stay there- that you have proceeded according to Airbnb protocol, making the issues known to your host, who refuses to repair what is clearly an unsafe situation. Also, the host is imposing rules on you which were never mentioned in the listing or prior to your arrival- that he dictates the hours of the day when you are allowed to turn on a light is outrageous.

 I would insist that Airbnb try to relocate you to a comparable place- make sure to also mention to them that the host has made inappropriate comments regarding your religion- they take discrimination quite seriously. Tell them the host is making you extremely uncomfortable, yells at you, and that you can't be expected to stay there any longer, and want a refund for the unused days, or the balance applied to another listing where you will be treated with respect.

If Airbnb tries to tell you they'll get back to you, be firm about this not being acceptable- that you have already spoken to them, and nothing has changed and you need this dealt with now, not tomorrow, not next week.

 And make sure to leave an honest review to warn other guests.

[Helen3]

Please follow @Sarah977 great advice and call Airbnb but also reach out to them on social media.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Zarin21 From memory you must contact Airbnb within 24 hours of an issue becoming known. The sooner you call them the better

[Zarin21]

Thank you @Mike-And-Jane0 @Helen3 @Sarah977 for the advice! I had actually contacted Airbnb yesterday, shortly after I had requested the host to look into this matter and he refused to do anything. Generally, Airbnb resolution center only provides the final decision if we can not mediate within 72 hours of the request being opened. Currently, it has been a little above 24 hours. However, the screws and the boards are still in the same condition (possibly worse) and I am afraid waiting for two more days might worsen the situation. Would you suggest there is any other option I can resort to at this moment? 

[Kelly1829]

just call the local housing authority (I think that’s who) and you can have them send you the tenants rights book. It will tell you all of your rights and you can report him to the city through them. Then he will be paid a visit and told the rules … he will gladly let you out of your lease. 

[Helen350]

@Zarin21  I think you're over-reacting about the lights & curtains ... It's quite reasonable to expect lights to be off during daylight hours, & reasonable to expect you to open the curtains if you wany more light, imo. - If someone sat in my rooms with curtains shut & lights on, I'd probably suggest they turn the lights off & open the curtains!

- But obviously it's not right to make nasty racist remarks. 

[Sarah977]

@Helen350 I disagree- the host is trying to micromanage things that aren't that important and is doing it in a very rude way. A few lights on really doesn't cost that much in terms of the electric bill. And if the guest feels too exposed with the curtains open, it's not for the host to say she shouldn't feel that way or berate her for it. 

This host understands nothing about hospitality or being a good host. His behavior is atrocious on all levels.

[Helen350]

It all sounds like a fuss about nothing to me, @Sarah977 !