Am I being picky/unfair on this airbnb, or is this below expected standards?

[Eeyoreismyspiritanimal]

Stayed at an airbnb on the weekend. My only other experience was last year when I stayed in a modern apartment which was immaculate, so don't know whether this place was below standard or more normal?

Big, old, five bed house in the middle of nowhere countryside. Host was great at communicating, directions, house instructions etc but the house wasn't very clean at all. There were cobwebs everywhere, strong smell of damp in the downstairs loo and cleaning cupboard. A lot of the kitchen cupboards were broken and a few of the glasses and mugs needed washing before use. Rusty cooking trays amongst newer/useable ones.

Also, the kitchen didn't have any kitchen roll, foil, cling film etc and only one dishwasher tablet left (which we used on Friday night then had to wash everything by hand...there were eight of us eating three meals a day plus snacks so quite a lot of dishes!).

There was also no toiletries or hairdryer, which were provided in the apartment last year so I was expecting them (real pain not having a hair dryer, and would have brought my own if I'd known).

So is this fairly normal, or would I be within my rights to contact the host and let him know how disappointed we were?

I would tell them in your private feedback - you have plenty of chances of mentioning these things privately & publicly. It should have said in the list of amenities what was provided such as hair dryer, toiletries etc. No excuse for it not being clean though.

Also, what did other reviews say?

I have a holiday let and provide a hairdryer (which frequently gets knicked)
I dont provide toiletries as people have their own favourites nor dishwasher stuff.
Where would you draw the line, provide washibg up liquis, soap powder, conditioner, milk tea coffee bread cheese.
Its self catering not a hotel

I am holding Airbnb expect a certain amount of basics to be left because I was asked about it in my feedback & got the impression they were the minimum. Can't remember what was on the list, though.

I wouldn't expect a hairdryer & toiletries etc unlesd it was specified. Id most definitely complain about the cleanliness etc

I actually wouldn’t expect washing up liquid, detergent etc. Nor toiletries. I’d expect it to be clean though.

In the listing for Air Bnb it will tell you what is included if you scroll down. if it didn't have hairdryer listed then you can't really complain about it.

I also wouldn't expect toiletries, washing liquid, dishwasher tablets etc., but have stayed in quite a Airbnb and they have provided these things or they may have been left by other people staying there. If I was going to be staying some distance from shops then I would message the owner and check what was provided. They should list whether or not a hairdryer is available. We stayed in France over the summer and we had to pay an extra charge per person for towels.

Cleanliness is another matter entirely and you should mention to the owner if you weren't happy.

I've stayed in a lot of Airbnbs and every one has had basic cleaning stuff (dishwasher tabs, laundry detergent, washing up liquid, bin bags, kitchen roll) etc. I'd expect that. I'd also be surprised not to find the basics of teabags, coffee, salt & pepper etc. It might be self-catering but who wants to go out and buy absolutely everything they'll need if they're only staying for a few nights?

Most have also had shower gel (usually a big bottle of something cheap) which I wouldn't expect but came in handy once when I'd forgotten to bring my own.

They've all had a cheap basic hairdryer which again I wouldn't necessarily expect but is handy.

I'd definitely expect high standards of cleanliness.

I have used AirBnB a lot. I have never seen toiletries or hairdryers. Would expect toilet roll obviously but kitchen roll, foil, cling film and dishwasher tabs would not been expected unless it was a big feature (e.g. promoted as a thing on the listing).

One place I stayed in did have a coffee machine and coffee pods but that was an unexpected bonus.

You can only legitimately complain about stuff that was on the listing but then not there when you arrived.

You can totally complain about the damp and lack of cleaning though.

Just stayed in 3 Airbnbs driving down through France and Spain. All were excellent and quite different. 1 had a dishwasher which had tabs provided, though I had taken my own as I had no expectation that there would be any. The other two left washing up liquid and washing up cloth. I took my own washing powder.
All provided a hairdryer but no toiletries except handwash. Again it wasn't an expectation.
All provided basic condiments and oil for cooking which is all I expect and helpful if only staying a couple of nights.

Fortunately, despite having stayed in numerous Airbnbs I have only had one really awful experience and that was in the UK. It was filthy and we left asap.

Now we always look for Superhosts and read all reviews. We don't usually pick anything that doesn't have lots of reviews unless it's obviously new. Our friends always manage to get lousy places but when I look where they stayed I wouldn't have picked them
I would definitely be honest in the public review but give even stronger feedback to the host in the private review. E.g. Public - place not up to standard of cleanliness we would expect. Private - detail the specific issues.z

Sounds a bit shabby but mostly manageable. I would just go out and get some dishwasher tabs etc if there are so many of you staying there. No toiletries wouldn’t bother me so much but I would expect some kitchen basics. What did the reviews say?

Ive always had shampoos, shower gels, fairy liquid, dishwashing tablets but id make sure they had it.

birdladyfromhomealone last year the airbnb provided a box of eggs, bread, milk, handsoap in every bathroom/ensuite and dishwasher tablets, Fairy and clean cloths. Shampoo, conditioner and deodorant and hairdryer. That's why I was expecting it again.

@Eeyoreismyspiritanimal you are renting an apartment from an individual, airbnb is merely the booking agent.If you post that you didn't get a hairdryer provided in the feedback (unless it EXPLICITLY) states there is a hairdryer provided in the listing, you will look like a right bellend.

Never been to an airB&B but this is how I imagined them to be. Owner's house, he's just slept in a tent down the road while you were there..

Pressed post too soon. The cleaning sounds a bit rubbish but I wouldn't expect DW tablets or shampoo to be provided unless stated in the listing.

I would speak to them privately and tell them how disappointed you are and take it from there. It should be clean above all.

The thing with Airbnb is that you can't assume that that each host will offer the same, it's not how it works. You were naive to think otherwise. This poster has it spot on *"You can only legitimately complain about stuff that was on the listing but then not there when you arrived.

You can totally complain about the damp and lack of cleaning though."*

I stay in Airbnb quite a lot. Sounds normal for a big house. Modern apartments will be cleaner than an old house. I would give some feedback on missing/broken items but unless it says that it’s provided it’s only a ‘would be nice if’

It sounds like your previous host went above the norm, more than anything else. Dh stays in a lot or air bnbs for work and the things you mention are not the norm.

I've stayed in an awful lot of air bnbs and they're all very different.

You have to make sure you have read what is available on the houses booking page. I've seen some where you have to bring your own bedding!

Revisit the page. If you missed it, you can't really complain about it...

You are right op, they know that lots of guests will be travelling with just a cabin bag and there is usually a good supply of cleaning stuff. I'm presently in Portugal in a lovely Airbnb apartment where there is laundry liquid, dishwasher tablets, good supply of shower gel and shampoo and lots of leftover tea/coffee etc from previous visitors. The fridge was stocked with water, bottle of wine and 2 beers. This is typical we have found. If the place isn't clean that is not right.

Don't stop in a an airbnb in Transnistria! You would have a shock. There wasn't any hot water as is normal for Kommunalki's. The persons belongings were still in the wardrobe, no tv, their food in the cupboard, no toiletries or towels let alone a hairdryer, dishwasher or cling film. Shame you had to wash things by hand! At least you had plates and things. We had bought a bottle of wine and found a sherry glass and a mug to drink it from!

Your previous Air BnB went above and beyond providing those things, so perhaps you were expecting much more than is usual or more than this individual property provides. They are not expected to provide them. Did the accommodation profile state that a hairdryer is provided? There isn;t an across the board list of items they must always provide.