Our Air bnb is rated 4.64 out of 5 and yet..

[PurpleBaskets]

…it is dirty, it’s noisy, it smells. There are hardly any kitchen utensils, no baking trays etc. The windows don’t shut properly. I have had to put pieces of cardboard in the huge gap in the front door because it was rattling. It’s so cold. The house creaks and rattles, the road outside sounds like it is in the living room and bedrooms. Everywhere is sticky and dirty.
Yet it is rated so highly! Over 100 reviews. It wasn’t cheap either. This keeps happening to us, maybe I’m just expecting too much?

Not Airbnb but the principal remains.

We first started staying at a place in 2014. There was a couple of niggles - 5 beds but only 4 at the table etc, but it was relatively cheap and was worth putting up with them. We returned yearly, other than a couple of years going elsewhere. The demand was such that you would need to book the next year as soon as you got home. We booked last year late 2020, by the time we went prices everywhere had gone silly, this time I looked at the place through the eyes of how much it would be a night, and whilst with £x a night I was happy to let them go, at 2£x I wasn't, things such as no bedside table on the one side, garden furniture broken and just general wear and tear of what had pretty much never been replaced since we first went.

There are still weeks available now, the prices are being reduced but still way over what we paid in 2021 (we got it at 2020 prices). Too many have upped their prices to 'luxury' territory but the actual place is nothing like that. They rolled on last year when people paid anything for anywhere just to get away. It is not going to work going forward.

We stayed in a holiday cottage via Airbnb two years ago and it was lovely. We are thinking of booking through them this year. We aren't looking at anything below 4.9 and we will use a superhost. When we looked a few days ago there were very few properties under a 4.8 rating which probably tells you something. We also read all the reviews for potential issues.

We've been caught out before on standard holiday home websites, so know now to be as careful as possible. When we looked at cottages.com there were loads of new properties which looked lovely, but had no reviews. I'm reluctant to be the guinea pig who tests them out.

I'm sorry op. A dirty, noisy holiday home would be my worst nightmare. As for baking trays? You are not being precious to expect those as a basic. We eat out a lot on holiday, but there is always the odd meal or snack that you want to put in the oven. Have you complained about the cleanliness? We did on one occasion (not airbnb) as soon as we arrived. I would have no issues with doing so again if the place wasn't clean. It's the least you can expect.

Someone I know rents out a room on Air BNB for £100 a night, minimum two night stay plus a cleaning charge. It doesn't even have an en suite. The Travelodge up the road starts at £29 a night and she wonders why she doesn't get any bookings.

Leave.

Airbnb t&c are that they will refund you if you don’t stay, you can usually get away with the first night as you can argue that you had nowhere to go/need time to find alternative accommodation etc
To get a refund you have to raise the issue immediately and ask for the cancellation and refund within 24 hours of checking in.

Contact host through Airbnb only, list the issues and ask for a solution/alternative accommodation to cancel the stay for a full refund.

Put in request with Airbnb to ‘resolve the issue’ list out everything that is wrong with the accommodation and take lots of photos and videos for evidence, Airbnb love photos, the more the better.
They as usual very good, the five the host a small window of time to come up with a solution and then they just cancel the stay and refund you, sometimes they will even help you find an alternative accommodation.
But you must do it within 24 hours of checking in.

I don't use air bnb it's not reliable not cheap , plain odd sometimes and better off with a hotel or serviced apartment. Plus everyone putting homes up on air bnb has driven up rents and driven people out of living in areas which in turn stops them from being real places and turns them into soulless tourist traps.

@zafferana

We haven't had a bad Airbnb and we've used it quite a few times now, but I read every review and I also go to Google streetview and find the property so I can check out its exact location. If you're a decent sleuth you can use pictures of the outside or the terrace or the view from the windows to figure out exactly where it is - that way I can see if it's on a busy road, above a cafe or restaurant, etc. Having stayed in one (otherwise lovely) apartment that was above a cafe I'll never make that mistake again!

We do the same. A holiday is an expensive thing and it's miserable when it goes wrong. Decades of renting holiday homes have taught me that there's no such thing as too much research.

That's why we got our campervan. Can't face living in other peoples grot.

As an Airbnb owner it surprises me what guests expect. If I book into a Travelodge or a premier Inn I’d be astonished to find a fully equipped kitchen. I keep our rooms spotless and everything in working order but at the end of the day this is a private house and I haven’t a team of maintenance crew or chambermaids on call to deal with any issues.
Our reviews have been lovely and our guests amazing ( with only one exception). If you have special requests it is possible to contact the owner prior to booking for extra information. It is correct that guests and hosts cannot see each other’s reviews till both have posted.
I provide a basic kitchen as I’m not expecting our guests to want to cook much on their few days away.

You are aware of the fake review culture? Only ever read the bad reviews

@Northumberlandgirl

As an Airbnb owner it surprises me what guests expect. If I book into a Travelodge or a premier Inn I’d be astonished to find a fully equipped kitchen. I keep our rooms spotless and everything in working order but at the end of the day this is a private house and I haven’t a team of maintenance crew or chambermaids on call to deal with any issues. Our reviews have been lovely and our guests amazing ( with only one exception). If you have special requests it is possible to contact the owner prior to booking for extra information. It is correct that guests and hosts cannot see each other’s reviews till both have posted. I provide a basic kitchen as I’m not expecting our guests to want to cook much on their few days away.

Surely you understand that Airbnb has everything from a room in a house to entire houses, some if them more like mansions. Of course someone renting a house would expect a fully working kitchen and baking trays. Wouldn't you?

Also, what do you call a basic kitchen?

I've never stayed in a holiday cottage that didn't have everything I needed to cook a meal from scratch. Most of it we don't need because we generally eat out, but I know plenty of people who would cook many of their own meals when on holiday. If I was one of those people I would be very annoyed if there weren't the facilities to do that. It's why it's called self catering.

Baking trays are a kitchen basic. Even if you were to only use the oven to warm up a few croissants for breakfast, you’d want one.

I did it once. Never again. I

@Northumberlandgirl

As an Airbnb owner it surprises me what guests expect. If I book into a Travelodge or a premier Inn I’d be astonished to find a fully equipped kitchen. I keep our rooms spotless and everything in working order but at the end of the day this is a private house and I haven’t a team of maintenance crew or chambermaids on call to deal with any issues. Our reviews have been lovely and our guests amazing ( with only one exception). If you have special requests it is possible to contact the owner prior to booking for extra information. It is correct that guests and hosts cannot see each other’s reviews till both have posted. I provide a basic kitchen as I’m not expecting our guests to want to cook much on their few days away.

Of course you don't expect a fully equipped kitchen in a Premier Inn. However if one is advertising a kitchen then yes it is expected to have a full range of essential equipment, including baking trays and measuring jugs for example. How do you know if they want to cook or not?

Is it because the air b&b owner can also rate the guests? So it's not in your interest to leave a bad air b&b review as they can then leave an equally bad review for the guest who then will struggle to rent other places in future. So everyone gives each other glowing reviews , rendering the whole thing pointless.

Neither side gets to see the other review before they post theres.

I've rented lots of airbnbs over the years (not quite so much in the last couple...). I've never really had a bad experience and many have been amazing. They do seem to be getting more expensive, but so does lots of accommodation. I think if you choose primarily on location and read reviews very carefully ( I particularly check for comments about street noise) then you won't go too far wrong. Having said that, I don't really expect luxury. I want location, basic amenities, and some charm and character. I definitely don't worry about baking trays!

I've also recently started renting out an airbnb myself. I stay there a little myself to save my commute and rent out inbetween. I can promise you it is immaculate, with a brand new kitchen and bathroom (and has baking trays and a measuring jug). It's not cheap for 2, but for 4 people it is still much cheaper than a hotel - and has a little garden and parking space. I've also been surprised by how high airbnb fees are, and the costs of cleaning, linens, and management. Plus obviously I still pay all bills. So despite the fairly high costs to guests, it's not as profitable as it looks! The jury is still out on whether it will be worth it for me.

This drives me mad too, you have to read every single review to pick up slightest hints. I want to know if it's really self contained or owner lives next door e.g: 'owner very helpful and informative at all times' etc. I once stayed in London at a place that ended up being on a really rough estate with rats outside and someone sleeping under the stairwell, every review said it was lovely. Contrast with TripAdvisor where people moan at slightest thing...I go straight to the 1 stars and if they say the pillows too soft or the receptionist looked at them funny then I know it's fine.

We have never had a bad Airbnb experience and use them at least once a year.
We are going to 3 this year - now I have written the above they will probably be awful !!

I think it's definitely changed over time, the more popular it becomes and the more properties there are the more chance of substandard ones I suppose
We almost always do self catering, I would always leave a place clean and tidy, have a quick hoover round, wipe bathroom etc - the problem with Airbnb recently I've found is they not only seem to want you to do a proper cleaning job or they mark you down, they want to charge a cleaning fee too. One or the other is fine, both makes no sense!

Every Air bnb we've stayed at in the UK has been a disaster.

Last time the bedding was so musty I had to go and buy a cheap set to see us through a couple of nights.

DH and I have pledged to never use Air bnb again. I'd rather stay in a Premier Inn!

Plus everyone putting homes up on air bnb has driven up rents and driven people out of living in areas which in turn stops them from being real places and turns them into soulless tourist traps.
But this issue is not specific to Airbnb. There are lots of ways of advertising a property for a short-term let! To sort the issue of locals being priced out of the market by holiday lets/second homes requires government intervention.

Last summer we paid a fortune to stay in a converted barn with a pool (also air BnB) it was dusty & slightly dirty, beds very uncomfortable, and the heating and filtering for the pool kept turning off. The guy who owned it was very nice and everything, but we'd paid about £1700 for 3 nights. I gave it 3 stars, but if it had been a 'proper' business it would have got 1 if it was lucky

We've stayed in lots of Airbnb and Booking.com accommodation throughout Europe, the only bad one was in Britain. It was a newish listing (mistake)quite isolated(fine) but absolutely filthy and after a late night arrival we left at 6am. Fortunately we had only booked for one night on the way home from an event. I gave it a poor review.

I'm staying in one for 2 weeks in Spain at the end of the month. I've done my research but as always with somewhere you've never been before I'll be keeping my fingers crossed it's as good as it looks and that the reviews are accurate.
If I've booked a place with a "fully equipped" kitchen, as we like the option to eat in, I expect to be able to cook a meal so a baking tray, spatula etc but I have to admit they are sometimes missing. I've never actually given a bad review in those instances like I would for noise, lack of cleanliness, maintenance issues but I would mention it.

I've booked an air B&B in the summer. It included a huge cleaning charge, I had assumed this would ensure a basic standard in cleanliness. Op if there's a cleaning charge, could you argue that they've not fulfilled their side of the bargain.

OP, for issues that aren't immediately sortable, I think you need to think about whether they are things that are so basic that any renter should be able to take them for granted and demand a refund/money off if the standards are not met, and which things are more subjective (and which therefore might be worth mentioning in a review but aren't things that everyone would see as faults). I would say that being able to close the windows is a very basic standard which every renter should be able to take for granted. The fact that windows are only single glazed isn't a fault, but I think is something that is reasonable to mention in a review. Bed comfort is a very subjective thing (unless you're talking about a mattress with broken springs!) but I think it would be helpful to mention in a review what your issue was (eg too soft/too hard/bed unusually small). Noise levels can be very subjective, as perception depends so much on what the reviewer is used to at home. However, I think it's reasonable to point out in a review that a property is on a main road and therefore gets some traffic noise even at night.