To not want to stay in an AirBnB that is basically someone's home...?

[LiveInFulhamGetOverIt]

So for the second time, I've stayed in an AirBnB that appears to just be someone's home, except the host wasn't there.

Food in the fridge, family photographs, laundry in the washing machine, a bag of opened avocados on the surface. Clutter.

It's like the owner has just decamped and left the home to me for the night.

What's going on here? The photographs on AirBnB make the house look like a it is a serviced apartment...but the reality is different.

Does the host actually live here?
Where does the host go when I stay?

Anyone had similar experiences? AIBU to not want this?

Stay in a hotel or B&B, simple

This is how airbnb was in the beginning, but now it’s like full holiday homes.
not great if it’s not what you’re expecting/not what the photos show

If renting a room obviously differentl but entire place should mean just that.

Yes it is how AirBnB started but it’s meant to be clean! We have friends who regularly depart for his parents so they can rent their house out but it’s a huge amount of work getting it to the standard that’s required. A full washing machine and leftovers in the fridge doesn’t cut it, nor do misleading photos.

Yes, I stayed in one once, in a European city. It was the guy's home, he obviously moved in with his girlfriend whenever he got a booking. Probably worth it for him, for £800/week or whatever we paid, and still cheap accommodation for a family of five.
It was in a lovely location and looked quite bohemian and characterful in the photos but was very mucky and cluttered in real life, full to the brim of his possessions.

It was a bargain for the location but I didn't find it very relaxing and now always seek out properties with top ratings for cleaning.

To be fair, as a PP had mentioned this is exactly how Airbnb started out; renting out spaces and rooms on an informal basis to independent travellers for a few nights here and there, rather than as the holiday accommodation agency it now seems to be.

This is the wholE idea of air bnb. You were supposed to stay in someone’s house. The first two we stayed in years ago belonged to people
with kids the same age as ours who were in holiday. We got everything we needed for our children including beds and toys and in exchange had a less than perfect normal family house. It’s much more boring now and also much worse
for communities

Although you are but unreasonable to expect it to be clean

Not

Short memories, some folk

Happened to me last week (although very clean in my case, and not cluttered). I kept wondering if flat resident would turn up. Odd but didn't bother me at all. Was a very comfortable stay. Zero complaints.

i actually locked myself out, phone still inside property (|!) Luckily I knew by then that bathroom window didn't lock/shut, so I pulled myself back in thru that gap (relieved I am slender enough), phew.

Stayed in another one with home-owner present & had nice chat. Her clutter made me feel relaxed. All Worked well.

Exactly the point of AirBnB.
the opened avocados are a bit much though

That’s how Airbnb works mostly. I’ve stayed in a lot, and most are basically someone’s home with all their belongings, pictures etc. otherwise they’d just be guest houses.

The first time I booked an airbnb 2-3 years ago it was like that, someone's home, photos on walls, shoes and coats in hall, washing in the machine, toiletries in bathroom, food in fridge, clothes in wardrobe etc
I know that's how airbnb started out but I was a bit taken aback as friends and colleagues had used airbnb and it had been more like a holiday cottage rental, not someone's home.
It did make me feel like I was trespassing. If I book an airbnb now I scour the listing and reviews for clues it's someone's home. Any review that says" thank you for letting us stay in your lovely home" is a clue I missed first time round! It seemed like a young couple owned it and were presumably sleeping in friends or families spare room or sofa on nights it was rented out for a bit of extra income. Nothing wrong with that but just wasn't expecting it and found it disconcerting to have their personal belongings everywhere and sleep in their bed.
I did think I could never let a stranger sleep in my house and leave all my personal belongings but I suppose it would be a lot of work to empty it out.

Not if you are famly of 5 or 6 is isn’t! (Older kids) Can only fit families of 4 in 1 room so end up having to get 2 rooms which is crap

This was Airbnb was originally meant to be. I’ve stayed in many like this and it’s fine. You can tell which ones are investment properties and which are family homes.

We once stayed in a house where the host lived in a tent (yes, actual tent in her basement) for the two weeks we were there. Tent was literally directly below her bedroom with very old antique bed. We were TTC and DS was conceived in that squeaky old bed. She may have reconsidered Airbnbing after that. 😂

Airbnb needs to get its act together as it has strayed so far from its couch-surfing origins that now customers paying top dollars have no idea what to expect. An ‘entire home for 8’ could be a vacated family home with bikes and toys, or could be a crammed two-bed with pullout sofas in the living areas. Very difficult for customers, and the pricing gives you no guide as to what to expect as it’s pitched as high as the market can bear. In areas of Dublin (where I live) there are entire streets with lock-boxes, permanently Airbnb’s, taking all the stock from the local rental market, and it’s a massive social problem. On balance and on principle, I’d prefer to knowingly rent an owner’s home (avocados and all) than rent a purely to-let premises, and on the same principle I’d be happy to Airbnb my own house as a ‘home’ rather than an ikea-kit money-maker.

Book a hotel, Airbnb is literally people's houses.

This is why i dont do Airbnb

That IS Airbnb!!

This is

My favourite AirBnB was the one where you were expected to feed the cats. Took a while for the third cat to decide we were acceptable and stop streaking over the fence when it saw us coming, but by the end of a week we were on pillow-sharing terms.

Someone owns that property though. Just because a review says thank you for letting me stay in your lovely home doesn't mean the owner lives in it even part time. Airbnb is often a lot more personal when booking and liaising and rather than being a identikit hotel room it's a lovely home. We have reviews which would say exactly that but only because it is a lovely home from home. A lot of thought went into the set up and equipment available to suit our family circumstances when we visit & for guests and people just appreciate that they get a clean, modern, nicely decorated and very well equipped house to stay in rather than an in personal and often impractical hotel room.

There's an increasing move where I live(East Sussex), where people rent out homes over the summer and stay on a mobile home park. Pop home to do the change over.

I quite like places like those mentioned (so long as they're clean!) As I'm intrigued by how other people decorate their homes, what books they read - basically I'm a nosey parker.

Stayed in on in South of England a couple of years ago where it was clear that a family lived there at the time - they were staying with friends down the road and were using the Airbnb money to renovate. It explained why some rooms were much more recently decorated than others.

I once stayed in a lovely air B&B that was exactly that. The lady de-camped to somewhere else and we lived in it for a fortnight. She got income, we got a convenient place to stay. Everyone wins.