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?

imagine if they advertised as you found it

”pay a little extra for this beautiful airbnb, and experience that lived in feeling… someone else’s clutter is everywhere you look … it’s easy to imagine other’s lives with lots of private belongings around this delightful airbnb “

Maybe the residents were hoping you might dry and fold the washing left in the
washing machine before you leave

This!!

Aior BnB was originally people's spare rooms and sofa. Literally sharing with the hosts, that was the whole point.

You got cheap accommodation, and met a local at the same time.

That was what made it so different to house renting websites

You know you can filter the type of property you require? I can't believe it wasn't in the description.

Airbnb has all sort of properties from a room in a house with a shared bathroom to full use of a massive house in hectares of land used only by airbnbers

We have an Airbnb which is a little two bed cottage in our garden. It's overlooked by our main house which you have to walk past to get to it. We make it very clear in our listing that this is the case and the cottage is set up a holiday rental for our guests. It is spotlessly clean, fully knitted out but you will certainly not find clutter until he kitchen or our clothes in the wardrobe as we don't live in it.

Our cottage is cheaper simply because of the above and we have 50 5star ratings

We've stayed in several Airbnbs that were clearly only available to be rented because the owner was out of town. Namely in New York and Melbourne. They were cheap but I wasn't expecting to find the fridge full of half eaten food, the owners stuff everywhere in wardrobes etc. I agree it feels totally creepy and as if you are intruding.

The Melbourne one we got a bad review back because we used two of his coffee capsules (I assume if it's there we could use it!) and the NY one she asked us to wash all the towels and bed linen and dry them and make the beds back up before we left! I told her to stick it as we were catching an early morning flight and we paid a $120 cleaning fee.

She went bananas at me via text as she said 'I WILL BE ARRIVING HOME ON THE RED EYE AND NEED TO SLEEP IN MY OWN BED AND YOU HAVE RUINED MY DAY!!" She also told us we had to creep out of a fire door so her 'super' didn't see us as Airbnb was banned in her apartment and if he saw us we would have the keys confiscated. She said she would hold us personally liable if she got found out as she would be chucked out. $800 for the weekend. FFS!

I'd be raring it as 1-3star for cleanliness and for clear description OP. And make it clear in your review that the owner is living there.

^^Yes, this

I think you’ve slightly missed the point of Airbnb. It worked SO much better when it was people renting out rooms (or their entire homes) for weekends whilst they were away. Now you have people buying properties as Airbnb investments in places like Cornwall, taking them out of the usual rental markets and leading to real housing issues for locals.

if you want a hotel then book a hotel!

This reminds me of the most weird holiday I had a couple of years ago. We booked to stay somewhere, and the family of four clearly lived in the house and moved out to the tiny attached garage conversation when they had bookings.

Was bizarre and not very relaxing.

YANBU.

My DH used to do this before we moved in together. He had a sizeable house in the city centre and I lived more rurally. We used to decamp to mine. It was pretty profitable.

Our neighbours do this. Live in a touristy area and they live in a camper van outside their house over the summer. Bloody weird if you ask me. But rental here for a week or two would probably pay my mortgage for a couple of months.

This ^^

I so much prefer a place to ourselves on AirBnB, and not one with the owner living there. Unless it's a big property, because we have done this before, but we were put off with the experience described below.

We went to one in Newcastle, it was a terraced 3 bed house and before I'd even got up the garden path, the owner had the door open and was shouting 'Remove Your Shoes!' (I was going to anyway, and had even bought slippers with us!) No nice 'hello, welcome'.
That just set the tone, because everywhere there were signs and notices of what to do and what not to do. Hundreds of instructions everywhere.

If we made a cup of tea, we had to carry it upstairs in a bowl so not to spill tea on the stair carpet (I've never done that in my own home, unlikely in someone else's)
The kettle had to be emptied of water every time it was used.
There was a timer on the shower which allowed about 3 minutes when the water came out.
The owner popped up everywhere observing us, it was horrible.

Of course, I was nervous at doing the wrong thing, and when you're so on edge, accidents happen. About three drops of tea on the bedroom carpet involved me creeping down stairs at 3am to find some sort of cleaner under the kitchen sink... 🤣
Mission accomplished!

Never again

My friend used to rent out her house for a few weeks each year. Usually it was when she was going on holiday herself. Occasionally she would stay at her brother's who lived round the corner from her. The extra income allowed her to have some amazing holidays.

But in contrast to the OPs experience, anyone staying there wouldn't have felt they were staying in someone's home - she is fairly minimalist anyway, but cleared other things away into loft if someone was staying, put out mini toiletries etc for guests like a hotel would have, had separate bedding and towels only used for guests.

A friend has three airbnbs. One a whole flat, and two spare rooms in her house. But it is very very clear from the description what you are getting, even down to the fact that she is very active and coach potatoes would not suit!
If the description is not clear whether it's a spare room or exclusive use of the property I'd complain to Airbnb.

I like it.

I've been in ones where it's someone's home and some where it's a second home and no one lives there.

The latter have usually been a little more expensive which is fine. I don't really hang about in an airb&b much as usually out hiking and sightseeing so it doesn't really make a difference.

In my last stay the woman was a hiker/runner/real adventure person and I loved seeing all her medals and pictures and trinkets she had around

My neighbour decamps her home for guests (often at very short notice) leaving food which she tells her guests to help themselves too, personal photos and other personal stuff around except clothes which she puts on a walk in wardrobe I very much doubt that there would be clothes in the washing machine. She gets rave reviews people love its homeliness but she does make it very clear on Airbnb that you are staying in her home.

YABU, for using Airbnb. HTH x

They're in the attic watching you through the loft hatch?

I thought that was standard Airbnb? That's why I haven't used it for years. Hate it.

I've stayed in one that was someone's home

• lovely little flat. The owner was a young woman who only rented out her flat a few weekends a year and stayed with her parents. Felt generally comfortable there, but I was worried that I might damage something by mistake.

I stayed in a B&B a couple of years ago - that felt much more uncomfortable to me. House was beautiful, but very much felt I was staying in owner's home. Would have preferred anonymity of hotel (not having to make small talk, tell her when we were due back etc) but no option in that location.

Air BnBs are peoples homes. So every single one will be different. I’ve stopped in 3:

1. Barcelona - 3 bedroom apartment. The owner was there the whole time. Very nice guy. Very homely.
2. Rome - huge 4/5 bedroom apartment. This felt more hotel-ish. As couldn’t tell who was the owner there was a couple of people checking guests in and out. Lots of travellers/backpackers staying there. However everyone was friendly and clean.
3. Indonesia - 4 bedroom villa with a pool. Never saw the owner. We booked out the whole villa and was emailed a key code to get in. No physical key needed. Not sure who owned it or where they were but would go back in a heartbeat.

My advice is to read all of the reviews. & if staying in someone’s home puts you off then stay in a travel lodge/premier inn.

Perhaps you ought to consider not using Air BnB or similar in future.

I always thought that Airbnb was exactly that, a room in someones own home. Which is why I was surprised when someone I am close to, told me that were going to an Airbnb that was in a wooden lodge, bought as, and used as, a holiday let!

It has annoyed me (a little) for the past year or so, when Mumsnetters are advising someone to get an Airbnb for their holiday in the UK, that well respected and regarded, holiday let agencies, who have made it very easy to find and book almost exactly what I have been looking for, for many years (it must have facilities suitable for one of the party being in a wheelchair), don't seem to even be suggested.

So I still go to these 'cottage for let' type websites, and choose from their usually wide selection. These companies don't deserve - when good - to suddenly have to close down, just because people now seem to think the only choices are: Hotels, B&Bs or Airbnb.

I wonder when channel 5 will do a new seies called "The Best Airbnb in your town" where four sets of Airbnb owners battle it out by staying overnight in each other's Airbnbs, and have a 'Reckoning Day' on the Friday 😉

Last week was the first time in about 4 years of using AirBnB that I actually stayed in a room in someone's home. All the others were just ordinary holiday lets.

For any rental, I always ask the owner lots of questions beforehand. And for Airbnb, use the whole house to yourself filter. I hate the way Airbnb demand responses very quickly though so usually don't book using it in the end.

I’m another one saying I thought this is what Air B &B basically is, which is why I have never used it. I have been surprised lately to have people recommending I book holiday homes on there instead of using Classic Cottages or whatever. My friend lets out her house in London whenever they go on holiday, and they would not take pictures down etc.