Airbnb host gave us a bad review!

[airbbbnb]

This is the first time I have used Airbnb. So perhaps I'm not versed at how to properly use it.

However, we spent up from 3.5 k for a house for a week and I think we had to pay around 200-250 for cleaning.

This was in a southern European country.

We have two young kids and we had a nice time but had to leave early due to a family emergency.

We stripped all the beds and put all towels and sheets in the washroom.

We cleaned the kitchen and sweeped the floors.

Some rubbish was left in the bins outside, because the weekly collection came after we already left.

We apologised for this and they told us not to worry.

We received a bad review - all around the fact that we left all the bedding and towels in the washroom and that they could see children's finger print marks on a lot of surfaces and on windows. They also mentioned that there was some sand on the floor under the beds. Obviously we didn't sweep well enough.

I don't really understand why I need to pay a cleaning fee if I need to clean windows ?

I'm never using Airbnb again.

But my review wasn't dishonest. I decided on balance that we had a good experience.

Yes it's not acceptable to have smelly sheets, but it wasn't something I couldn't fix.

Everyone has different standards.

The sheets and the internet wouldn't have stopped me from going back again.

I never leave ' fake ' good reviews.
If I genuinely have a bad experience, I usually just don't leave a review. It doesn't make me dishonest or a coward.

I've used AirBnb several times, UK and overseas, and have never had a bad review myself nor have left one, and the host has never asked us to do any cleaning. As a courtesy I'm always stripped beds, left towels in the bath, washed dishes, emptied bins and left surfaces clean.

Did you not read the reviews before you booked it? Surely others would have had the same issue? I only use superhosts and those who have the accommodation advertised on several sites, so are professionals doing it as a proper business. Also surely you leave them a bad review if they have been unfair.

I do stay in hotels too but don't want to stay in one with my large dog, even if it is dog friendly, nor did I want to when DDs were small - was much nicer for them and us to have their own bedroom. It's a fantastic website to use and much easier to search for and filter requirements such as looking at only pet friendly places, than most other holiday cottage and accommodation websites, so I will definitely be continuing to use them.

Why didn't you complain about the sheets there and then? On the rare occasions I've had a problem either at an AirBnB or a Booking.com property, I've immediately messaged the host and asked that if it could be sorted and it usually is in a matter of a couple of hours, just as you would complain at a hotel and expect it sorted ASAP.

It's always worth looking for a "super host" on AirBnB - they do not want that status ruined and they are usually genuinely great hosts too.

I guess it comes down to how you view omitting information that you could reasonably think others might find useful

Some would view that as dishonest or 'lying by omission', others wouldn't and would like you say, go down the if you can't say anything nice route.

I think on balance a truthful pros and cons is most helpful.

I think this is quite common with air b&b.

Went on my honeymoon to a beautiful place and blew the budget going there so stayed in a cheap air b&b as we knew we'd go sightseeing most of the week. It wasn't particularly clean and the hot tub we specifically booked it for was out of action so we mentioned this in the review and the host went apeshit. Claimed I was exceptionally rude, left a hair in the fridge (the crime!!), left marks all over the balcony (hadn't even been out there all week, bar to eat a cheese sandwich lol) and we had "trashed the place". For those reasons, she claimed we were not entitled to the partial refund we'd requested.

However, I have the good sense to always photograph a place I'm staying very thoroughly just before I depart. I sent air b&b with the pictures with the early morning time stamp (place obviously very tidy, not "trashed") and she had to send me the partial refund plus have her review taken off.

Moral of the story: always^^ take pictures before you check out of a place.

Yes but it’s not great for anyone coming after expecting a decent stay when the place has sticky sheets and duvets.

honesty is fine. There’s no need to be cruel, but matter of fact is good.

i read the reviews for everywhere, it’s super annoying. This has reminded to do the rest of my reviews for my holiday

I wonder if the sheets stank because the host doesn't wash them between guests

Dirty sheets are totally unacceptable honest to god your standards must be low

They smelled like fried food.

Maybe someone fried something in the house and left the doors open so the smell went onto the sheets. That was the smell. It was odd.

The blankets in the cupboards also smelled like that, to the extent that I thought someone had transported fried food in them or something.

It was definitely odd. All the mattresses had clean looking and clean smelling mattress protectors on them and pillow protectors were also clean, as were the pillows inside.

I couldn't make sense of it. But it was strange and not pleasant.

They didn't look dirty, just had a weird smell and felt strange against skin.

It's also the hard earning savings of every person who books that holiday accommodation based on your inaccurate and dishonest glowing review!!! 🤯

@Stravaig no one else left any bad reviews for this host. It's a risk we all take when we go on holiday.

For me it wasn't ideal that I needed to wash the sheets, but the place was great apart from that and I would recommend it.

MonsteraMama I'd much rather have an apartment or house than a hotel room. OH goes to bed later than me, DD needs her own bedroom & I like to have a kitchen & living room

@airbbbnb

But I can't. I still wouldn't leave a bad review but I shouldn't have left a good one

You could have left a polite but factual review though, especially if you'd let the hosts know the problems you had. 🌹

Airbnb is just a platform that a lot of landlords use so it's not Airbnb's fault. Having said that the first time we used them, the host made a claim against our deposit and said we'd smashed a lamp and had hidden the broken pieces at the bottom of the bin. We definitely didn't and even if we had broken something I would own up and pay for it.

Thankfully just before we left, I happened to take a photo of the room (to send to my mum) and you can clearly see the lamp in the shot. Airbnb accepted that as evidence and we got our deposit back. Just like everywhere else, some landlords are absolutely going to try it on.

Airbnb has gone massively down hill. The nightly fees have gone up, the platform fee is high and now so many people charge a cleaning fee but expect you to clean!

Just don’t use it again.

For which you are paying handsomely. 🌹

I didn't let them know. So I also thought it wasn't fair.

I just got on with it. I wasn't in the mood to start complaining about something I was easily able to fix. We were busy and just wanted to enjoy our holiday etc. not everyone is the same.

Also the people seemed really really nice and I just wanted to get on with my holiday. There was a lot going on, on a family level too, which is hard to explain here. We were just busy.

Having just spent days looking at properties in Spain for a small group holiday for a special birthday, I'm grateful for all the honest reviews posted - it has made me rule out quite a few properties. That said, even though I've used Airbnb before, I avoided them this time due to the ridiculous cleaning policy some hosts seem to have. If I'm paying a cleaning fee, I expect them to clean. Obviously, we leave rentals tidy with no obvious dirt, but I'm not about to get my duster out when I'm on holiday - nor will I strip beds (although I made an exception during Covid).

Exactly. If the negative issue is something the host can (should) improve it's in their control to improve it so as to not affect their livelihood.

It's not like giving a negative review because it was raining or you got sunburn when you were there.

We had an airbnb specify that the flat was to be fully swept and vacuum cleaned before departure, although they did not provide a vacuum cleaner or even a brush! We tried contacting them, they insisted that they were in the flat, so we were worried we would be accused of stealing them or something.Luckily we got in early with our review stating this, because they replied saying that they had arrived at the flat to realise that they had not left us keys to the utility cupboard with the cleaning utensils in.

AirBnB is a complete pain in the arse really. Hit and miss with what you're going to get, hosts pulling bookings at any time because they know they can get more money relisting, AirBnB themselves doing little to moderate the platform.

I've got a couple of places I would use again but I've had just as much go badly with AirBnB and Booking.com as I have go well.

I only use hotels on holidays. Why would you go self catering when you have to clean the place along with food shopping and cooking.
I go on holiday to get away from all that!

@Fairyliz - cost?space?facilties?
For a family of 4, a self catered rental is no doubt far cheaper for a week holiday. Plus separate bedrooms for kids, outside space if kids go to bed early and adults want to sit outside. We have a rental, many seem to eat whatever at the house for breakfast, eat out wherever they go daytime, then either eat out/ get takeaway/ do a bbq/ easy food in evening. It’s not the Sam was at home. No cleaning required here unless you made a huge pile of mess like spilled cereal everywhere you would probably give a basic dustpan and brush sweep. we live southern Europe, so it’s hot here in Summer. So renting an apartment or villa with family self catered can be cheap as most just drive here also

Don't you feel bad about the next guest who is conned by your glowing review only to find the sticky sheets?

I'm happy to do the cleaning.

I'm happy to pay for a cleaner.

Only a complete mug does both.

I'm old enough to remember Airbnb in its infancy, when it was great. Now it's just full of lazy landlords who don't want to deal with tenancy law or do anything other than collecting payments.