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.

A few years ago we rented a house in Denmark for a week. When we arrived (self check in) there were no sheets on the bed. When we asked we were told we should have taken our own! We were allowed to use theirs after a conversation.
She had the crockery in 2 large drawers. One marked personal for them and one for us.
Ours was full of plastic garbage which she expected us to eat our meals from! (we didn't)
She left a note asking us to do a basic clean after we left (despite being charged circa £70 (can't remember exactly) for cleaning)

We've just come back from Spain and rented an apartment for a week. There was a handover and the owner explained kitchen utensils etc and said there was a dishwasher and here's a tablet in case you don't want to handwash every night! He left us ONE dishwashing tablet. I was stunned in to silence.

@Zyq

So in this case, I think it was a one off, because they didn't have other negative reviews at all. All reviews were really good.

Do I feel bad that I didn't say in my review that they had stinky sheets ? Not as bad as I would feel if as the result of a bad review, the person who's making a living from a service - wouldn't be able to do so anymore. I think making a living, trumps the need for a holiday without stinky sheets. (Seeing as you could wash the sheets or complain and get new ones ).

In this particular case, I don't think it's a common occurrence that they have a problem with the sheets though, so I didn't feel the need to point it out. Seeing as I hadn't complained about it to them.

I'm another that used to use Air BNB a lot, and now won't due to the cleaning fees. It seems all hosts now expect you to do a full clean when you leave, but then still charge exorbitant cleaning fees. I'm happy to pay a cleaning fee, but not also clean top to toe before I leave.

I had the solitary dishwasher tablet in ‘penthouse’ in Poole! And one loo roll for two loos for a week. Our ‘host’ made it clear that that was it.

Luckily it was in England and we had our car, so we just topped up at Tesco when we were buying breakfast stuff ( but I made sure to take it all with me). I left the solitary tablet though, didn’t want to stretch her budget.

It used to be quite standard in Gîtes that you brought your own towels and sheets, or your could hire them from the owner as an extra. They did tell you this before you arrived though.

@Movinghouseatlast

'It's the host who adds the rules to the property, it doesn't matter what platform you book on'

That isn't my experience. I use apartments several times a year, sometimes when the property is on both AirBNB and Booking. One occasion was in Taormina and Siracusa.

There were some requests about leaving things clean and putting out rubbish or recycling at 6am and back in by 8am on specific days. I washed up and wiped surfaces and left it clean, but I didn't hoover, mop or strip beds.

We didn't manage to put the bins out every single day. No consequences at all because I'm not reviewed.

Well only hosts who expect their guests to wash the windows would be put off and that is all for the good. My friend runs a Airbnb and would never expect her guests to do the cleaning

Why on earth did you leave a “glowing review” for somewhere with problems, and sticky sheets??????? For that yabu

You don't need to leave a bad review. Leave an honest review mentioning both good and bad things. If it's their livelihood they need to make sure the sheets are clean. It's not rocket science.

There were a few problems with the place so we had just decided not to post a review (on the don’t say anything if you can’t say anything nice type basis)
FFS the whole point of reviews is to give feedback. It is thanks to people thinking like this that we book places with 5* reviews and end up disappointed!

I find air BnB unprofessional and over priced. It used to be good when it was a cheap way to stay somewhere. Now it's just as expensive as any other accommodation but with the added annoyance that they can cancel last minute for no reason, they can leave you a bad review, and the hosts are often completely unreasonable in their expectations of guests, wanting to come and check up on you and complain about inconsequential things. Basically it's like staying with your fussy in-laws while paying for a decent hotel. Never again!

So in this case, I think it was a one off, because they didn't have other negative reviews at all. All reviews were really good.

Sooooo that might be because people are like you and don't review?!

I love Airbnb, getting a kitchen so we don't have to pay to eat out at every meal is fantastic and there is so much more space than a hotel room. We've stayed in around 20 different places and only had one dud - when we made the mistake of staying somewhere with no previous reviews.

From what I hear AirBnB bookings have fallen off a cliff so I don't think hosts will be in a position to be choosy.
Prices have rocketed and it's just not competitive anymore.
Plus many properties are advertised on other sites so it's worth Googling to see if you can book on a different site with lower fees.

You had a rubbish place and very unfairly got bad review. Of course you shouldn't have had to clean windows! However you shouldn't have left a good review. It's disingenuous. It isn't fair to people coming after you who might book on the strength of the positive feedback received by the host.

Me and DH use Airbnb a lot and have done for around 7 years. We have stayed in ones in the UK, France, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Spain and Venice. We have never ever had any problem.

We don't like hotels or guest houses. Who wants to have to sit and relax in one room? Often you have to sit on the bed because there is only one chair (and it's not usually a comfortable one). We don't want to be told what time we can eat breakfast. We are early risers and hotels often don't start their breakfasts early enough. With Airbnb we can choose to eat at the accommodation or go out and eat.

We also don't like that hotels are so often very noisy late at night/overnight. Inconsiderate guests coming back and slamming doors, shouting etc. Often too there is quite a lot of noise from adjoining rooms whether it is a couple rowing or having noisy sex,

We have stayed in lovely places and all with a separate living room, kitchen, bathroom and at least one bedroom. Lots of them had a garden or, in the case of apartments, a balcony. Almost always cheaper than even budget hotels. How much does a good hotel with at least a comfy sofa or couple of chairs cost?

We have a couple times stayed in hotels which, to us, were pricy (over £400 a night) and although the rooms were a good size and they had comfortable seating, they were still noisy late at night and overnight and, of course, no way of cooking anything (not even a slice of toast). No garden to have a morning coffee in either.

We will stick with Airbnb

Great post.

That doesn't really bother me.

Stayed in a static home due to glowing reviews. The place smelt musty and there was mould. Contacted Airbnb with photographs. They contacted host and we left early. Still had to pay for the night we stayed mind. Worst part of it in my mind was Airbnb continuing to allow the accommodation to be on their site.

YANBU, I much prefer booking cottages via a company. We pay a cleaning fee and strip beds and do the dishes/tidying but that's it, we don't sweep up or scrub.

Never had any negative correspondence following stays.

My one and only experience with AirBNB was in Spain and it was miserable. Going from the delightful Marriott Playa to the AirBNB flat was a huge let down, we should have done it the other way around.

Same.

We went away for a weeks minimoon not far from where we live but in a quirky little flat built at the end of someone garden (near their house but not overlooked and otherwise 'secluded') after getting married and it was nice so we went back for our 1 year anniversary.

Would have made it an annual thing except after the 1 year one stay the host left a passive aggressive review about us being nice but 'untidy' guests.

We tidied everything before leaving (although didn't strip the beds, never done that anywhere and the place didn't even have a washer so what would we do with it) and it looked exactly as it did when we arrived + like you paid a large bloody cleaning fee anyway.

They lost ongoing business by being twatty.

Hotels pay taxes, pay their staff, ensure safety compliance. There's no comparison to airbnb, hotel (aparthotel) all the way.

What was the problem with leaving the bedding in the washroom OP?

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience, but I think it's a bit silly to say that you'll never use AirBnB again just because of one bad host.

I don't think it's the end of the world that you didn't mention the sheets. As there were no other reviews mentioning them, it was either one off (as you say, someone cooking) or you have a sensitive sense of smell (no judgement, I'm particularly sensitive to smells so I get it).

I'm not a host myself, but I use AirBnB a couple of times a year. I've never cleaned before leaving, other than washing up and making sure it's not a complete shit heap. I've had consistently 5* reviews.

As pp have said, it's enabled me to stay in places that I wouldn't have normally. I once stayed in one in a very exclusive suburb of a city I was visiting. It's so exclusive that no businesses are allowed to operate in it at all, so no hotels, B&B's, not even an ice-cream van on the beach! It was a strange place... and I imagine that their neighbours hate them for AirBnBing.

I have a friend who hosts airbnb. She does expect guests to leave her property as they found it but definitely not a full clean up. On the other hand she once hosted a family who called her after they left to say they wouldn't add this on a review as long as they got a refund. They accused her of having bed bugs 🤦‍♀️ My friend ended up having to pay for a professional to come in & prove they were lying which they were. Needless to say they never got the refund & they were reported to head office.

Great Post!

I run an Airbnb, I charge about the same as local budget hotels. I don't charge a cleaning fee and don't expect guests to clean. But like it to be left tidy. No stripping of beds required.
I also generally leave good reviews for guests and don't mention chipped China, broken glasses, stains, ruined towels etc.
I get good reviews in general.
Live and let live is my motto in regards of my Airbnb.
We regularly stay in Airbnbs and generally have been happy with the accommodation.
Airbnb charges guests quite a big fee and hosts a slightly smaller one.
So if I get £80 a night, the guest has to pay around £100 (thereabouts)

You could ask Airbnb to remove the post. It does sound very unreasonable and I would have been grateful if you had stripped the beds and left you a good review just for this!

A few years ago we rented a house in Denmark for a week. When we arrived (self check in) there were no sheets on the bed.

That's fairly standard in Denmark. Often you have the choice to purchase a linen package for towels and bedsheets.