Airbnb money grabbers

[Toetapper]

Airbnb hosts: Would you consider the following grounds for a refund?

The property was situated opposite a very noisy outdoor bar. I recorded 80db at 10pm at night, and I have videos to share. This was just the sound of the revellers - it was much louder with the music. The bedroom window on the top floor didn’t close, and so the noise was exceptionally intrusive. The property had not been adequately maintained. The listing does not reflect how the property looks now. Most indoor plants are dead. The garden was unusable, as it was dirty. We found a hair on the loo seat, a chip in the oven, mould on the window, and old laundry piled up. The windows were very dirty. Walls were scuffed and dirty. Decoration used for staging the property were taken down, leaving bare walls. The property is not adequately provisioned. We could not find the hair dryer. There was no washing up liquid, no bottle opener and just a handful of mugs. We complained as soon as we arrived, please check.

So, we spoke to Airbnb as soon as we got there. They didn’t resolve. The host declined to help. Said it was our fault for booking it as we should have known about the bar?! I disagree, and think that a/ he should have been honest about it, and b/ should have taken steps to mitigate noise for a comfortable stay. Instead not only was our bedroom window a rotting single glazed window, it wouldn’t close!

Offered a £300 ‘refund’ for our £1100 three night stay, but only if we vacated right away… assuming so he could rent it out again and pocket the £800 it would have cost us for the one night.

It’s now with Airbnb for arbitration, but I’m not holding out much hope. Any advice?

Doesn’t sound very likely - a medium to large European city with only 1 Airbnb available 25km away? I suspect your search terms were funky.

But other than that, Airbnb prices have increased exponentially, partly due to the exorbitant service charges they now levy.

OP - given that you seem your experience seems to be an outlier compared to the reviews - it’s possible that the owner has changed hosts and this one is not maintaining the property to an acceptable standard. It really depends who is the house manager - the owners or the host.

Unfortunately I don’t think you will get much out of Airbnb, your own recourse other than the current offer is a stinking review.

Depends where it is - if you’re in a city centre you have to take that as read. And given that no one else in the reviews has mentioned it, it seems like it was a one off in which case mentioning occasional events is just going to put people off.

That’s one of the criteria that airbnb will consider for refund. But it’s also nuanced. A cottage with wonderful window boxes and a flower garden won’t look like that in winter in a gale for example.

Plus decoration does change over time - pictures are moved for cleaning or get knocked etc. The place has to be what you’re expecting but small details which don’t amount to any material change in the property won’t make any difference.

It would be a very popular air BnB if it is liberally declining business left right and center

The op repeatedly said how she wished she could post the video

So why not some photos of this horror show instead?

Understand the reasons, does not make it a good choice when you are denying people a home as a result.

😆

Hopefully Airbnb will come through but if not, are other options. If you paid by CC, reclaim the cost through there, as the service you paid for wasn't what was advertised. Also consider small claims court.....

Just think of all the homes that hotel owners are depriving people of if they were to convert their hotel in to flats?!

Sounds dreadful op. I would request a full refund but not hold out much hope. Write a honest review to warn others.
Lesson learnt op.
Don't book via AirBNB. They dont go out to view the properties and they don't give a shit. Just commission based.
Top tip.... find a property and try to book directly with the owners. Not only will it most likely be cheaper because no commission paid to 3rd party, but you have direct recourse with owner should anything not be right.

Sounds very expensive for 3 nights op. Was it a very big property in a major city?

I sat one guest down and went through all the fixed expenses of running a home in that part of London (home, not dedicated professional rental) and demostrated to him that he was barely paying more than the cost of owning and occupying that property on a per night basis

Was he particularly young??

This just made me cringe to be honest. Surely you would just say "if you think its too expensive you're welcome to stay somewhere else"

@meatbawls I sat one guest down and went through all the fixed expenses of running a home in that part of London (home, not dedicated professional rental) and demostrated to him that he was barely paying more than the cost of owning and occupying that property on a per night basis.

you really shouldn’t be hosting! Poor chap!!

There’s quite a gulf between empty window boxes out of season and dead indoor plants.
Decor changing is not the same as walls attractively decorated in pics turning out to be bare.
And, I’ll say again: cost is a factor. For the sort of price range I go for on Airbnb I’m not at all arsed about plants or decor, but for what the OP paid I would be.

Because you can have a whole house instead of being stuck in a hotel bedroom

you are right… premier inns are “fine” but you haven’t stayed in the air BnB I have @WaneyEdge if you think comparable. Premier Inn is utterly dire in comparison

@WaneyEdge you don’t have children do you? For you to actually “not understand” the appeal of an air BnB would indicate that fact

"’I'm most bothered by the basic lack of courtesy extended to us the guests by providing somewhere that is at least comfortable (where it’s quiet enough to be able to sleep) and clean. "

You're not going to get quiet in the center of a city. It's just not happening. You should have booked out in the country if you wanted quiet. You could have used street view and checked out the street.

As for dirty, send the pics to AirBnB and let them decide.

If there's been a recent hot spell, the plants might have died from it and there's been no time to replace, especially with summer heat setting in.

Using AirBnB in its current setup contributes to the lack of housing and the housing crunch.

I’ve stayed in Airbnbs in city centres that have been perfectly quiet so saying it’s impossible is just plain wrong.

Did anyone?

me too stayed in city centre apartments that have been perfectly peaceful

BUT I wouldn’t blame the owner if a city centre pad was NOT perfectly peaceful

my expectations would be very different to if I’d booked a shepherds cabin in the arse end of nowhere

Be very clear-
ask for refund for the cleaning fee as it wasn’t clean.
be clear about what you’re asking for eg 50-% back as cheaper better options in area- if they are?
focus on mould being a health hazard- nhs guidelines on that if it was black mould.

then you’ve got a chance.

I said it.

I think it's unreasonable to expect staying in a city center to be quiet. It's usually the rowdiest place, besides that BYOB dive outside the city limits with the dirt parking lot.

I’m on a hotel right now. It’s an area with plenty to choose from. One of the deciding factors was looking at a map and not choosing the options next to places likely to be loud.

the noise from next door if you didn’t even bother to check a map is an odd complaint to make.

cleanliness, mold, and lack of functionality are all legitimate things to focus on.