Airbnb Host taking the piss

[crikeymikey123]

I’m staying in an Airbnb and working from my laptop. The Wi-Fi in my room was unreliable, and I had an important meeting, so I moved into the kitchen. The host suggested I use the spare bedroom instead for more privacy, and I’ve been working in there ever since. Some of her laundry was drying in the room.
After work, she walked in without knocking to collect a few items while I was in the middle of an important video interview. She also asked me to remove my own drying laundry from the room. Separately, I’ve asked her each night to turn the heating on, but she hasn’t.
Am I being unreasonable to expect her to knock before entering?

Why wouldn't you just buy one?

A WiFi extender is the answer , if she won’t get one tell your employer you need one on expenses, they don’t cost much

She probably just expected someone to use WiFi for WhatsApp and the odd stream. Not someone planning a full blown remote working arrangement.

There’s a huge difference between ‘has wifi’ and can be relied upon to have important work meetings. It’s not a co-working space. My home WiFi has failed a few times for various reasons and my husband has to tether to his work mobile, and we have good WiFi in London.

your work should be paying for somewhere suitable to work if they’ve asked you to be away.

What is she even doing there?

If it’s for work, I’m assuming your employer will be paying for accommodation- move to a hotel!

This sounds like a story that has two sides…you’ve rented a room, not the entire house. In your room, you have the right to privacy, but I don’t think you can blame the owner for entering a room you haven’t rented. I also don’t think you can dry your clothes anywhere other than in your room or the dryer provided.

So maybe don’t hire a room in an air BnB unless you’re on an exceptionally tight budget. You are working.

Right.

Some Airbnbs and normal bnbs don’t allow working from the room. It’s a bed and breakfast not a hotel. You should always ask ahead of time if the host is ok with it and whether the WiFi is reliable enough.

The host was actually really nice to offer you the spare room!

You shouldn’t have hired a room in someone else’s home for 3 weeks of meetings Op

I think the owner would not be expecting someone renting an Airbnb room to be in her house all day, using it as an office. If you book a bedroom, and they’re often really cheap, it’s implied that you need a bed to sleep in. That’s it. That is what I have used these types of Airbnb for. Not rooms to dry laundry in, not have confidential meetings.

It’s actually very nice of the host to offer another room in her house. But if you haven’t paid for it you have zero right to it’s exclusive use.

OP should have booked an exclusive use studio and established if they WiFi was fast enough for business before booking. Or a budget hotel.

She lives there! Air BnB isn't just whole properties.

The lack of basic comprehension on this thread is staggering.

So the "spare room" is not the room you are renting? But you have been using it for work and laundry?

Well that makes little to no sense!
If you are working remotely why does it matter if you're in London???

@Endoadnowarrior coz i'm doing workshops / meetings for 1-2 days each week, the rest of the time I need to WFH

I don't think she is coming into OP's room - OP has moved herself into a second room to do work meetings

And dry their clothes.

You really should have splurged on a travel lodge given you’re using this host’s room essentially as your home and office for 3 weeks!

Living there! That's how airbnb began. People renting out spare bedrooms for a short time. The OP rented ONE bedroom but is using two. And then getting indignant when the host dares to use her own home.

Is it so hard to understand - OP has literally rented a room in this woman's house - like a temporary lodger. But OP has started using a second room to hold her work meetings and hang her laundry and the woman thinks she's a CF

Why not simply come up to London for the 2 days per week?

@Aluna Need to network here and go to events, etc

Did she know you were planning on working full time from her house? That’ll be why she very diplomatically evicted you from the kitchen, I’m amazed that you thought setting up shop there was appropriate.