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?

I don't think it's a dodgy proposition, it's pretty common to wfh in an airbnb since covid

If you rent an entire home, sure. If you are sharing especially with the host I would say it isn’t.

It’s not often I side with an Airbnb host, but I don’t think she is being unreasonable.
There is WiFi in the property, including your room, but it’s unreliable in your room. I assume that means it’s fine for normal social use, but not sufficient for gaming or prolonged video calls. That’s not untypical of some domestic services. As you know you needed a strong signal did you check the WiFi with the host before booking?
As it wasn’t working well enough for you you unilaterally decided to set up video meetings in her kitchen. How long did you plan to be there? Being able to use the kitchen for a short time to prepare meals is fine, but not for hours on end. Did you expect her not to use her own kitchen in case the necessary noise caused disturbed your meeting?
She offered an alternative to that difficult situation by allowing you the use of another room. You then expect her to knock before entering a room in her own home, which she has allowed you to use free of charge, and complain that she has told you to take your laundry out of the room. Did she offer use of her home for laundry?

Sure if you rent a whole flat. If you’re in someone else’s house, you have to ask. And ask about the WiFi.

But presumably the room OP is letting has been marketed as offering Wifi. If you offer Wifi, you really need to make sure that it's reliable wifi. If you don't, then allowing the use of a separate room with better reception is the least you can do.

Don't you think it would be cheeky to charge money for wifi and then only offer a crap wifi service?

Why is unreliable wifi fine for social use? If you are changing for it, it should be reliable, full stop. Guests will, absolutely reasonably, expect to be able to use it to chat to their friends, or to stream films etc, or mess around on social media, without regular interruptions.

If your employer is paying ,could you ask to be moved to somewhere where you get the whole place.

That conversation isn't going to go well, is it?

Owner: I'd like you to keep your work to the room you're renting.
OP: I'd love to. However, as I've already explained to you, the wifi which I am paying you for is unusable for work purposes in this room . So how do you suggest I do that?

Which BnBs don't allow working from the room? That would be nutty. You can't seriously tell a paying guest that, if they want to answer their work emails or phone calls, or look at or draft work documents, they must do it somewhere else.

This is fucking hilarious, Im literally laughing out loud. You hired a room, the WiFi is shite, the nice lady offered you her spare room to do a meeting and you've now taken over her spare room working and drying all your laundry. Like wtf ask her for a swap or a solution to the WiFi, plus she doesn't have to knock on her spare bedroom door.

You need to talk to your host and confirm if she's still happy for you to work in her spare room as the WiFi in your room isn't good. You need to agree times when the room is available to you. You can't use that room to dry your laundry without her express permission.

WiFi is included in the rental price. There’s no obligation to provide a fast and strong signal enough to do Zoom calls etc. Some places in the U.K. and internationally don’t have particularly strong signal.

Agree you need to speak to the host and confirm you can have exclusive use of the spare room during your work hours or she needs to improve the wifi immediately. If she won't, then talk to airBnB about getting moved to a property that can provide what you've paid for. It seems reasonable that she asks you to move your laundry if you're only supposed to be in the spare room for the wifi, though.

Not sure about the heating request - What's the temperature in the house?

Doing some work is not the same as using your bedroom as an office & working there all day: some hosts don’t allow it.

The set-up is clearly not working for either of you. If this is for work, why isn’t the company you work for paying for more suitable accommodation?

My company has major offices in London and Leeds and nobody stays for the whole week because they are doing 1 or 2 days in the other place. Travel between the two cities is a doddle so booking a room for 3 weeks for the sake of 3-6 days that you need to be there seems a bit OTT.

OP hasn’t paid for a second room. She can ask to rent the other room as well as it seems the host has 2 they rent out, but that assumes it’s available, it may not be.

The charge is for the room. In the host's house. Who happens to have wifi in their house. Unless there is a specific surcharge for using it and she is advertising it as high speed, the host has not charged for crap wifi service.

Plenty of hotels I have stayed in charge extra for high speed. The included wifi is slow.

Tricky.

You say it was ‘after work’ so did she expect it to work hours?
And she has given you another space in addition to your room.
Maybe swap properly if you want full private use?

Do you mean turn the heating on in the ‘spare room’ or in your room?

which is why the conversation includes the alternative that the host make the Internet connection, that was a part of her stated facilities, available for OP to use.

If the WiFi in your room is dodgy then you need to talk to her about either fixing it, or letting you swap into the room where it is working. Either that, or find different accommodation.

You are being outrageously entitled to take over her spare room with your laundry. I’m not surprised she told you to move it. And I don’t think she was inviting you to take over the room as your permanent work space either. Her not knocking was probably her trying to make the point that you shouldn’t be in there any longer.

I think yabu. If your a self employed freelancer then your internet is your problem.

Get down to the 3 store tomorrow and buy portable WiFi.

I am also a business owner. We have 3 WiFi options at all times, 2 when not in the home (unlimited mobile tether and portable WiFi).

You can’t rely on other people. Not your provider. Not your hotel WiFi. Not your mobile network. If the buck stops with you and it matters then you need options!

Nowadays everyone expects decent wifi as a basic facility. The OP negotiated a different arrangement on the basis that a basic facility was not being provided. I think she needs to make the situation more assertively that when she is in a meeting the room is out of bounds. Otherwise it would be a great shame if she had to leave a poor review about the wifi being crap. That would certainly put off other bookings. Sounds like the host has a nice little side hustle going but it would be a pity to spoil all that ...

That's the real issue @crikeymikey123 She advertised the room as having WIFI and it doesn't have reliable WIFI.

I think I'd complain and ask her to get a booster. If she refuses. contact AirBnB and explain that she isn't providing the facilities as advertised on their site. In London, the WIFI should be reliable, you're not out in the middle of nowhere.

If it can't be resolved quickly, I'd find somewhere else and cancel the remainder of your stay.