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?

@RedThroatedWarbler AirBnb ads generally include a list of "amenities" and if WIFI is on that list, it should be available.

It's like listing a washing machine as one of the amenities, but the machine doesn't actually work, or a TV that turns out to be broken!

The WiFi is working. It’s just unreliable ie. Not fast enough or reliable enough for conferencing.

Thats like someone advertising a washing machine… and it works… it’s just shit.

Which is disappointing. But if OP has an important interview and they need a suit then complaining about the quality of the washing machine is going to get her nowhere. She needs to find a cleaner or a new suit!

And that’s exactly what she needs to do here. Buy internet which works.

And to say if you advertise a service then you must provide it.. well that’s literally every hotel chain in the country falling foul of that because every business traveller knows if you 100% must have internet. Then you can’t be relying on premier inn or even high end hotels. They just don’t have the capacity at peak times.

@Skdkhvyvrhej I was thinking about that after I posted - it IS technically available, just not much good. I've generally been lucky with AirBnB and hotel WIFI except in v. rural locations, it does surprise me that it's so rubbish in a London house. Boosters aren't particularly expensive and could solve the problem.

The wifi is like hotels providing hot water that goes cold intermittently through your shower, or with really bad water pressure. The service is provided, just not at a very high level.

As others have said, if you're renting an entire place. Not if you're renting a room in someone's house. You've gone for that option because it's cheaper, right? And there is a reason for that. You're not expected to be there 24/7.

WiFi is WiFi, work suitable WiFi is something else. I run an Airbnb from my annexe, (self contained, I don't care if people want to work from there) and I've had people ask what the WiFi speeds are before they book. It's only sensible to check, not to assume there will be WiFi strong enough to run teams meetings.

I would suggest that the property isn't suitable for WFH and that was never advertised as an amenity. OP should rent a shared workspace for the daytime if that's a need she has.

She should be turning on the heating when asked or give you a space heater.

Should she? It's mild.

Well of course you don’t think that. Possibly because you generally are pretty thoughtless. But it is. You used air BnB to hire a room in someone’s house to live and work in as an office.

Bet you didn’t tell her you’d be using it as an office and would be around the house all day for most of the 3 week period did you @crikeymikey123

These network events… in the evening?

Good solution. You say to her that you need wifi so either she gets an extender or allows you use of the spare room. But you will need privacy as you are on work calls

Very likely the host will say - no I won’t be buying you a WiFi extender. However if you’d like to leave early, I will be very happy to refund you

Just as an aside. If you came to London for meetings, why are you attending them remotely? Couldn’t you have done that in Leeds from your own home?

Well fair enough but I would say if you are renting a room with poor WiFi then that deserves to be in the review because these days almost no one will accept poor WiFi!

So you were in a room that you haven’t paid for with the owner’s permission and you’re annoyed that she had the temerity to go into her own room? How strange!

It might not be sufficient for home working but that’s a different need to recreational.

It isn’t the OPs room. She’s paid for a different room but has been told to use that room for wifi. The OP is cheeky expecting to use both rooms for the price of one. The host is running a business, not a free for all!

You've rented a room but you weren't in that room, so I don't think she was being completely unreasonable to enter. A bit ignorant perhaps, if it could have waited, but it's her space. Have clearer rules about the guest room or sort out the WiFi* in your room, is what I would suggest.

*How about Powerline? If your room is on the same circuit as the router, it works a treat over the electric wiring.

You’re not WFH though, you’re WFABnB 🤣

Exactly - it’s not her home to work from!

Oh - that’s intolerable. When I had similar (except the strong WiFi advertised was non existent or patchy at best), the host said he’d run an extension or booster router (or whatever it’s called) and if it didn’t work, I could cancel and he’d refund.

Maybe try that?

The OP has paid for WiFi, a service she’s not getting. The host is a cheeky fucker

If I were the owner, I’d suggest she finds a different Air BnB pronto.🤣

She is getting WiFi 😂 just not WFH suitable WiFi