What action is right and fair?

[James1813]

Hi everyone! 

I am looking for some help and advice on what is considered acceptable and fair...thank you in advance! 

I made a 14-night booking (my first Airbnb booking) for a condo on a property I have stayed on in previous years however we stayed in a different unit.

The property was stared as "stunning condo with fully equipped kitchen, cable etc etc etc... 

Upon arrival to the property, all seemed a little sub-par - but I did not notice anything major straight away, not to mention I was excited as I had just arrived for my holiday and didnt want to put a negative spin on anything.

Over the next week, different issues started to become known, there is a clear general lack of care in the condo - just some of the points noticed...

- The cream carpets are covered in stains and actually black in some areas.
- The property has availability for 4 people however only has 2 knives and 2 mugs.
- There is no working kettle in the property, a broken kettle is hidden away in the back of a cupboard.
- The bedsheets have holes in them.
- The cable TV in the living room does not work.
- There is what looks like blood on the wall in the communal bathroom.
- The balcony is filthy and has not been cleaned in a long time.
- The sliding wardrobe doors in both the hall-way and 2nd bedroom are simply falling off.

- There is a think layer of dust on the ceiling fan, clearly has not been cleaned in a while.

I have contacted the host who took nearly 12 hours to respond to me and their remarks were pretty much, "Sorry,  this is a new property of mine, I have not had an issues before and I wish you had mentioned something at the start of your rental". However, the host has not responded to further messages (nearly 24 hours has past)

Based on the cost paid - £1437.35 ($1837.01) I feel like the property and service should have been far better and a hotel would have been better value for money.

In my situation what would you do??

Thank you again for taking the time to read and offer your advice.

[Linda108]

@James1813   If I understand you correctly, for the last week of your 2 week reservation you have found the unit to be sub par.  You have notified the host of your concerns and do not feel the host will be remedying the problems.  You have a week left.  While you are not due a refund for the nights you have stayed, you can contact Air BNB and request to cancel your second week.  If you have proof of your concerns, photos and/or message from the host acknowledging the issues, you may be able to get your total refund of the remaining week.  Here is a guide for contacting Air BNB.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165#M728

[James1813]

Hi Linda,

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me and thank you for your advice.

You are correct, I will take your advice into consideration - I am currently giving the host a little extra time to do the right thing.... fingers crossed.

Thank you again for your advice!

[Sarah977]

@James1813  The correct protocol if a guest finds an accommodation sub-standard or not as advertised is to first contact the host, so they have an opportunity to address the problems, then if the host is unresponsive or unwilling to address the issue, you contact Airbnb to report it and ask to be rehomed or to cancel. So you've done the right thing in contacting the host first, and in this case I don't think their response was appropriate or professional. Now it's up to you if you want to just make the best of it and address the issues when it comes to leaving a review, or take the above steps. 

What isn't okay is to just complete your stay, which indicates that the issues weren't that egregious to you, and then demand some refund after the fact.

[James1813]

Hi Sarah,

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond, I really appreciate your advice.

It is my intention to allow the host a little extra time to respond and hopefully do the right thing, I am aware of how damaging negative reviews can be and would rather try all other avenues before having to resort to that.

Thank you again for your help!

[Sarah977]

@James1813 You sound like a great guest, to be aware of how harmful a negative review can be to a host and actually care. One thing a guest can do if they don't want to leave a negative review, as the place also had some positive aspects and they felt the host was trying, maybe just inexperienced, is to leave a decent review, but to send the host private feedback (there's a place for that when you go to review) letting them know that you didn't wish to harm their rating, but that future guests might indeed do so if the issues you brought up with them aren't addressed before their next guests arrive. Hopefully they'll take it to heart, appreciate that you didn't slag them in the review, and make the needed changes.

[Anonymous]

@James1813  Airbnb's Guest Refund Policy is an option for you if you decide that you can't complete your stay because of the condition of the home. Some of the issues you described are merely aesthetic matters, but if the conditions are unsanitary or are advertised amenities that aren't usable, you can report this as a Host Issue and terminate your booking early for a refund of the unused nights.

However, if you decide to complete your stay, this does not apply to you. The host has no contractual obligation to give you a discount just because the price and quality don't seem to match.

So while your grievances are totally reasonable, your choices are:

A) Complete your stay and be persistent with the host about the things that need to be fixed to make it comfortable. or

B) Report to Airbnb that the home is uninhabitable and that you wish to relocate, supplying photos of the property's conditions for a partial refund, and accepting that you will likely have to eat the extra cost of a last-minute accommodation.

But don't mix these up. If you do decide to stay until the scheduled checkout date, it's entirely up to the host whether they want to offer you anything.

[Mark116]

@James1813   Most of the things you describe--lack of cutlery, no cable TV, poor linens, no kettle, needs a good cleaning--could have been fixed the day or the next day that you contacted the host and notified him.  He sends a cleaner, or cleans himself.  He goes to the store and buys sheets, flatware, a kettle, and he calls the condo or cable company about the TV.  So, if you are going to relocate I would not give him too much extra time, since all of this stuff should have been done within 2 business days of when you contacted him, in my opinion.