An average experience with some off points but also some ok also.
Upon arriving I happened to be quesy & went to bed immediately which I appreciated. Later as per other guests comments there was the checkin, deposit & filling in a personal information form. I liked the fact the host was responsible enough to take the name and number for an emergency contact.
However I was concerned about giving out my personal information without any agreement by the host in relation to their holding/storing my personal information (+ copy of my drivers licence on a mobile phone!?! There was no statement what they intended to do with it also. There was not statement saying what the hosts responsibility was, how they would store it, keep it safe, etc thus they could do whatever they liked with it! As the peronal information is property of the person I only agreed if it was returned to me on checkout along with during my stay the host is not permitted to copy it or disclose it to any 3rd party without my approval or consent. I requested specifically that I see the host delete the photo of my ID from her mobile on check out (having it on her mobile was a significant concern and made me feel uncomoftable should she lose her mobile or it is stolen in public). It is a breech of Australian law to retain personal information when it is requested it not to be or requested to be removed (de-personalised).
If you do not request this (for it to be returned to you when you checkout), then the host retains your personal information. I found that concerning was there was a folder containing previous guests personal information. It should be distroyed if it is no longer needed (host checks out & there is no damage, etc). The host claims this is done for insurance purposes, which is a fair point but that goes both ways (damage/thief to your or their property). That said guests personal information should NOT be retained indefinitely by the host & stored safely (a mobile phone is NOT safe - people who think otherwise are naive). I consider that a significant concern & I actually checked for other accomidation upon realising the information was IMHO not stored safely. The host does not understand the risks & their responsibility. I will not stay there again with this condition as it is.
The place was not as clean as the previous reviews made it out to be. I'm wrting this review from another AirBnN which is spotless. I'm not sure if standards have slipped but the host rules sheet say a cleaner comes only every 2 weeks. I was disappointed about that as I feel a cleaner should be more frequent. I noticed the toilet was not well kept, started smelling on day 3 of a 8 night stay. I cleaned it myself on day 4 upon finding some cleaner in the laundry. The host has 2 rooms and this should be noted clearly towards the top of the AirBnB description (thus the bathroom was shared with another guest).
Other than that, the house is nice, it's in a good location & has conviences close by.
I hope the host corrects these simple things as I believe that will ensure protection to future guests as well as a better over-all experience.