The pros:
- great location, close to transport, restaurants and grocery
- area residents are friendly and supportive
- coffee on the corner (Addict) is amazing
- house decor is beautiful
The cons:
- host does not support guests
- host prefers to communicate with AirBnb instead of directly
- host shows up announced on property — unannounced on some days, early on others, staying late on other days
- under watch / surveillance by store employees
- host mentions parking pass but no such pass is available / supplied
Recommendation and comments :
- house surveillance and host hours onsite without communicating in advance appear to be in conflict with Melbourne privacy laws — we felt under watch the entire stay and were unable to fully enjoy the facilities we paid for
- if host able to continue to conduct business in conflict with privacy laws, I’d recommend couples only that are likely to be out of property for entire day and not have guests; if you fit these parameters, it is an amazing property in a great location
- host wants full details on your hobbies and profession in advance. We visited for personal reasons but I felt personally scrutinized and criticized for our personal hobbies / passions - and felt we were nearly asked to leave for our day to day actions...which, were verbally discussed and agreed to with host in advance
The fine print...
- I see this Airbnb / short term rental as a temporary option. While the host looks to get the business running, this is an option to bridge the short term revenue gap.
That said, this is a shop. You are renting the shop not an apartment. There is no privacy. You are under watch constantly and staff is in contact with the host. The host will arrive early, stay late and be there unannounced. It is not fun to be under watch with such scrutiny and you will not enjoy the amenities you paid for — unless you are gone all day.
Additionally - the host expects to be notified in advance of all details...your employment, passions, hobbies, race, religious beliefs and more — and approval will be up to the host.
A great property in a great location but good luck getting past the interview / stress test