The hosts were lovely and responded to queries immediately. They were present when checking in and offered to assist with suggestions. I booked the apartment for my family while they visited and therefore booked the night before so that they would have a place to settle down in once they land. The hosts contacted me a week prior to us checking in that they have cats and would like for us to petsit, we declined as one of my family members is allergic. We kept the reservation with the trust that the place would be cleaned prior to our arrival.
Unfortunately, that was the end of the pleasant things. I checked in in the evening and dropped my bags off, spending a total of 15 mins in there where Bec (Matthew's partner) showed me around and shared with me how everything works around the place. The next morning, after I picked up my family from the airport after finishing an overnight shift, we moved our luggage and noticed the multiple cleanliness issues.
My aunt has hives on the spots she had contact with after sitting on the couch. We spent about 40 mins in the apartment, of which we spent 25 mins cleaning the apartment hoping it was not as bad as it looks, unfortunately, we kept noticing more that required attention. Due to my lack of Airbnb's T&C's, I cancelled the reservation without seeking resolution and therefore had to pay a penalty for the last minute cancellation. Once we cancelled the reservation, Bec arrived within 15 mins and demanded an explanation.
Airbnb has been really lovely in trying to resolve the issue after I contacted them in the evening after finally finding a form of accommodation for my family (I have been awake for more than 24 hours at this point), and airbnb contacted the hosts to reduce the cancellation fees, which unfortunately was rejected.
This apartment is really lovely and the hosts have been very responsive. I urge future bookers and other hosts to ensure that their place is cleaned to a high standard if they want to let their accommodations.