This is the first negative review we’ve given but we were so badly treated by this host that we think it’s important to write honest feedback here. We were kicked out of the property early so that the host could get the following guests into the property early.
Our stay coincided with the snap Covid lockdown in February. We had two nights left of our stay when lockdown was announced. As soon as this happened, we received a call from the host saying we had to either leave immediately or extend our stay until after lockdown ended (which would cost $1600+). We spoke to Airbnb, who said this wan’t a rule of theirs. We checked government guidelines, which stated very clearly that airbnbs could stay open to accommodate existing bookings.
We then discovered that the host was planning to get rid of us so that they could get the next set of guests in before lockdown began (midnight that night), but we were only being given until 5:30pm which meant us leaving within a matter of hours. We are young family and the prospect of ending a holiday 3 days/2 nights early, and then being given 2.5 hours to pack up and get out is a logistical nightmare, and would mean us driving home in evening with two screaming babies in horrendous pre-lockdown rush traffic.
We asked if we could pay until the end of our stay and just leave in our own time, even later that night before lockdown began, but again the host was very rude to us and stated she “just wanted her house back” and would be there at 6pm “to take back control of her property”. A cleaner was waiting outside for us to leave the property by 5:30pm. We had no choice but to pack up and leave.
In our dealings with the host she was either passive aggressive or straight up aggressive, and kept saying she was just playing by the rules but there is no rule that meant we needed to leave. Even the government guidelines clearly stated that the 5km radius didn’t apply to those returning home during the lockdown period.
We contacted airbnb who gave us a refund for the two nights, but after leave the property, we received a message from the host which says the following “I was informed that under the terms I was not required to issue a refund. However I choose to do so as promised….Whilst I’ve been disappointed with your treatment towards me I am going to put it down to the stress that Covid has caused us all and refrain from a writing a negative review.”
So she is basically threatening to write a negative review of us…why? Because she kicked us out of the property early with no notice so she could get the next guests in early?
This is the worst experience we’ve had with Airbnb and the way the host has conducted herself has been beyond a joke.