Beware of substantial wear and tear on apt. Hostess charged us for multiple, long overdue repairs
Long post ahead:
First of all, the apt. is in noticeably worse shape than in the pictures. It is also not in the white building in the pic. I didn’t bother me too much because we were going to be outside most of our time in Rio. The hostess was friendly while she hastily showed me the place.
However, it was completely different for the check out. She insisted on being there before we left. This was a bit unusual for me, but I agreed to wait for her. Upon her arrival, her attitude had changed. She quickly made her way to a door on the back of the apt to test it and claimed we had broken it. We had not. She insisted we pay in cash immediately because it would be easier and she needed a specialist urgently. We actually managed to “fix” the door, which had a loose hinge only. She asked for 200 anyway. I had just paid 13,500 for the stay, so after some arguing in broken Portuguese, I caved because I needed to fly out soon.
Not even 5 minutes after I took my Uber, she called me claiming the tile floors were also scratched and needed serious repairs. She sent me her bank account and asked for more money. I asked for an invoice first, but she refused.
At this point, I told her any further compensation would be settled through Airbnb because I would file a formal arbitration claim. That I would be happy to pay what Airbnb deemed fair. She stopped replying and her daughter got in touch almost immediately saying that we should drop the issue all together.
Other issues with the apt we noticed:
Shared bathroom door wouldn’t close properly
Clogged faucet in master bathroom
Loose mirror door in living room
Leaking a/c unit in small room
Damaged light switch
Unusable water filter, had to buy bottled to drink due to low quality
Dirty dishes and glasses
Overall, much more cramped and less nice than what it looks. Two beds will be regular sofas, not pullout couches.
Be aware of what you’re getting into by staying here. I’ve taken the time to write this review to avoid that other Airbnbers are misled and take advantage of.