TLDR: Find somewhere else unless you can overlook the complex check-in process, college apartment furnishings, and the homeless hanging around smoking crack each night.
We arrived to a message from the host to not allow anyone outside our party to enter the building, as the unauthorized people have been an issue and we could be fined if we do not comply. Moments later, we find our unit door unlocked and ajar, terrifying my girlfriend that we would walk in on an intruder. At least an hour after reaching out to the host for immediate help, the host says it’s a safe and friendly building so that is common practice….
Here are a few encounters with the local homeless near the building. Our first was a man removing a storm drain grate in the back alley to access his stash, creating a massive hole in the road that we had to avoid in the car. Another was a man in the entryway into the garage, smoking crack and stumbling around while another man stared at us from a nearby trash can. Next a group of about six individuals hung out around the front door smoking our first night, making entering and exiting the building uncomfortable.
We lived in an area for years where we had to navigate the homeless on a regular basis face-to-face, but this was the next level.
Check-in process wasn’t clear. The host never mentions that the keys you pick up from the 7-11 also open the garage door. We wrongly assumed that was the purpose of the parking pass, which added to our delays getting into the unit.
The look and feel of the unit was that of a bachelor pad or college apartment. The sliding door to the balcony was broken and permanently stays ajar. The kitchen had a small step-on trash can meant for a bathroom, with a mismatched 50 liter (13 gallon) trash bag that can’t even hold a small empty snack box. The shower liner was stained and one of the towels was dirty. The mattresses were essentially right on the floor and so tiny that my girlfriend and I had to sleep in separate beds. Most Airbnbs typically leave a small gift as a nice gesture - never necessary, but always appreciated. Don’t expect that here. After 15+ hours of travel, we were just scrambling to find a bottle of water. You won’t find that either. AC unit was noisy and only cooled the living room area adequately.
The host had a list of chores for guests to do upon checkout (as if the entire stay wasn’t a chore itself), which were not clearly explained. For example, take out the trash, but it was not included that the trash bags need to go down to the first floor in an area we questioned if we should even be entering, and into a room labeled “Refuse Room.”
My girlfriend begged me to leave and to even report this experience to Airbnb within the first few hours of our arrival, but we had already paid for 4 nonrefundable nights here and the host was very aloof from the start, so we imagine it would’ve been a headache. Overall, this was a very difficult and unsafe experience.