I've been on Airbnb for a decade now, and I pride myself on my spotless feedback as a renter. This was the first stay where I had to look up my rights, and it soured the entire stay.
A few weeks into my 2-month stay there was a knock on the door, which I ignored at first but the knocks kept coming. I put down my lunch and opened the door to find Sylvain and two young people at the door. He wanted to show them the flat, without notice, with the power dynamic implication that if I said no then I might have to find myself a new last-minute airbnb during peak Montreal summer. I accommodated this request and thought I rolled well with this punch.
I have to assume he was checking in on me as I have never in my dozens of stays had a host appear without warning and expect entry. After they left I realized my wallet was right on the counter and my passport was also easily palmable. Who lets complete strangers around your stuff without notice? Who would be responsible if something was stolen? I smoked all of my spliffs in the alley, left the place better stocked then when I found it, and even fixed the aircon when it leaked water all over the floor. I consider myself an ideal tenant. This violated my airbnb rights as a renter.
If that wasn't enough he then reached out for another entry, only he didn't ask permission and told me when he would be accessing the flat. Renters please realize you have only two rights on this platform: the owner needs to ask permission unless it's an emergency and the owner has to give advance notice unless it's an emergency. Both of these were violated during my stay. If the owner of the building wants to sell it while also making profit from tenants then the owner should probably stop taking reservations before putting it on market.
Airbnb used to be a place where reputation mattered, both trust and respect given and expected if you had a history of being a good egg. The platform has turned into a profit machine where land barons accept anyone's money and then treat you like a university fratboy freshman.
The flat itself is well-designed and had the conveniences I needed. The location can't be beat. Biggest complaint of the flat itself is the gaps on the door are significant enough that I smelled strong cigarette smoke from the other side of the apartment several times a week.