As a lot of the previous reviews mention, Catherine is a polite host. When I met her, I had the same impression and in terms of location the Airbnb is really in a great spot. However, I was a bit blinded by the Superhost status and the positive reviews. I should have listened to the previous critical ones. When I arrived in Canada, I didn’t find the Airbnb as advertised in terms of layout, state of the flat and cleanliness.
Catherine came herself and cleaned a second time. It wasn’t a deep cleaning, but she took the former tenant’s things out, managed to unblock the drainage in the shower and removed the mould from the cracks. Since the falsely advertised layout, some of the mould, the state of the locks and other issues couldn’t be fixed, Airbnb offered to refund 50% of the nightly rate.
After the host was informed of that, I was told from the support team that Catherine is planning on cancelling 2/3 of my stay. I was to vacate the place and would be refunded.
I spent a beyond stressful time researching new hosts with the Airbnb agents. Airbnb eventually cancelled the stay and due to the short notice and long-term stay, I ended up paying several thousand dollars more than the original listing. I also had to commute from the opposite side of town and split my time between several Airbnb’s.
I think, going forward some things would be useful for future guests:
- If you advertise with Airbnb’s 5-step enhanced cleaning process, get a cleaner that does an actual deep clean after each guest, so that things like a fully mouldy shower curtain aren’t overlooked. Also since it’s a recurring problem, a Dehumidifier would be helpful.
- Exchange the layout picture to an accurate one, that shows the third entrance door behind the couch. Some travellers, especially single female ones might not like it.
- The dishwasher was my mistake. I saw it in the kitchen pictures and assumed it was there and didn’t double check the listing details. A note in the description, that it is not functional would still be appreciated.
- Update the current pictures to more recent ones, that reflect the state of the listing more accurately.
- Have some things in the flat fixed and updated, like the plaster that is falling down from the bathroom ceiling.
- I expected the Centipedes (as mentioned in previous reviews). Since they are useful creatures that are harmless and never bite unless provoked, I didn’t say anything. However, there were a bit more than expected.
- Inform the guest beforehand, when you have a handyman working on the Airbnb windows.
All in all, this airbnb cost me a lot of time and extra money that could have been spent more wisely. Also, if Airbnb Support agrees that the listing is not as advertised, I would have expected a better reaction from a Superhost. Like a sincere apology, instead of trying to blame your guest for it, asking them to leave early.