Cat and smokey smell came into this unit from the two units below; it’s a triplex building, the unit having rooms rented through Airbnb is on the 3rd floor — the air/ventilation system seems to be connected to other units - the thermostat for the whole building is in this top unit, and the unit owner below and landlord have keys, to which later was told by the host that they may come up to adjust the temperature.
The smells only became an issue once the weather became colder and the windows of the unit had to be closed, and the units below were shutting their windows - so then fresh air wouldn’t circulate, and smells from those units not clearing out would make their way to this unit listed on Airbnb.
The host didn’t want to acknowledge the concerns regarding smells (denied every part of it even being possible; at times you can see the cat sitting on a cat stand in the window of the unit below), and her behaviour otherwise wasn’t great - there were other unpleasant experiences related to the host. Although I originally wanted to leave immediately once the smells became an issue and get a refund for remaining days, the host had agreed to changing the date for the next billing date (before the next payment, almost 2 weeks later) - however due to issues because of Airbnb’s terrible support I left before that date and incurred costs I shouldn’t have because of Airbnb support’s mistake(s).
The host’s “roommate” - that originally the host talked about being a woman who was apparently away on vacation - and that she said I’d get along with, magically turned into a man upon the roommate’s return without any explanation from the host, just continued calling him the roommate. Also, he was smoking weed/marijuana in the bathroom (probably trying to blow it out the window) however which enough lingered in the apartment to be quite noticeable; I didn’t bring it up with him or the host because of how she behaved in reaction to my previous issues and I was going to be out of the place soon anyway.
The host doesn’t live here though she claims she does. I saw her 2 times total (and not for check-in), and the last time was to cleanup before the “roommate” returned. I wouldn’t recommend staying here unless you’re comfortable with uncertainty with the host not being around, along with roommates not booking under Airbnb (and so not under the pressure for good/acceptable behaviour, etc). Likewise, if you have an issue with cat smells or cigarette/pot smoke - I’d avoid this place, at least/especially during months that are cold and heat is needed or that it’s hot enough that air conditioning is needed; when the windows are closed.
Re: Airbnb’s terrible support
- Airbnb says hosts don’t have to acknowledge cat, or other smells presumably, because the cat doesn’t reside in the unit.
- It took me posting 3 times on Twitter/social media for Airbnb to actually put a “Case Manager” on who had a high enough comprehension level to even start to help (and even then it took a constant effort from me to keep correcting misunderstandings).
- In the end I only received 50% of the extra costs I incurred because of an Airbnb’ Case Manager mistake(s).
- My rating given doesn’t reflect or include my experience with Airbnb’s terrible support.
I thought about not leaving a review, however I thought that’d not be fair to future potential guests who have issues with cats and smokey smell - especially since Airbnb doesn’t require this kind of information to be included; imagine if someone has a severe cat allergy - why would anyone including Airbnb want to put a person in that situation?
The physical space was nice (minus smells), the experience wasn’t. I hope the host learns from this experience. I wish her my best.