Unfortunately, this listing had a serious mold infestation at the time of my visit. Ask the host to walk you through the listing at the start of your visit, and ask him to explain any odors. I arrived in the evening and discovered a foul mildew odor unsuccessfully concealed by a fragrance. It emanated from the back bathroom, adjacent to the kitchen. In the other bathroom, where the toilet is located, I found black mold on the wall. I also discovered large in-door carpenter ants (Originally, I thought that they were small roaches) scavenging across the kitchen counter tops. Through a prior experience with mold sickness, I am very familiar with the signs, dangers, and ecosystem attributed to it. When you find these elements in concert, there is a typically a mold problem.
Such ants are part of an ecosystem, which subsists on water found within damp wood, unseen within the walls. That wood is the source of the odor in this unit, and these form of ants tunnel through its wetness to build their colony. Judging by where the ominous odor is at its strongest, the most problematic area is at the area of the bathtub. If the bad smell is still there when you arrive as a guest, then the water source that supports the mold has not been tended to, and the mold spores remain airborne within the unit. Without an occasional wiping, mold will likely continue to make a physical appearance on various surfaces within the home. The fact that the mold was physically present explains the poor upkeep of the rest of the listing. If not for the mold issue, I would have washed the sheets. I had arrived to find that the host had left the windows wide open, behind the blinds, as a means of dispersing the odor. I closed the large windows, the smell grew in intensity. The potential danger of extended time in this location is actually the unseen mold spores, which a guest inhales.
I messaged the host within 6 hours of being there. Then, I took photos of the mold patch, took a short film of the ants, and spent the night in my car. The host’s agent (Philippe) responded 4 hours later. This was after I’d called AirBnb to assist. I understood that following the host’s cancellation policy, I was entitled to a refund of half of my payment. However, I discovered that AirBnb’s Guest Refund Policy covers this scenario completely, and on its website claims that it supersedes the Host’s cancellation policy. Unfortunately, the particular AirBnb representative that handled my case apparently was not well-educated to AirBnb’s policies, where AirBnb’s “Host Reliability Standards” page lists “mold”, and “pests” as “health hazards”. In fact, the AirBnb rep stated in writing that I did not deserve a full refund, because in her opinion , the “host never had a chance to propose another accommodation for me before I’d physically left the building, or to recover the dates so that someone else could rent the listing”. She also stated that the mold was OK, because it was only in the room where the toilet is. Since, this has been reported, and AirBnb has not addressed it so far, AirBnb may be liable if these health hazards affect a guest’s health. If you attempt a stay here, make sure that Philippe walks you through the listing, and explains the odor, if it is still present. Also, be sure to monitor your health, and document your illness if one occurs, being sure to take a sample of the mold, if physically present, and an air sample if not. AirBnb offered little protections on my experience in this case, and left me to inform the community here, rather than applying the protection of asking the host to address this issue before listing it again.