This is a very long review but I want to give full context to our poor experience with this listing and Airbnb.
The prior reviews for this listing stated that it was clean. Upon arrival, one of the hosts said she was just finished cleaning. But while showing us the amenities, the soap dispenser of the washer and the Brita water filter were entirely covered with mold and the floor of the shower was moldy. We were concerned for our health and safety given that this was what the host considered “clean.” What other things that we couldn’t visibly notice were supposedly “clean”?
We did not feel confident that the host had properly cleaned anything in the apartment. Also, given the extent of the mold in the soap dispenser of the washer, it likely pervaded the entire washer. This meant that the washer (one of our main reasons for booking this listing) could not be used. After looking around to check the state of the rest of the apartment, we realized the fabrics and linens in the listing smelled musty as well. And if they had been washed in the washer at the apartment, they were washed with mold. Therefore, we immediately left the listing (within 20 minutes) and began looking for new accommodations.
Sitting at the base of the stairwell, some neighbors passed us and asked if we were lost. We told them no and informed them of our situation. They seemed unsurprised and knowingly said “we understand.” This also did not offer us further confidence that the host could fix the issue.
Once we found another accommodation, I began looking into Airbnb policy. I wanted to make sure I did everything possible to get a refund. The policy stated to contact the host to fix the issues first. I messaged her and stated that we would not stay in the listing because we did not find the problems fixable; mold is an issue that can spread everywhere. She asked me to cancel the booking immediately and she would refund me, but then wondered why I didn’t say anything at check in. We didn’t say anything because we did not want to sour the relationship with the host if we could not find other accommodations. If we were forced to stay in the listing, we would have asked the host to try and clean things. However, as I mentioned already, the visible problems were likely signs of a larger issue that could not be easily remedied, and no laundry (including rewashing all the provided linens) could safely be done in the apartment without completely replacing or taking apart the washer.
The host said she simply forgot to clean the amenities we had issues with. What else had she forgotten? And furthermore, the amount of mold present is not something that happened because someone missed one week of cleaning. It had been growing for a while. The host also mentioned she lived there with her boyfriend. Given the state of the water filter and washing machine, things one would use regularly, this once again did not give us confidence that the host had an appropriate standard of cleanliness.
I initially refused to cancel the booking because I did not want to cancel and then have no recourse for a refund. I informed the host of my hesitation and told them I would contact Airbnb support. The host asked me to have Airbnb support contact them as well, which I did.
Airbnb support said to cancel the listing, so I did that immediately. Throughout the conversations with the support team, the host discontinued all contact with me, even when it was pertinent to the support case investigation. The host had stated prior that she did not find our complaints a valid reasoning for cancelling, and her frustration is evident because we did not hear from her over the course of the entire investigation. Before any of this, the host was extremely helpful and prompt with their messages. But then even the Airbnb support team said that they were waiting on a response from the host regarding a refund for 3 days. I find this extremely unprofessional.
Ultimately, I am grateful to the host for issuing us a partial refund. They did not refund us the first night because we did not cancel by then, and the occupant taxes and cleaning fee for that day were not refunded. I’m not happy the cleaning fee was not refunded because clearly sufficient cleaning did not occur, but I am so frustrated by communication with the host and Airbnb that I am no longer pressing the issue. I’ll take what I can get.
Airbnb labeled this request as a “low severity violation.” I wish I could insert pictures, because I personally don’t find a Brita filter covered with mold and a black mold covered soap dispenser “low severity.”
I expect the host to respond to this review, and say that she could have fixed the issue and that we were unfair by not giving her a chance to remedy the situation immediately. But my question is, what would she have done? Re-cleaned everything in front of us and bleached the whole washer repeatedly while we stand there waiting? We still would not have felt confident that there were not contaminants everywhere. Maybe that is our issue, but I have never had this sort of problem with the many airbnbs I have booked prior. And to be honest, nothing like this should ever be an issue in the first place.
I will obviously never be booking with this host again, nor will I ever use Airbnb again. Airbnb acts as a third party to these transactions. And in my interactions with their support team over the course of this matter (although my assigned team member was quick to respond and very polite), it seems Airbnb ultimately does not care what happens unless a booked listing does not exist or literally explodes. They emphasized it was between