We learned a valuable lesson with this unit: always DOCUMENT AND REPORT any existing damage in the Airbnb upon checking in. I always do that for rental cars, but hadn’t thought about it for Airbnb till now. When we checked into this unit, we noticed multiple problems: several broken/burned out lights, a table with a missing leg, a laundry door that did not slide properly, a not-working fan in the toilet room, a not-working fan in the shower/sink room, a loose/broken toilet paper holder, a stained rug in the bedroom, and no smoke/CO detector that we could see (listing claims there is one). Since there were so many issues, we assumed the host must be aware of them, so did not report most of them.
We did ask about two broken light bulbs, since the living room was quite dim without them. The host replied about 14 hours later by asking us to check drawers for bulbs and if none found he would “see what can be done.” Since it didn’t sound like he’d bring any immediately, we purchased a couple at the local market at our own expense. We also asked on the last day about the smoke detector, and he claimed it was near the front door, but we couldn’t find it, if it was actually present.
After we checked out, we got a demand from the host via Airbnb that we pay $500 for damage to the table, the sliding door and to a trash can (host claimed dents on its top that we hadn’t noticed—could not have been severe). Of course we had caused none of this damage. In our several years of renting Airbnbs, we had never had any problems with owners claiming we had damaged their properties. So we were quite shocked that either the host had not been aware of the damage prior to our arrival, or was trying to get us to pay for damage that he knew we had not caused. We are still in process with this claim at Airbnb. I should also say the amount demanded was ridiculous: the table in question was a small, cheap Ikea-type table, and the sliding door could be fixed in minutes by a handyman who knows what they’re doing.
So be aware of not only of this unit’s poor maintenance situation, but also of the host’s record of accusing renters of damage and demanding payment. Document anything wrong you see on check-in and report it immediately to the host.
Besides these issues, the unit also needs a house manual that gives instructions on appliances. The oven is apparently a combination microwave, but it’s not clear how to use it. Other items that are difficult to figure out are the washer/dryer, wall heaters and coffee machine. Also be aware that this unit is adjacent to a shop that plays loud music during the day.