I have been using Airbnb for many years with the best outcomes and
the most glowing reviews from my hosts. It's unfortunate that this one turned out to be such a disaster. Like all human beings, Catherine seems to have a dark and a light side, and it fell to me to experience her dark side. She might have been under unusually intense stress, and must not be judged too harshly, but this information has to be shared so she never does to others what she did to me. Here are the documented facts of what transpired:
-Catherine had agreed to let me use her kitchen because I rented her listing for an entire month. But the moment I tried using the kitchen, she made it known that she was very unhappy about it. She gave me a very small space in the fridge and forbade me to use the stove.
-Couple of days after my arrival, I came down with a very bad cold and severe knee pain. So I rested in bed all day, and kept a few grocery items in my room because I wasn't welcome in the kitchen and had no space in there.
-As I lay sick in bed one morning around 10 am , Catherine walked into my room unannounced which was a total violation of the fundamental rules of Airbnb and all other rental agencies. After I sent her a text protesting this violation of my privacy, she apologized saying she wanted to turn off the lights thinking I had forgotten to turn them off. She didn't even bother to knock.
-Catherine had not disclosed the fact that she would be babysitting 3 grandchildren who would be running around and yelling and crying and making noise. So as I was resting in bed trying to recover, I was disturbed constantly by the children's noise. So I wrote her a note protesting the situation she had put me in and asked that she refund my rental fees so I could get another place. It was at this point that Catherine became very belligerent and filed a complaint against me with Airbnb and made all sorts of utterly false accusations. I also filed a complaint.
-To end this nightmare, I agreed to a partial refund provided I would be given a few days to find another place and receive treatment for my knee pain at the American Hospital. She agreed, however, a couple of days later, when I showed her a bug/insect on my bedding blanket that had been biting me all over, she became extremely angry and verbally abusive and demanded that I leave immediately. Her mild-mannered gentleman friend who was a witness to all this, tried to calm her down and said this was just an insect coming from the open window and he gave me an insect killer spray. But Catherine continued with her verbal assaults and accusations, even bombarding me with such inhumane pronouncements as: "I want you out of here right now! I didn't like you from the moment that I saw you!!!".
-Knowing full well that Catherine wasn't in charge of herself, as God is my witness, I did everything in my power to be cordial and respectful towards her while she was being abusive and tried to calm her down, but nothing worked. I called Airbnb telling them I had a medical procedure scheduled for my knees at the American Hospital of Paris the next day and couldn't possibly find another place in a few hours. They said the host had no right to throw me out in the street in my condition and with such short notice. But later they advised me that it's best that I vacate the place asap and the host will refund me for the remaining nights.
-I gathered my belongings as fast as I could enduring great pain, both physical and emotional, and I made sure I took pictures of all areas to disprove her false claims that I had made the place extremely dirty. The only dirt was a color stain on the bed sheet from a jacket I purchased in Paris to keep me warm because I was too afraid to ask her to raise the heat.
Despite all the suffering she has inflicted on me, I wish Catherine well and hope she takes some time to reflect on what transpired between us so it never happens again. And I am not saying you should avoid renting from Catherine... we all have bad moments in our lives. Her apartment is in a great location.
But before renting, just make sure you're OK with kids running around, do not go near her kitchen, turn off all the lights so she doesn't barge into your room unalwfully, be careful with the insects, and make sure she doesn't hate you the moment she meets you!