Unfortunately, our couple day stay at Malcolm's place was not great and I would NOT recommend staying here, especially if you're in a large group. While the flat was in a very convenient location (a quick 5 mins walk to the main street of pubs, restaurants, and shops) and the check-in/out process was smooth, the flat has a lot of room for improvement and Malcolm's overall communication was extremely lackluster.
1) There was only one key for a flat that's advertised to sleep 12 and the front door could not lock from the inside without using that key. This created some challenges and less flexibility for our group if some members wanted to head back sooner than others as someone would need to walk them back to let them in and lock up again.
We sent a message to Malcolm upon arrival asking if he could make a second key. He apologized, claimed the previous guest took it with them, said he would create a spare the following morning, and to send him a message when we left the key in the lockbox so he could pick it up, which I did, however I never heard back from Malcolm throughout the day. By the time I did, it was after 5PM IST and he said his colleague did not get a chance to drop the key off. When I asked if they could drop off the key that evening since Malcolm implied it was made, Malcolm said the colleague would be working until 11PM IST and did not offer an alternative solution. Frankly, I don't think a second key was ever made.
2) The laundry machine was inoperable, had someone's clothes or sheets in it still, and had the handle of the door completely ripped off. Malcolm never mentioned that laundry would not be possible prior to our stay or in his check-in message. When I reached out to Malcolm in the morning asking for more information about the laundry situation, he did not respond for 8.5hrs and when he finally did, he suggested we do our laundry at a laundromat, which closed at 5PM IST (he responded at 530PM IST). While he offered to cover the cost, this was not a plausible option for us and is one of the main reasons we chose an AirBnB that had laundry in unit.
When we were awaiting a response from Malcolm regarding the laundry, we checked the previous reviews and noticed that the last person to stay in the flat also mentioned that the laundry machine was broken due the previous guest before her (similar to what he said to us about the lack of spare key). This review was from September and we stayed in mid-October, thus indicating the laundry had been broken for at least 2 weeks, if not more, depending on when in September that guest had stayed.
3) As previously mentioned, communication was very inconsistent. On our first evening, Malcolm was incredibly responsive and said he would absolutely make sure we had a second key made the following morning, but he (or his colleague) never came by to get the key, nor did he/they make a copy.
That same morning, I sent a message at 9AM IST about the laundry machine and subsequent follow up messages via both AirBnB and his phone number he messaged me to text if I didn't receive a response via AirBnB. He did not respond to either.
When Malcolm finally responded at 5:07PM IST (after 8+ hrs of silence), he sent me the check out instructions. I pointedly asked him if he could acknowledge my previous questions about the key and laundry situation, which finally prompted a response. He apologized for his colleague not stopping by to get the key or to check the laundry machine, the latter of which was concerning because he never said that his colleague would be checking the laundry machine or be in the space while we were there, which further led us to believe that a colleague was never going to fix the issues outlined.
4) The kitchen was not well stocked for cooking meals and the sugar was left open in the cupboard and had (what appeared to be) black bugs in it. One of the beds also had stained sheets, the bathrooms had one very small shelf above the sink for storage, and the showers had no shelving / minimal floor space for shampoo/conditioner/soap, and no bathmats for stepping out of the shower (we ended up using our hand towels). The sky light window on the top floor did not have a lock, so that room was incredibly drafty and sometimes the window would lift up if the wind hit it the right way.
With all of that said, I've stayed in many AirBnBs over the past ten years and this is the first negative review I've left and hope that Malcolm is able to make the necessary improvements. I have also provided Malcolm with this feedback privately, but think it's important for all future guests to be aware of the disappointing reality of this listing. While I hope the flat gets better, I would recommend looking elsewhere for a more reliable accommodation and a consistently hospitable host.