Prior to our arrival our host would respond to texts immediately, but his attitude changed 180 degrees after arrival. I had to text him the first night to inquire about a solution for the non-functioning electric blinds and the absence of daylight blocking curtains in the bedroom: no response, not even after a repeated request. My travel companion and I ended up climbing into the window frame every night, attaching a fleece blanket to the window to keep out daylight.
Halfway our stay the central heating radiator started to leak water, which we discovered when I lifted my handbag from the floor: it was soaking wet, and so were my passport, wallet, make-up bag and Dre headphones. After repeated texts and pictures, we got a text back stating he was currently not in the city, and would look into it upon his return. We ended up placing a bucket under the leaking point, emptying it twice a day to save his laminate floor from potential water damage and dealing with annoying dripping sounds all night, every night for the remainder of our stay.
On the evening prior to our departure our host had apparently found his phone back and offered us to stay longer at no additional costs, to compensate for our inconvenience. We could not help but question the sincerity of this gesture.
I would not have had too much of a problem with the abovementioned defects if our host’s response to them would have been more adequate, but under these circumstances we ended up feeling ignored and unwelcome. In tems of service and support this was a disappointing first Airbnb experience. This trip was my birthday present, and these incidents kind of killed the vibe.
The appartment is situated in a great location, and a safely secured appartment building. Half of the building has been completely stripped for renovations, ‘though, which leaves one with an eery feeling: the apartment windows are on the same level as the patio terrace, which is therefore subject to a potentially higher intruder risk. Keeping a window open for fresh air is therefore not a possibility.
We would not necessarily advice anyone to not rent this place: it would have been an decent choice if our host would have been more customer-oriented and professional. Just make sure that you check all amenities while your host is still there to negatiate a solution, instead of trusting everything is in order, like we did.