I must confess that I was glad to find the property at a reasonable price compared to other properties in Lisbon in July.
There are a quite few things I was not happy about for instance:
1- The listing did not disclose the fact that the flat was on the 5th floor which means the heat would come from the roof and the walls. You have no idea how uncomfortable it was to sleep in that bedroom. I would wake up soaking wet every morning. I had no desire to be in the bedroom during the day because it was extremely hot and there was "no fan" or "air conditioner" to cool off. I'm sure the host would not enjoy staying at a place under such conditions.
2- There is no elevator so not only I already knew it would be hot in the bedroom, but even hotter when getting to the fifth floor in a building with no air circulating.
3-The bedroom was full of sand on the first day as if someone had been to the beach and wiped it off their feet in the bedroom. I had to sweep the floor and mop it on my first day because it was too dirty.
4-There were only 2 towels for 2 guests for a seven-day stay.
5-There was only 1 bed sheet and 2 pillow cases for a seven-day stay in a room I would wake up soaking wet every morning.
6-I don't know whether someone gets paid to clean the flat and take the garbage out but if so, it didn't feel like it was the case. There was so much garbage that we had to take our own downstairs because it would not fit in the trash can in the kitchen.
7-The boiler was switched off on one of the days and the guests in the room across from mine complained about taking a cold shower on their first day. Luckily for me, the guest figured out how to switch it back on when it was my turn to take a shower.
8-The mattresses were not of the same quality across all bedrooms and the one in the bedroom I was in was not comfortable at all. I know that based on vacant rooms.
9-There was an issue with the Wi-Fi one day prior to my leaving which a guest approached me to ask if I knew why it was not working but I said it had been working so I had no idea about what happened. If the guest had been provided with a phone number for emergencies, they would have been able to get in touch with the host. They had no data to access the app and report it.
10-The main bathroom was always dirty, full of hair on the floor. The glass door was on one side only which meant there was always a puddle outside the shower cubicle which means guests would have to touch the wet rag full of hair in order to dry the floor.
11- There was no sponge to wash the dishes in the kitchen.
12-The property is located on the main road which means cars, buses and motorcycles are constantly going up and down the road so closing the window is the only option to have a quiet night's sleep but due to the heat, closing the window is not an option.
13-During the night, after midnight, the number of vehicles drops but there are still some going up and down the road. However, there is a small park which faces the bedroom I was in and the sprinklers go on for an hour or so and it sounds like a gas leak. At first I thought it was in the property but then I realised it was coming from the park when I saw it in operation. The sound is as annoying as the cars going up and down all day and night long.
During my cleaning, I had to drag the cabinet to sweep and mop the floor. As I did so, the bottom frame snapped possibly because it had cracked previously or the constant heat and it snapped while I was dragging it. The host wanted to charge me £46.75 (pounds) which would be the cost of a new cabinet itself despite all the issues I have encountered upon staying at the property.
Truth be told, it felt like a place to keep our baggage safe and sleep at night, only. I didn't feel comfortable being in the bedroom itself for the reasons stated above.
I have never left a negative review before I suggest that the hosts take it as a constructive feedback and the future guests are warned about what they are in for. I would also suggest that the hosts stays in the property for a week to understand the struggles the guests may go through. We only empathise with others when we experience their struggles, ourselves.
I think the host could be more transparent in the listing regarding the floor the flat is located on as well as how hot it is and that no fan is provided so people know what to expect.
These are the main issues that come to mind. The only advantage is how close it is to the subway and some other local amenities.