This is a very clean and nice apartment. Spotless clean! The location and balcony was specially appreciated by us. Good water pressure. We checked in and out according to our timetable and the host was flexible and checked in earlier than they used to. Everything included wifi worked as it should besides cable tv but we had no issues with this. No keys needed to get in to the building or the apartment - definitely a plus! E-communication with host was flawless. The kitchen is not equipped to do proper cooking; rather to boil an egg or warm up something. We used the microwave and boiled water for tea.
The apartment is one of several apartments that a company called Authentic Property Management, as the name says manages. At time of the check in signing a document is required that authorizes the company to debit the credit card for payment and security deposit. Copy/photo of passport and credit card is also required. Basically the company has it's own policy aside from Airbnb policies. This requirement is not justified as it is unclear why existing Airbnb policies and insurance is not good enough and there is need for additional steps for security.
The other issue is handling sensitive data such as copy/photo of passport and credit card. How is this information treated? Who has access to it? Is it encrypted? Where does it get stored and when/how does it get deleted?
Furthermore, what sort of responsibility does Authentic Property Management take in case the data is lost or misused? Will Authentic Property Management be liable? How much lost will they cover if the credit card data is lost and thereby misused by third party?
Authentic Property Management has to respect existing Host Protection Insurance and Host Protection Insurance. Host Guarantee provides up to $1,000,000 of coverage in case property damage occurs, and Host Protection Insurance provides liability coverage for up to $1,000,000, for every listing.
And if they wish to continue getting signature from guests, copy/take photos of credit card and passport they need to 1) justify why Airbnb insurance is not good for them 2) state clearly how they treat sensitive data from customers and 3) what sort of coverage it provides in case data is lost/misused.