It is highly unfortunate that I have to write my first majorly negative review (an essay in fact) about any Airbnb listing or host. Over the years I’ve enjoyed staying at Airbnb’s as they give a homely feeling with most things you would need at a home, a chance to learn and understand more about each place, city, country and the people living in it, and on top of that prices that typically deliver more value than the usual hotel stay. In fact, I have also never written any negative reviews previously even if there were minor issues or incidents, as I believe everyone is human, and certain minor issues are but mere mistakes, often out of circumstance, that come and go, while I believe I too wasn’t always the best guest. On this occasion however, I believe I was treated highly unfairly and wouldn’t be doing myself any justice if I just let this go and did not write about this. While part of the issue lies with how Airbnb dealt with the situation in particular to the UK, the host was most certainly not innocent in all of this. This incident has overall left me with much lower trust in Airbnb’s and hosts’ capability in handling situations that require adequate communication, reasoning capability and ultimately good moral judgment, particularly where covid is concerned. To be fair, in pre-covid circumstances, this might have been a somewhat okay or even decent stay, but in light of this incident, and in this new normal, I simply can’t support this place given how things were handled.
My original reservation was for 2-23 July, and was ultimately cut short by the host and Airbnb to 2-9 July as I was covid positive (it was in fact a weak positive, and my first time ever getting covid, not that the host or Airbnb had at all inquired). On 2 July, I had woken up early to pack and check out of my then current Airbnb (as the host was away and had to get a friend to check me out), where I was sleep deprived and had to wait until 2pm to check-in at Lili’s (after she kindly let me put my suitcases at the place earlier in the morning). I had to go to a sandwich/coffee shop nearby, stayed there indoors for a few hours and then returned to the Airbnb for the check-in. Later in the evening, my symptoms developed, and I wasn’t feeling particularly well that night either. These milder symptoms continued for the 1 more day, upon which on day 3 I had started to recover. As the symptoms were so mild, I did not think it was covid, and did not know it was covid, until I did a test on probably day 4 i.e. 5 July. I also did not know where, how or from whom I might have caught it. The newer BA4/5 variant was also known to have earlier onset symptoms than previous variants, so nothing was certain.
Above all, based on my understanding and upon searching official websites and news, UK government’s and NHS’ recommendation was to try and stay home for 5 days upon discovering symptoms or testing positive (as beyond day 5 one is likely not to be infectious), where there are basically no mandatory covid restrictions in almost all day-to-day situations and places. This was basically what I did, I stayed in to recover, and focused mostly on resting for 5 days, after which I was feeling well, close to 90% of what I usually would have felt. This was also in a country and society where people basically behave as though covid is just a newer version of flu, one which we may lack further knowledge, data and insight into compared to the existing seasonal flu variants, but nonetheless a flu. I was living in Hong Kong right before moving to London, and people there are highly conservative about covid, as was I. But after I’ve been in London for a week or so, I had adapted, because the way almost everyone behaves, and is therefore expected to behave, is as if covid isn’t necessarily that scary, where we just have to be aware, be more sanitary, and do your best not to affect those who might be vulnerable health-wise.
However, the host insisted on me contacting Airbnb saying I had tested positive, and told me that with one of her previous guests, Airbnb had arranged another accommodation for them upon informing Airbnb of testing positive - all of which I thought would have been appropriately, adequately and fairly arranged, but which I was totally wrong about. Then on day 7 i.e. Friday 8 July, by which I was close to my 100% usual, the host had Airbnb support contact me by messages, asking me to confirm if I had tested covid positive (which I said yes), and told me I had to move out of the accommodation as the host was uncomfortable with it (which I found fair as well). My day on 8 July however was fully scheduled, and I had to go for flat/house viewings as I was looking for a place to rent for the coming year. However, within this 1 day, and by the morning of Saturday 9 July, after a phone call with the Airbnb support, the host Lili and Airbnb support basically cut my stay short and kicked me out of my accommodation right on 9 July itself, without first telling me what was going to happen exactly, and without finding and booking adequate accommodation for me in advance. While it was Airbnb’s fault for not fulfilling its promise to provide me with adequate accommodation even though I had a booking up until 23 July, and where they had highly vague guidelines as to what to do with such situations in the UK (upon my inquiring), it was also the host’s who understood how the UK operates yet insisted on me leaving right away