The most terrible place i have ever stayed in my life.
Firsrly, check in was terrible. I had a long flight and expected to arrived at the property after 1830 which i have communciated with the host before the flight, but I was told that i have to arrive at "18 at the door of my flat" or "Any minute later mean you will have to wait till I come back which will be 9pm". I had a large luggage and had a long flight so i didnt want to wait outside until late. I had to ask my friend in London to check in for me in advance. I have shared my friend's contact and they have started a conversation. But after i have arrived in london, the host suddenly texted me again to push me to arrive before 1800, which is not possible due to my flights. She kept on pushing me to take the fastest train and to be honest i was extremely puzzled and i hate the feeling of being pushed.
The property itself is terribly dirty, not to mention that it only gets dirtier day by day after checking in. While the host mentioned on her listing that she spends her time mostly in her partner's place so i could enjoy the entire property, she was at home everyday. She used the kitchen but never washed dishes until after a few days, which makes the kitchen so dirty that i dont want to use. Hygiene is bad that i can see insects flying from the fridge as she never throws away the rotton food inside. Both the kitchen and the fridge stinked so bad.
The living room is full of her own stuff, her clothes on the sofa, many shoes on tables, used socks on the floor, which is detering me from even entering the area, which is supposed to be shared with me. On the listing there is a TV, but when i arrive the TV was not there. Hair dry was also not available, inconsistent to what was advertised.
The balcony is extremely dirty which i believe she had not cleaned it for years. I saw rotton fruits, foods, rubbish everywhere on the balcony, one of the reason why there are lots of flying insects getting in and out of the house.
I also saw she just left the key outside the entrance door when i was back to the property, which literally means anybody could get into the property.
One day, the host asked me to collect packages for her in a rude manner, as if i have to stay at home to pick it up for her. I asked around when would the package arrive and she said "i dont know", and i said i would only pick it up when im home. She didnt say a word, and coincidentally the package came while i was inside the property, i picked up the package for her but she didnt say a word after that, not even a thank you. It is as if i was supposed to do so.
Finally i had to move out of the property as i found out that she had entered my room when i was out of town a few days. I found that a chair inside my room was moved to the living room for use of the host, without asking me for permission. I have lots of valuable property in my room including my company laptop, while the room doesnt have a lock, i was a bit uncomfortable but i would expect the host would not enter my room without my permission. And so she did when she knew i was out of town, which is totally unacceptable. She knows little about privacy, hygiene, and im surprised why there are so many positive review on her listing.
After reporting the incident to airbnb, i have immediately moved out from the property. She then messaged me and admitted that she also used my shower room without my permission and asked me if it was the reason that i had to moved out. She also got a shower room in her private room so i have no idea why she needs to use mine. It turns out that the living room is not usable as it is full of her own stuff, my toilet and shower room were shared (not sure how many times) without my permission and i was totally unaware, kitchen is unusable as it is full of unwashed dishes and rubbish. And that even something your room could be taken by someone else without your permission. Also the "spent most of my time in my partner's place so you can use the property most of the time" is a lie, obviously she stays at the property everyday.
It was the most terrible experience i have had with airbnb and honestly lots of hassle even i was arranged a hotel at the end of my stay, still the packing and moving was not easy during the middle of my long stay. I have to give some credit to Airbnb and it was very helpful and had been assisting me during the process. However the host has refused a redund despite i had to move out early and all these inaccurate advertisments. She even demands me to pay the utility bills, but i will only have agreed to pay it if she wasnt staying at the place as much as she advertised, or else she is only taking advantage of me paying the bills for her.
While Airbnb was helpful when assisting me to move out, i am not satisified that it has been avoiding responsibility after me moving out, they also allow the listing to be booked by you again, depite all the experience i have had. Very disappointing and very likely i will not use airbnb again, and will share this bad experience with my friends to highlight the risk of using