WARNING for travelers that book Billie and Max’s unit: you should absolutely connect with them to ENSURE that the unit they commit to provide you is consistent in all respects with the one photographed. The flat that they provided to me was significantly poorer quality, more “ass” than “kick ass”. I describe my experience below in case you’re interested in the full story.
If you read no further, then a couple of additional tips for anyone considering booking: there is no elevator that I’m aware of. In the event that you have a disability, or any particularly heavy bags, then check with Billie and Max to confirm whether they can accommodate you on the first floor, as the stairs are long and steep. They did not provide physical keys, so you will rely on an app to open front door and the door to your unit. This means that you’ll need to make sure you can download the app and create an account before arrival, and also that you keep your phone charged at all times - otherwise, you may get locked out. Again, you may want to check whether they can provide physical keys if this is a concern for you.
BACKGROUND
My fiancé and I travelled from the States and booked Billie and Max’s “kick ass” flat at the very last minute, as our original Airbnb booking had to be cancelled as a result of a payment processing error. Booking was convenient, instant and unit details were promptly provided.
The unit is on a charming street, close to the circle and central tube lines. And the street is where the pleasantries end. The apartment is one of more than 20 spread across four floors of a very old building. The building hallways have battered carpets and dingy walls, with a steep and wobbly staircase. Nothing that an economy traveler can’t stomach.
Unfortunately, the studio unit itself matches the building hallways. The walls are dark and dingy, and clearly haven’t been painted in ages. There’s a tiny TV sitting on an awkwardly leaning metal plate that impedes a makeshift ladder to the loft bed space. Contrary to the photos, the kitchen is a hideous matte gray, and there are neither paintings on the walls nor pillows on the sofa (the sofa is also different). Again, nothing an economy or budget traveler cannot deal with, but in this case, the photos were clearly taken of a very different unit, and are VERY misleading with respect to the quality of the unit that we actually received.
Two issues that we encountered made the place unlivable. First, there were some minor mold spores in the very poorly maintained bathroom, as well as in different places around the living room windows. Second, a strong odor clearly indicated that someone had smoked in the unit recently. The two smells combined and unfortunately, both my partner and I have strong allergies to mold spores and cigarette (or similar).
RESOLUTION
After setting our stuff down and going through my first round of allergy attacks, I immediately emailed Billie and Max to inquire about switching to another room. I made them aware of the issues that I described above. They told me that they wouldn’t switch me to a different room, and that they believed that the listing is a fair representation of the unit that they ultimately provided.
In addition, they said that they would contact Airbnb to chase down the previous tenant, and later disclosed to me that their intent was to pass along some portion of any penalty secured from the previous renter to me to offset some of the discomfort that their smoking caused. At no point did they offer to have someone inspect or clean the unit to help us deal with the immediate consequences.
After realizing that they intended to leave us in squalor, I called Airbnb directly. They basically told me that I’d have to submit some pictures and go through customer resolutions, which could take 72 hours. They also told us that they’d have to reach out to the hosts and give them the opportunity to address my issues (steps I had already taken directly).
Ultimately, I had two choices: stay in the unit and grin and bear it, or book a last minute crappy hotel nearby at tremendous cost to myself with low likelihood that I’d get any refund from the host. So you understand just how bad the unit is, I chose the second option.
My fiancé and I spent a total of 2-2.5 hours in the unit before we left. Within 72 hours, Airbnb called and indicated that they had worked with the host to accept an offer that I had made to the host, which they originally refused: to pay the first night even though we didn’t stay there, and have the remainder of the booking cancelled and refunded. Airbnb also provided a credit to offset some of the hefty roaming call charges that I incurred for having to deal with this. I am very appreciative of both Airbnb, as well as Billie and Max, for coming to a fair resolution on my complaint and recognizing my side on the merits.
Hopefully this review will result in either (1) republishing the listing with more accurate photos and descriptions of the unit and its condition, or (2) refurbishment of the unit to bring it into a condition suitable for habitation.