Let me start off by saying I had a bad feeling about this listing after I booked and regret staying here. My first concern was there were several changes to the listing after I booked, including the addition of an occupied shed on the property. I booked this place because it was the entire, fenced property. I value my privacy and didn’t want to worry about my dogs getting out because of someone else coming/going/opening the gate. I communicated this concern to Fumiko and she said no one else was going to be on the property as the other rental would start in April. A day or two prior to my arrival, Fumiko told me she would be staying in the shed on Thursday and Friday (half of my booking length). She didn’t give me the option to cancel without a significant penalty and lied to me about being on the property when originally asked. In addition to Fumiko being on the property on Thursday and Friday, she also showed up unannounced on Saturday with a man. I wasn’t at the house (makes me think she thought she could sneak in), but my mom found this out the hard way as she crossed the living room in a towel after taking a shower. There was Fumiko and the man standing right outside the window that didn’t have any blinds. Fumiko doesn’t seem to value privacy as in addition to this issue, she frequently opened the shed’s window to tell me things I wasn’t doing to her liking or telling me what to do while I was trying to relax in the backyard.
Overall, I didn’t feel safe or secure on this property. It didn’t need to be this way. The bathroom’s window didn’t have a screen and the window had fit issues. I don’t know if it was installed incorrectly or if it needs to be replaced, but it opens from the outside. The gates don’t have working locks, so anyone can walk into the yard and get in via that window.
Fumiko makes rules up as she goes along/after the fact, and expects you to comply with her unreasonable requests. One of the reasons I booked this AirBnB was because it was dog friendly. She didn’t have any stipulations on the pet policy when I booked. We arrived on Thursday evening. On Friday morning, Fumiko tells me I need to immediately clean up my dogs’ poop. That it was “stinking up the yard” and I was not allowed to have my dogs go potty in the yard. That I needed to talk my dogs for walks. I told her this was not in the listing and I never would’ve booked had she included that information. I explained I booked a property with a backyard because one of my dogs would not go on a leash or even off if it weren’t in a private space. That I would continue to allow my dogs to go potty because of these things and that I of course clean up after my dogs. I immediately cleaned up all of the poop in the yard, including poop left behind from past guests/owners. Despite departing with every-single-turd picked up, Fumiko tried to bill me additionally for my dogs going potty in the yard.
Additional issues with the yard include the trash (mainly food waste) and broken glass splayed throughout. This includes the front yard, backyard, and inside and outside of the fence. Fumiko and the unknown man left the alleyway full of trash on Saturday. Boxes, styrofoam, and broken glass were strewn about. Yet Fumiko claims to have a pristine yard. The CHEAP, tacky astroturf was awkward to walk on because they didn’t prepare the ground before they tossed the astroturf down. Everything was uneven and a major trip hazard.
In order to get inside the house, you have to walk across the dirt then astroturf before reaching the front door. She complained, and once again tried to charge me, for the dirt getting onto the astroturf. It rained while we were there and given the yard’s dirt, it couldn’t be prevented. I cannot help that she didn’t predict issues with the yard’s layout.
Fumiko tried to fine me again (surprise!) because of the non-existent issues she came up with when we departed. For one, she showed up 30-minutes prior to the listed departure time, stating us down as we loaded the car and cleaned the house. I needed to put my dogs in the car because whoever was with her kept opening the gate and threatened my dogs. It’s like they were trying to let the dogs loose on the busy street in front of the house. I wiped the counters down, swept the floors, and cleaned any spots with my own cleaning products prior to leaving the house. She left ZERO (minus the departure time) departure instructions, yet was unhappy with how I left the house. We used extra blankets during our stay, so I left them in a pile together to make it easier for her cleanup crew. She in turn took a photo of the blankets trying to use the photo as “evidence” that I left the house messy. Untrue.
On our final night there, my father slipped and fell in the tub-shower. I needed to call 911 for assistance. Maybe the firefighters added a few dirt clods to the astroturf. In all honesty, I’m surprised she didn’t try to charge me for “undeclared guests” on the property.
Beware of this listing. Fumiko makes up rules after she sees you (and she will watch you from the shed, via the cameras) do something she doesn’t like, then tried to exploit you for more money. AirBnB, after hearing my side, didn’t make me pay any of her unjustifiable fees added on after I departed. I’ve stayed in a dozen+ AirBnBs in multiple countries and Fumiko is the worst host I’ve ever encountered. Hosts also leave me great reviews, my issues with