DO NOT RENT. I've been using Airbnb as both a host and a guest nearly from the time it started becoming more popular than CouchSurfing. Airbnb needs to create a new category: SLUM-BnB. I have never given or received a rating less than 5 stars; but, people need to know the truth about this listing.
I don’t think Airbnb ever imagined that property management companies would take over large portfolios of rental units and treat as a nothing more than a financial investment. This listing’s interior was as bare-bones minimum as the inside of an apartment I rented as a young college graduate in Los Angeles in the 90’s. Old, bottom-of-the-line kitchen appliances. Literally nothing inside the place that added to a since of home or felt lived-in. No interior decor, no artwork, and no cleaning supplies.
I believe the review left by the person preceding mine. The place WAS dirty— dirty baseboards, dirty windows, dirty oven, cracks in the poorly-installed Pergo flooring and in the shower enclosure, dirty shower curtain, water marks on the furniture, filthy outdoor furniture covered in dirt and pine needles, ratty old door mat.... Despite requiring a minimum 30-day booking, there weren't any cleaning supplies other than a broom and dish soap. No laundry detergent, no DW soap, no hand soap, no vacuum... nothing.
Further, only one set of bed linens to last a month or longer; two thread-bare, small, mismatched bath towels; no wash cloths; no bath mat; no kitchen hand towels; no trash bags. One roll of paper towels; a couple rolls of toilet paper.
The photos in the listing are very inaccurate. There is no rug in the living room nor under the dining table. The sofa is not as pictured. There were no throw pillows on the sofa nor on the bed. All of the furniture feels and looks like thrift store purchases. The sofa was very uncomfortable and did not, as far as I could figure out, pull out into a bed (the listing says "sleeps four"). The butcher block kitchen counter hasn't been sealed in years and looks nothing like the one in the photos. No salt & pepper shakers, oil, coffee.... No dirty clothes hamper as shown in bathroom. One of the kitchen lights is just a light bulb dangling from the ceiling. There are stains on the mattress (I ended up buying a mattress pillow top for the uncomfortable mattress). The pillows are very used and flat; one in particular was disgustingly stained.
Parking is difficult. If it had not been for my disabled parking placard, I would have frequently needed to park several blocks away and/or move my car every few hours.
During my 2.5 month stay, four light bulbs needed replacing -- which the host asked me to do, claiming he'd dropped some off but "someone must have stolen them." The bedroom AC broke and took over a week to repair (without any updates from the host). The dishwasher broke and took 10 days to repair. The garbage disposal stopped working, which I tracked down to a fuse. If you are temperature sensitive, note that even with the living room window unit running (loudly) nonstop, it cannot cool the unit below low 70's.
There is an extremely loud barking dog next door just 3 feet from the living room windows, left unattended most of the day. When I complained to the host, he said there was nothing he could do. When I complained to the dog's owners, they accused me of making up the fact that I am permanently disabled.
I ended up extending my stay simply because it was easier not to have to move until I had to -- and because the location was just blocks away from a dear friend suffering from stage 5 Alzheimers who I was visiting in the Palisades. When I asked the host why the rate had gone up, he lied and said it was determined by Airbnb and that he had no control over the pricing. As a former host, I know for a fact you can lower the price to whatever you want, offer discounts, etc.
The host needs to look up the meaning of “bed and breakfast” as well as Airbnb’s mission statement. Other than being located in a rare location in Pacific Palisades, nothing about this place comes close to meeting Airbnb standards. I took photos documenting everything stated in this review and will be happy to post them on my personal website with a link if the host disputes anything I've written.
Based on the few number of reviews over the years of this listing and others managed my the host, my guess is that this property is mainly a business tax write-off, paid for simply by the enormous annual gains in real estate values and frequent refinancing. Investing in it as a welcoming, cozy, fully- designed Airbnb is clearly not the objective.