First time BnBer. I stayed with Peace and her family for 5 weeks in August. I am attending Western University and needed a place close enough to campus.
Pros:
*The room is located on the first floor right next to the front door, so it's pretty easy to come in and out without too much fuss, which is helpful if you plan to go out at night. It's also right across from the kitchen which is convenient and your private bathroom is around the corner as well as the dryer and washer. All around a convenient room location.
*The residence is pretty close to campus if you're a student, whether if you're driving or catching the bus. The bus takes around 10-15 minutes to get there.
*They have all the amenities as listed. Room comes with a desk, lamp, two chairs, and a closet with hangers. It also has several cubbies that you can use to store whatever however you want.
*Peace was a nice host and was very helpful. She's the one who told me about the bus route to the campus which saved me cash on catching an Uber everyday.
Cons:
*The biggest con was that the advertising for this airbnb was not accurate. The pictures used was obviously old ones taken from the internet and not representative of the current status. You can tell by the kitchen and living room having different layout and decorations. This wouldn't be much of a problem but the bedroom shown is not the room that you're given. It's different in layout and content. The most striking difference is the bed. It's not a regular one as shown but one of those Asian type ones. Low to the ground with a firm hard mattress. I know there are people who like or even prefer that but I'm not one of them. The first week was terrible when it came to sleep and I had to get my mattress topper from home to be able to sleep comfortably. I don't think it was done on purpose but it's a big misstep because I made my choice based on the pictures. I might not have chosen this place if I knew what the room was like. I implore Peace to update her listing with accurate pictures of the home and room so future tenants are better informed.
*I got the feeling they didn't understand what listing Kitchen as an amenity meant at first. When I first came, they had no fridge space ready for me and could only offer a single small shelf. I had to bring my mini fridge from home as well so I could store more food. Eventually they got a new fridge and I got the top shelf that was much larger so it's a moot point now but it was still something I had to deal with. They also took off Kitchen and only put fridge, toaster, and microwave during my stay so they probably weren't big on how much cooking I did. I wouldn't recommend this listing for long stays unless you're planning to eat takeout most of the time.
*While it's quiet most of the time, there were times when I could hear someone moving around above me. Not enough to be obnoxious but it was a thing. I just put on headphones when it went on too long.
Summary
My stay was mostly nice, but it did come with me doing inconvenient things to make it so. Peace is a new host having just joined this year so I can forgive them making mistakes. Better communication on my part might have helped. I wish them luck in the future.
Recommended things to bring:
*Desk fan - I was living here in August and it was hot. They have an AC but it's not on all the time. If you're planning on staying during the summer, I would recommend a desk fan.
*Bug spray - Like I said, the room is located right next to the front door. I had to deal with ants the first week. It might have just been the heat driving them inside but it was something I needed to use a spray for.
*Slippers - They prefer to not wear outside shoes in the house so I would bring slippers you can wear.
*Shower mat
*Towels/wash clothes/loofahs