Host violates the laws and is a lier! Terribly loud and unsafe place! Avoid it!
So, we’ve rented this place for a week and when we’ve arrived at place we found there is a huge construction going on at the property - they are building a new house in a few feet from the guest house we’ve rented.
First day we came, before entering the rented apartment, I asked the lady who met us: “What about the construction? Will you continue it and what time frame?” She said: “Works are from 9am to 3-4pm. Let us know, if it is a problem.” Well, next day noise started at 8am and people began to walk and work in front of our windows. I texted them: “Good morning. Yesterday when we were checking in I asked about the time frame of construction works during the day. Martha said from 9am till around 3-4pm. Now it is 8am and noise is already started coming, so we woke up and can't sleep. When I reserved your place I wasn't even informed about any construction works on site. Can we please find a solution? We are ok with time frame 9am-4pm. Thank you.” They literally gave us only one option - to move out: “Yes we apologize if the construction was not informed, I also hear noise coming from across the street which we cannot help, if you'd like we can accommodate a full refund for the remainder nights. And/ or the neighborhood noise constraints are 7-5 during the week and 8-5 on weekends- “. For us moving out was not an option at all. We had plenty of plans and had no time nor energy for that. My wife’s dad and mom were in instant care in the hospital both at the same time. We had a lot of sleepless nights already last few weeks.
They lied about construction noise coming from across the street, because noise was coming exactly from the building they are building right in front of our windows. But still we went out and walked around to check to be 100% sure. No any construction works there in a few blocks and nobody else was making noise. It is the only one construction site in the whole neighborhood. So it was a total lie from them. And usually you can figure out if noise and vibration is right in front of your window or not, you know...
I don’t find it “friendly” either to offer to move out and to let me know the times they can officially do construction works instead of finding a compromise. I don’t think host should treat guests this way. Anyway we had no choice...
They were even jackhammering right in front of our windows.
Here is one of the videos we took:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FcbdUlQudbT92gUrBEmxrqD1LDxG9ugW/view?usp=drivesdk
Often tranches were open on our way and of course we had construction dust...
On Sunday we thought we will finally have a good sleep and rest. But no way. Host and his workers violated Long Beach City code and continued their construction works on Sunday morning even it is prohibited on Sundays. They texted me a few minutes ahead that they were going to use 1 loud machine for 20 mins. Instead they started using 2 heavy machines at one time and it lasted for 1,5 hour instead of promised 20 mins and just one machine.
They were cutting and braking concrete sidewalk near the guest house we’ve rented with powerful saw and jackhammer.
So they violated the law and lied to me again. May be noise lasted longer, I don’t know, cause we moved out right away.
So we had just to move out 1 day earlier right away due to absolutely impossible to stay there in those conditions. I texted them our move out notice at time of leaving.
They texted me back, that they had “emergency works”.
Well, nobody ever told us about “emergency”.
We had no any problems with water or electricity or something else either.
But guess what, host will find a new story to tell again.
By the way, for emergency construction works they must have had city permit, which one they didn’t have either. One more violation.
Host then mentioned in his texts that we got a discounted rate due to construction works - I think host should mention it BEFORE check in, but not in the end of our stay and using as an excuse.
I never got promised refund for 1 day left either.
We think our health and safety could be compromised also, due to active construction works on site and absolutely nobody out of 6 people there had no any face coverings / masks (another one violation of Los Angeles and Long Beach ordinance to have masks on due to COVID-19).
Not mentioning it is a disrespect to the guests during to deadly worldwide pandemic.
Due to construction works we could’t have any privacy of course too, because of workers walking and working and talking in front of our windows.
Of course we could close blinders and curtains and sit in darkness, but it was not what we paid for.
I have plenty of pictures and videos to support my words.
And in the end - yes, apartment looked nice, pretty clean overall, but no so “crispy clean and fresh”, how other guests described.
Fridge was dirty and had a thick layer of dust on it (fridge is just a few feet away from the bed).
Smell was bad in apartment.
I think “fresh” smell was created by hosts just with Febreze Fresh Linen air freshener spray we found on the shelf.
Also they have central conditioning connected with main house and in the evenings they liked to turn on AC, which we could not control and it was blowing almost above our bed.
The only option was to close ventilation, but it began to whistle, so we just had to turn on heater and put multiple clothes on.