This place was generally clean and nice enough for many, but it's more of an in-law's suite than a private apartment or "entire home," as listed. That said, I had a dozen issues, many detailed below.
Making matters worse, after sharing my issues with the owners (and making clear that this place was not up to my standards nor did I think it was fair to have spent nearly $1,000 for a place where their dog repeatedly pissed on my floor), they offered me a discount on a future stay -- further showing me they're not listening to my concerns. The appropriate reaction is an apology and a partial refund.
Some of my issues with the location:
1) The entrance is dark, little to no lighting, and felt difficult to use at night. The garage door has no light, so at night it's impossible to see without a phone flashlight, and then you have to walk through the dark garage (careful not to trip on the uneven pavement) to get to the basement door & light switch.
2) The noise level was much worse than I expected, given the mention in the post of "occasional light footsteps." They weren't light, nor occasional. People & the dog walking back & forth, muffled conversations, and a very loud gush of water coming through a pipe in the kitchen/living room every time someone flushed a toilet above. The reverse side of this issue is I felt I had no privacy. It felt like my TV watching and work conversations could be overheard. To note: I live in NYC and this noise was considerably worse than anything I've ever heard in an NYC apartment.
3) As if the daily noise wasn't bad enough, the first morning as I'm trying to enjoy some coffee and start my workday with a conference call, extra loud banging begins on the floors above, lasting at least 30 minutes and forcing me to cancel my work call. I did receive an apology via AirBNB message after the construction had already begun. Simply having given me a heads-up would have allowed me to make other arrangements.
4) Making matters worse, while I’m trying to get some work done and enjoying the beautiful weather (and a beautiful backyard!) with the back door ajar... the dog — who I’m sure is otherwise super amazing — peed on the patio, which splatted at the steps of my open door, and onto my living room floor just feet from me. This happened at least 3 times while I was visiting.
This couple seems super nice, and I love what they're trying to do with the place. It just wasn’t right for me and had it been more accurately advertised, I would have never booked it.
The dog is such a hard situation, as I understand he’s older so I assume he can’t climb the steps easily. I have dogs, and I love them, but I don’t want their piss raining down feet from where I’m sitting. Shit happens — or in this case, piss — but this just isn’t acceptable for a place I’m spending nearly a thousand dollars to rent.
I provided these suggestions to the hosts, expanding a little here:
- Please clarify on the AirBNB public description that this is not ideal for business stays. Folks who need to take business calls, video conference calls, or host meetings will not find this place comfortable or appropriate for business purposes. The wifi signal was OK, but the cell signal was minimal to none, further complicating things.
- Please provide more details on the public profile clarifying how the apartment is accessed and provide a picture of the inside of the garage. For safety, I'd suggest adding light and switch outside the garage door, and another directly inside the garage door. These could be motion sensors and would help tremendously with using the locks at night.
- Please clarify this is not a full kitchen, but a partial kitchen with most amenities. There is no oven.
- Unless I missed something, there is not Cable TV provided, as listed... there was a TV and an Apple TV connection in which users had to login to their own cable accounts.
- Due to the noise level and the feeling that I was living in the same house as you, I would suggest you change the listing from “Entire House” to “Shared," and also clarify the statement that noises will be clearly heard above, including walking, conversations, and water flushing through pipes that run directly through the kitchen/living room.
- The whole place is a basement, and so while it's clean and nicely styled, it still smells like a basement.
In full disclosure, I didn't reach out to the owners during the visit to address these issues. I already felt uncomfortable enough sleeping feet below them, I didn't see any benefit in making them feel uncomfortable about the noise or an aging dog. The TV wasn't that important and the needed Iron was in a rushed moment and they weren't home, so it wouldn't have mattered.
To note: If it were priced more reasonably, I think this could be a great place to stay for individuals or older couples who don't mind the noise, go to sleep early, and/or won't be spending much time in the apartment.