I’ll start with the outcome: The cleaning fee, after sending photos, was refunded to me by Airbnb. There was absolutely no debate that this rental needed to be better cleaned. AirBnB also confirmed they would be reviewing their standards with the host.
Pros: Hicham was accommodating last minute & with check in, and the sheets were clean. Friendly upon arrival. The couch coverings in the living room were pretty (but that isn’t where you’re spending most of your time.)
Cons: The house really really needs a deep clean and to be uncluttered. The tub was incredibly filthy and I had to clean it myself before using. The blinds in the bedroom are broken and so many slats missing that I needed to find and jerry rig pillowcases to cover the window (Ground floor level so would have been very uncomfortable to sleep w/o window coverings for privacy.)
There was an upholstered stool in the bedroom with so many gross stains on it that you wonder why they would’ve left it in the room they’re renting out.
There was some misunderstanding with his sister who lives there; I guess she doesn’t have the key to the main door (?) so I was supposed to leave that one open and just keep the gate door locked. This also seems strange for a rental, and it was disconcerting when somebody was trying to get into the house after midnight and I didn’t realize at first that it was just his sister.
As I had no other options and the sheets were clean, there were no bed bugs (so that was good), I stayed. I did not expect a room refund and I did not bring up the issues because I did not want a confrontation when it’s their house and you have no place else to go.
Hicham came by when I was leaving and asked how it was. I was honest, said the bed was fine, and addressed the bathroom situation and said I don’t think I should have to pay a cleaning fee when I had to clean it myself, and he became confrontational. He also told me I was “ungrateful,” which is funny when you are paying for a place.
As mentioned, after I sent photos, Airbnb refunded the cleaning fee.
It’s also not the same bedroom as in the photos; (even the windows are on 2 walls in the pics and 1 wall in real life), so don’t refer to the photos for your expectations.