This airbnb is operating without legal license, as confirmed to me by Oakland code enforcement. When Izzy rents this for under 30 days, such as to me, that is illegal under the law.
When I arrived, Izzy had taken apart my only sink. The sink was not repaired for days because, according to Izzy, their preferred person was too drunk to work. Izzy did not make provisions to allow me to use one of the other sinks in the house—while the listing said kitchen access is negotiable, this was not true during my stay. This left me living in a space that did not meet the basic legal definition of habitability. When I challenged Izzy about this, they told me it was my responsibility to communicate my need for functioning plumbing before I arrived. I was not offered any discount or refund for this time.
Izzy’s dog Lucky is not “friendly.” The dog is loud, large, and untrained, as are the other dogs that Izzy brings to the property.
There is no binder like you would expect to find at an airbnb. Be prepared to continue finding notes with rules during your stay and for new rules to be levied arbitrarily.
Despite signage about trans solidarity, Izzy did not once use my correct pronouns. When I challenged them on this, they began a campaign of illegal harassment until I decided to just leave. Airbnb support collaborated with Izzy on this harassment campaign.
When I booked this rental, I thought I was booking a safe and healthy space for me as I began my new job in the bay. When my experience was so different from Izzy’s rating, I felt a little crazy at first. As their behavior escalated, I dug deeper into the reviews for this unit. I saw a number of generic and repeat reviews burying a review from March 2021 that very accurately reflected my experience staying with Izzy. If I had seen that review and especially Izzy’s response to it then I would have understood what I was getting into and never booked a room.
Izzy’s response to this review was very similar to how Izzy responded to my questions and requests: by suggesting that the issue was rooted in personal difference and writing off any relevant criticism. Izzy, if you think that someone has to be or think like you in order to deserve basic needs like housing, then you are not inclusive. Being inclusive as a host means creating an housing environment that can support a variety of guests, no matter how similar different they are from you. You have to do better.