Bruce was friendly and tried to accommodate our needs by setting up a crib, and placing a highchair and doggy bowls for us upon arrival. Indeed he is very speedy with email/text communications.

Pros: The house is nice with plenty of sf charm, as is the yard. Most of the amenities were provided as listed. The neighborhood is convenient, and the nearby Walter Haas park is definitely a plus- we took our son every night.

Cons: (lowered star rating): This was my first time with Airbnb, but when I filter for whole home rentals and see a backyard in the pics, I expect to have the backyard. Bruce came into the yard nearly everyday to work, so we did not feel welcome there, nor could we allow our dog out. He also chose to paint the deck on our first night- claiming we would have access the next day. Unfortunately the paint did not dry that quickly. While the shower may well have been remodeled in 2013, it has a leak below the wand so it sprays everywhere, decreasing the water pressure and generally causing a slippery mess. The home appears to have 2 smoke detectors in the hallways, both of which lacked batteries; and there were no smoke detectors in the bedrooms, which I'm pretty sure is illegal, aside from the false advertising issue. Be sure to note these issues, if they continue to exist, within 24 hours to Airbnb, as I failed to do. We could fit 2 vehicles in the driveway, but we did not know that garbage night would require us moving a vehicle for a day, so the trash bins could be put out and returned. I did not respond to Bruce's text right away because I was 5 minutes away and about to move the car per his request, so he contacted my mother- whose number he had because she was there doing childcare onsite during the day..that was weird at best.

Neutral fyi (no stars deducted): Maybe a crib and highchair are enough to be designated family/kid friendly. But for my mobile entropy-loving 15-month-old the space was not suitable. There are many trinkets, books and ceramics which we had to rearrange/move to prevent damage. There are two sets of stairs which were difficult to block- we had to move some furniture, as our safety gate was not wide enough. The cabinet handles were securable with cable ties, luckily. Honestly we rented this place for our dog to have the yard otherwise we would have gotten a hotel room, which would require less baby-proofing etc., but oh well.

Other folks might not experience the intrusion we felt, as we booked quite late, out of necessity. So it seemed Bruce had planned to do maintenance work during a vacancy and despite taking our money (full rate) chose to go ahead anyway, since he had taken time off from work.