After spending all of 2020 at various Airbnbs across the country, Natascha’s unit is the first that I would NOT recommend. While the unit is standard and has a great location, dealing with Natascha on issues was an absolute nightmare.
Pros:
* Great location. 1 block from a park.
* Safe and quiet street.
* Ample 2 hour parking (DC was not ticketing).
* Bathroom is newer; above average shower.
Cons:
* Inaccurate photo of the bedroom.
* Inaccurate listing. Unit has no dryer.
* Poor WiFi reception in bedroom. Note, the unit has no access to modem/router for an Ethernet cable, creating WFH issues if you work in the bedroom.
* Design was prioritized over comfort or practical uses. For example, the chairs are too low for the table and incredibly uncomfortable. If you will work from the table, consider buying a cushion or buying your own chair.
* Refrigerator is closer in size to a mini-fridge. Freezer is almost non-existent.
* Bizarre trash rules.
* Few outlets in bedroom, some are 2 pronged—meaning, good luck plugging in a computer or surge protector.
The biggest issue, BY FAR, was dealing with Natascha. On night one, when opening the bedroom door, the door knob completely detached causing the latch to be stuck. With no tools, we were stuck in the bedroom (stupidly, the front door had the chain lock, so crawling out the window to open the front door was not an option). We fell back asleep and at 9:30am contacted Natascha, explaining the problem and that we needed to call a locksmith. Rather than offer to help, she dismissed the issue by saying “that’s strange, Ive NEVER had that issue”. No help whatsoever. We called a locksmith, who got us out an hour later and charged $250. Conveniently, after sending the bill to Natascha, she claimed that she “could have sent [her] handyman.” She dismissed the invoice, saying “that’s crazy,” and argued the charge should be less than $150.
Soon after, Natascha stopped responding on Airbnb. More importantly, she never sent the $250 (or even the $150 she thought was fair). She ignored our messages, finally emerging a few days later to demand that her handyman be allowed entry in less than 24 hours to fix the door. She proudly stated she will not reimburse the $250 and to take up the issue with Airbnb. While we try to discuss with Natascha, she proceeds into a full blown rant—arguing we should have contacted her first (which we did), that she would have fixed it herself (she offered no help when it occurred) and that we have no right to “just hire anyone at the most expensive rate out there and expect me to pay you back.” Natascha claimed this was the first time in 6 years her door had an issue (not sure why that would matter) and accused us of doing something wrong by shutting or locking the door, stating “…you are in a private apartment and there’s no one else in the unit.”) According to Natascha, we “could’ve opened it with a safety pin” and somehow deserve to be stuck with the bill.
Natascha has the gall to calls us rude and then threatens to invoice us for her handyman’s appointment that she unilaterally set and canceled. Over the 10 days, we asked Natascha a few more questions about the unit, and naturally, she ignored each message. We then spent hours with Airbnb to resolve the outstanding invoice.
We understand this is a business and avoidable expenses or obtaining a cheaper repair is the name of the game. But, there was nothing else we could have done. We were literally stuck in the bedroom for nearly 6 hours, and Natascha nickel and dimes us because we couldn’t just wait it out half the day for her handyman to get us out at maybe a cheaper rate. It was ridiculous. Not only did she show no empathy to her guests, but she almost immediately became defensive, accused us of wrongdoing, and responded with unnecessary name calling.
Even if this apartment was perfect (which it is far from), I would stray far from Natascha’s properties.