I have only had to request a transfer one other time on my 11 years using Airbnb. For incidental and honest mistakes I am happy to resolve directly with the host, but I felt this was a case of gross negligence that prospective guests should be wary of.
I have no qualms with the unit being a basic and modest, but when it comes to cleanliness and misleading details I have a big problem:
1) A 4-foot line of white-blue-gray fluffy/powdery substance along the windowsill coming out of the cracks (presumably from rain). 99% certain this was mold, a health issue.
2) Rusty metals in the bathtub
3) The showerhead was yanked out of the wall, leaving a 4" gaping hole straight into the drywall
4) The mirror is aggressively peeling all over the bottom, unlike the flawless-looking mirror in the listing photos
5) Paint is peeling and chipping (e.g. by the doorhandle) and generally the walls are chipping.
6) The walls are greasy, and I mean the kind of grease from human hands and hair. The bed has no headboard and so the painted wall where people sleep is covered in a layer of grease and grime.
7) The walls have endless black scuffs.
8) The floor was sticky with several long hairs stuck to the floor in both the bathroom and the main room.
When I see one or two issues in a unit I don't make an issue of it and let the host know privately. When I see 8 issues that are this egregious, it's very clear to me that the owner does not care. This is not a case of " the cleaning person missed a few things," this is a profound show of negligence and disregard for the health and comfort of their guests. The unit should be de-listed and only permitted to re-list after Airbnb conducts a thorough review.
It took me 6 hours to find a new place. I did not contact the owners to remedy the situation because it was not a situation that could reasonably be remedied. The place was a trainwreck and no quick triage would resolve this.