There were a number of issues with my stay that ultimately resulted in needing to leave and book a last minute hotel after about 48 hours of attempting to find a resolution with the host. While she was nice about it in the beginning, she was quick to blame anyone but herself, wasn't helpful in finding solutions, and turned hostile once it was clear there wasnt a quick fix. Overall she seemed convinced I was somehow benefitting from the situation, rather than extremely inconvenienced by an appalling guest experience.
Rent at your own risk, here's a bit of what I encountered:
1) Bug infestation - hundreds of ants, flies and gnats in every room of the apartment as well as hovering outside the front door. There were traps out on the floor and fly swatters in the drawer, so it clearly wasn't a new issue. I had to go out and buy my own Raid after coming home on day two to a parade of hundreds of ants on the walls, counters, cupboards, floors, in the fridge/freezer, etc.
2) Broken fridge/freezer - Neither kept food at a safe temp, both were warm by my first morning there, costing me $50+ in groceries and takeout. Once I alerted the host, she had me coordinate repairs directly with her maintenance contractor, which was quite odd, and the suggested repairs (defrosting the coils) didn't end up working.
3) Water damage - All closet doors had been removed, all remaining doors were warped and didn't close properly. There was a significant portion of the kitchen floor that the host asked me to avoid stepping on. The whole apartment smelled like mildew, and there were bulky, noisy dehumidifiers and fans in every room.
4) Locks - The unit is falsely listed as having a keycode, when it actually relies on a set of cheap keys which have been duplicated so many times that they no longer work properly, suggesting that many extra copies of the key may be floating about with other past tenants.
5) Host accommodation - The host claimed to be unaware of these issues while simultaneously blaming them on her previous tenants who had just moved out that morning. Whether or not she knew in advance, it was her choice to leave less than 6 hours for transition between guests, and her responsibility to know the status of her own space. She became extremely offended when she realized that a minor discount wouldn't be sufficient to cover related expenses or get me a last-minute hotel. Luckily these were all clear violations of Airbnbs guest policy so I was entitled to a refund in full.
As I rushed to book my new hotel, repack my things, and load my car, the host stood by the front door and watched me drag each piece of luggage up the basement steps and down the sidewalk, asking each time if I was done yet. Less than two minutes after I brought out my last bag and handed her the keys, she messaged me about a dirty towel she was convinced wouldn't come clean in the wash, then literally chased me out to my car to harass me about it in person before I drove away.
Bizarre experience. The only positive was how horrified and helpful the Airbnb team was in getting my full refund processed so I could book a new stay. Thanks Airbnb!