I’m so disappointed to have to write a negative review. There were just too many issues here.
I’m unfamiliar with the general Chicago area and was hesitant when I saw how inexpensive this listing was, but the reviews were mostly positive so I thought why not. Sonia was communicative and helpful before our trip, so I had no worries. However, when we checked in, the room was not at all as described. It wasn’t made clear in the description that each room was rented out, and there is only one small bathroom for multiple guests. That in and of itself wasn’t a huge issue but it would’ve been helpful to know beforehand. The biggest issue is the cleanliness. The bedroom was dusty and the sheets were VERY old and dingy. They seemed clean but no elasticity remaining in them so they just came right off the bed. The common areas were cluttered and there was still a Christmas tree up (it’s May), and the fridge smelled like old food and the counter/sink were quite dirty. The bathroom was by far the worst. I didn’t really notice until I took a shower the next day. There is mold. Everywhere. The grout is covered in red algae/mold and there is black mold in the shower and the grout/windowsill. The toilet was dirty and the sink clearly hadn’t been cleaned recently. The shower doors didn’t move properly and the sides of the tub were covered in grime/hair from past guests. I took the fastest shower I’ve ever taken and jumped out because I couldn’t stand to be in there. My friend and I both have bad allergies and between the mold and the secondhand cigarette smoke coming from the smokers staying there too, we woke up quite ill. There are also old milk jugs filled with water and cigarette butts on the front porch and the smell is horrible.
The listing also said that there were extra bathroom products just in case guests forgot something, and those “products” seemed to be just random half used bottles of shampoo and conditioner from other guests cluttered all over the bathroom. We also indicated that there would be 2 guests for five days, and the listing said towels were provided. We had one medium towel and one small towel waiting with no extras anywhere to be seen. Both towels were white at one point but are now dingy and had big stains on them.
We packed up fairly quickly and had to make emergency arrangements as we could not stay another night. We were supposed to stay 5 nights, we only stayed one. I messaged Sonia and let her know of the issues and requested a refund of the nights we didn’t stay and the cleaning fee. We were offered a 50% refund since it was last minute and told that “the sheets were cleaned between guests” which didn’t address the issues I brought up at all. I had to get Airbnb involved and apparently Sonia told them that they clean the bathroom/common areas every day which clearly isn’t true, especially as I had provided pictures to Airbnb. We did get the refund we wanted but it’s unfortunate it had to go that far.
I do hate being a confrontational person and wanted to love this little space but unfortunately it’s just a big health concern. Hopefully this review helps future guests!