This home has pretty stained glass and hardwood floors, an updated downstairs bathroom, and lots of natural light. It’s near a grocery store, Frenchmen St. and is a short walk to the Quarter. Unfortunately, that’s where the charm ends. The home is unsafe, unsanitary, and unmaintained. The host was unprofessional and tried to coerce us into leaving a five-star review. Read on for the details …
I was traveling with a friend, and we chose this home in large part because we could have separate, private sleeping areas and separate full bathrooms. That didn’t work out as planned.
After sleeping upstairs one night, I discovered that the railing right next to the bed and stairwell was loose and posed a safety risk. If you accidentally bumped into it, there was a danger of it giving way, resulting in a fall down the stairs.
Then, when I pulled back the shower curtain in the upstairs bathroom, I discovered the tub had standing water in a depression in the middle of the tub, along with a dirt ring and crazing.
The host came over to attempt to fix the loose railing, but after screwing in a few small brackets, he said he could not improve its stability. He looked at the tub, agreed that the standing water in it was “gross,” and said he fixed it, but he didn’t. (It frankly couldn’t be fixed because the issue with the tub was its age and deteriorated condition.)
At this point, I deemed that the upstairs was unusable and I needed to shower downstairs (sharing a bathroom with my friend), and sleep in the dining room “bedroom,” but I hoped still to use the upstairs bathroom toilet and sink. That was until I saw a giant cockroach running around the bathroom on the third night of our stay. I texted the host a video of the cockroach, and he offered to come over and spray Raid or “catch it.” We declined because it was 9:15 pm, we didn’t want to breathe Raid chemicals, and we didn’t understand how he intended to catch a cockroach infestation.
So, now here I was stuck sleeping downstairs in the dining room “bedroom” and sharing the downstairs bathroom with my friend due to all these problems. Look closely at the listing’s photos. You will see that what should be the dining room has a bed in it, and that “bedroom” offers no privacy. And, while the home sleeps eight, the only inside dining table is located in a stairwell next to the washer/dryer and only seats three people.
Also downstairs, the kitchen door had a broken door sweep, creating a gap under the door which allowed in a lizard that we were then cohabitating with for the remainder of our stay. Also, the kitchen lacks some basics: no salad bowl, strainer, peeler, or the listing’s promised essentials of salt, pepper and cooking oil.
There are a few other things to be aware of so you have the proper expectations about this house: neither bathroom has any storage space for toiletries except for a downstairs medicine cabinet. In addition, the furniture throughout the house is “budget.” For example, the upstairs dresser looks nice in photos but seems to be cardboard covered in fabric.
Had we brought a car, we would have had to clear the garage of scattered scrap wood and cinderblocks before pulling in. The outside “bench” is cinderblocks topped with loose fence planks. It’s unusable. The small outdoor table has room for 1-2 plates only.
The location is loud and bright at night. We were kept up nightly by street racing, cars blasting music, and the bar on the corner. The home shook at times due to traffic.
Also, be aware that you will be dealing with a property management company and not directly with the homeowner. You might think this would ensure a higher level of professionalism, but it didn’t. At first, the host was polite and responsive, but as problems mounted and we asked for a partial refund due to the unusable upstairs (loose railing, standing water in the tub, and cockroaches), he said he’d give a discount ONLY if we left a five-star review. We declined, telling him it was unethical to require a false five-star review to receive a discount. As we continued to advocate for a discount, he continued to insist on a five-star review as a condition. Then the host stopped communicating entirely and wouldn’t even tell us the check-out procedure when we asked. At this point, we contacted Airbnb corporate to discuss a resolution. We also did a video walkthrough before departing to ensure we documented that we left the home neat and clean because, by now, trust was broken.
If a convenient location is your priority, this may be your place. But be prepared for the home’s shortcomings and possible problems with the host. I am not a person who expects a “hotel experience” from an Airbnb by any means. But I do expect it to be safe, sanitary, and well-maintained. I also presume courtesy and reasonableness from the host. If you feel the same, pass on this property.