Mixed review. Great place (4.5 stars), not so great host (2 stars).
Excellent location, cute basement apartment, wonderful back porch and pool. Early check in allowed, & Salvador was hospitable for 4 of the 7 nights I was there. He seemed to be a welcoming host, including when on arrival I discussed having 2 or 3 friends over to use the pool at night, which he said was totally fine. His welcoming attitude changed when I got caught up in a feud he has with his neighbor by letting a friend with disabilities park in the driveway so she wouldn’t have to walk the 100+ feet from the street to the backyard. In his listing, the photo of the driveway is labeled “Guest Parking and Entrance”, so, although we did not discuss it, I didn’t see it as being an issue, especially considering my friends physical limitations. I viewed it as no more a violation of terms than if I used the bathroom or kitchen. For reference, the driveways are adjoined, each 1 car wide and 4 or 5 cars deep. Due to the way Salvador parks (at the end of his drive), it is necessary, even when walking to the unit entrance, to go onto the neighbor’s driveway to get around his car. I have lived in such a set-up, and with easement and right to pass, it is fairly common to use the other drive to get around parked cars. In this case, however, the neighbor, who for the rest of the time I was there parked on the street, out of pettiness & spite, decided to block my friend in by moving her car to the end of her driveway. When we noticed this and I asked Salvador to please move his car so she could get out, his demeanor shifted drastically.
He almost immediately began yelling & cursing at me for trespassing on the neighbor’s property by using her half of the driveway to get in. It was clear that he was transferring his frustration with his neighbor to me (which he readily admitted he was doing, though it did not stop the yelling and cursing). He refused to hear me when I explained my friends special needs & the confusion in the listing (apparently parking is not allowed, despite verbiage to the contrary). He made her feel borderline threatened, to a point she got in her car and locked the doors, even suggesting I move out. After she left, when I mentioned Easement and Right of Passage (which I did so he could maybe work things out with his neighbor), he insulted and mocked me for so “absurd” for “trying to teach him the law”.
The next day, he took away pool usage for that night, making me uncomfortable to use it thereafter, which was the reason I rented there in the first place. I had 3 respectful people over for 2 of the 7 nights, which I cleared with him on check in, and he assured me was fine. It was only after the parking incident that he repeatedly began accusing me of having “parties every night” (not sure when 4 people talking at respectful levels became a party). He also began complaining about me using the air conditioner too much, and after checkout, all but accused me of stealing the back of the remote control for the TV, which I noted was not there on check in.
Additionally, he continued to rant about how I had no right to use the driveway (which was only done the one time for a special needs friend), stating that it was his alone and it was “ridiculous to think I had a right to use it”. He refused to accept that the confusion was because his listing shows a photo of the driveways and states “Guest Parking & Entry”, which he blamed on Air BnB for their template. I told him that his yelling and cursing (including at least 2 F*** off’s) was not ok, and that just because he was having issues with his neighbor (whom he repeatedly referred to in derogatory and sexist terms), it didn’t give him the right to verbally attack me or my friends like he did. That said, I have also had bad neighbors, so I attempted to be empathetic. I spent 20 years in the military, so I have a decent ability to remain calm and try to work things out with people who are agitated. Unfortunately, Salvador was not interested in doing the same.
After check out, I texted him & tried to tell him how he made me & my guests uncomfortable & make suggestions on how it can be handled better for other guests. I let him know I was understanding and respectful of the situation with his neighbor, & was not going to pursue it with Air BnB or a negative review, but he should really consider how he treated me and my guests. He responded by insulting me & doubled down on his justification for yelling and cursing, rather than accepting that perhaps he reacted inappropriately and acknowledging that his listing had a confusing element. He even went so far as to say “If you don’t give me a bad review, I won’t give you one”, which I thought would be detrimental to any future guests who get caught up in his issues. I made several attempts to get him to hear me, to no avail. Hence this review. I am hoping to avoid having another guest get caught up in his feud with his neighbor & be made to feel as uncomfortable as I was for something as basic as a misunderstanding about a parking spot.