There was multiple rats in and out of the apartment unit. When I ordered a cleaner to come, they found fresh rodent droppings, a rodent nest under the sink, and rodent droppings that had aged at least a few months (all in the kitchen and bedroom). I tried to work with Cesca to resolve this, and as much as she communicated with me, she did nothing to help my stay or provide any compensation or support. I ended up having no place to stay in nyc and had to call family in New Jersey to come and pick me up. Meanwhile, cesca stayed in a hotel near by and then opted to sleep in the air bnb when I left, while she was supposed to solve the rodent issue and refund me for the nights I did not stay there. Because I made the mistake of personally messaging with her instead of talking about it through air bnb messaging, I was screwed out of a refund and spent 350$ on cleaning the apartment (that was clearly never cleaned before I got there). Had I been refunded the way it was promised and discussed, I would have had respect for the situation and said although the apartment is old, clearly in need of better management (packages will get stolen if you order any by the way so you need to re route all of them), and clearly rat prone due to being an old building… it’s in a convenient location. With that said, as a single female… I was constantly apologizing for not wanting to stay in an apartment with rat sightings (multiple sightings in the UNIT) because apparently that’s the norm in New York. I can now confirm, now that I have a place of my own in nyc, that was absolutely disgusting and disrespectful. No one should have to tolerate that when your OVERpaying for a place to stay in the city. Also, good luck with the bedding made available. It hasn’t been washed. And from what I gathered, she won’t help you to wash them. Lastly, while she communicates well, it doesn’t add up to the misplacement I faced while in a city I just moved to.
Also, before the rats even occurred, the toilet randomly started flooding while I was out one morning, and when I came back the bathroom had flooded into the kitchen.. and guess what? No one could help me. The super doesn’t help and cesca simply puts the blame on the renter. Even though I wasn’t even in the apartment when it occurred. Again, I overlooked this, because I thought it was a one time situation. Nope. The friendly neighbors told me they were moving out of the building asap because they have experienced leaks/plumbing issues/moldy floors and the building management does nothing to help. So there’s that to look forward to too if you make the mistake of staying here like I did.
Lastly, the sketchiest thing about it all, you’re not allowed to say you’re staying in an air bnb to anyone who asks. She asks that you say you’re a friend of hers staying there for a bit. Yeah. And she only informs you of this after you booked the place. Pretty sure that’s against policy and I also paid for an Airbnb…. Not to be “a friend staying there.” Maybe that’s why management sucked. Not my responsibility to lie to your neighbors and building management so you can make money off of people shamelessly. Oh and be ready to ask her to buzz your food orders/friends in every time you’re there. Communication isn’t the issue here, it’s the value of the communication and the integrity to stand by agreements made. Huge waste of time. Huge waste of stress. Never again. Don’t waste your money. But do enjoy Chinatown if you do… not every building/air bnb is like this one… but this one was my worst experience and definitely had made me hesitant. Also.. never text privately! Only use air bnb. She’ll use that against you when you run into issues like I did. Thanks but no thanks. Hire a cleaner for your next tenant please. And wash the bedding. That’s basic necessities.
Also, when there’s been feces that are clearly dried up from months ago in the kitchen, in addition to very fresh droppings…. I’m pretty sure she knew there was a rodent issue in the building. Good luck.