Original-reservation: 6/15/22-6/29/22.
My wife-Isabel didn't have a chance to visit-NYC until now—a trip awaited for decades. We were so excited. Even her daughter flew there to meet us for the occasion. We also hung out with friends and my brother.
5/23/22 Earl requested my email and phone number to set-me-up with Keycafe. Info provided.
6/13/22 Since Airbnb had announced I would be receiving a link 2 days before check-in with lockbox instructions too, searched-found link. I started having-troubles with it. It asked me to download app, to set up account and payment information. I didn’t feel comfortable w/that. I contacted Keycafe, was told no app needed. Messaged Earl to help with confusion.
6/14/22 Earl replied only to offer me a refund. On the eve of my trip!
I contacted Keycafe, they confirmed access-code. I confirmed w/Earl check-in 6/15/22.
6/16/22 Asked Earl if there was a small dish-drying-rack. We realized his fire-staircase exit was blocked by an AC unit so I also asked if fire-extinguisher available.
He replied, I was lucky he forgot to remove a $400 discount and brought up a review against-me from old trip.
Though there was a smoke-alarm, a fire-extinguisher would have been a good idea since the fire-staircase exit was blocked. My question was genuine. Also I mentioned the shower/tub was hardly draining. The water started backing-up in seconds.
(Regarding that-Airbnb review, I had no idea about it. Rented by Awesome-Experiences. Nobody in The Woodlands party are smokers. We were in that town for a big family-reunion. Every single meal was-provided at my niece's estate. Only made coffee. Left place clean.
They didn't like it when I asked them to stop asking our information such as airline company-flight number before check-in. I guess as a retaliation they put a false review.
Anyone that sifts through the rest of our reviews they'll see that they are overwhelmingly positive.)
Back to-Earl’s-apartment. During afternoon/evening, we heard loud noises of somebody knocking on pipes coming from the apartment-below. Right after, building-super rang, he demanded to have the apartment available on 6/18/22 due to a broken water pipe. We told him that date wouldn't work for us due to our plans. He walked away abruptly. No chance to say another word. Immediately messaged Earl that we would be available the mornings of 6/20/22 or 6/21/22 instead.
He never replied regarding the options provided.
6/17/22 Got call from Airbnb right before our One World Trade Center tour. My wife’s daughter had arranged w/a friend of-hers that works-there to show us the 360° view from the 75th floor.
Anyway Airbnb rep stated that Earl had reached to them to report a broken water pipe and that he was requesting to alter my reservation check-out date to 6/22/22.
From the-beginning we wondered how a broken pipe was not treated immediately as an emergency. The broken water pipe was reported to us on 6/16/22. Earl should have called Airbnb to help us with another accommodation so that we could leave his place that same day. Instead, as explained above, the building-super told us to have the apartment available 2 days later, 6/18/22. Then Earl himself requested Airbnb to alter the check-out date for an even later date, 6/22/22. Is this how a broken water pipe is handled?
In the meantime, we had running-water and every-time we saw building-super he seemed very relaxed hanging-out at the front of the building.
6/18/22 After making sure we had a place to stay and confirming with-Airbnb that I would get refund for the unused days, I agreed w/altering the check-out date.
Our friends were leaving for a vacation on the exact-day. We had their gorgeous apartment to ourselves for the remainder of the trip.
6/19/22 Building-super left a note at our door: “to access Earl’s apartment 6/23/22”. Messaged Earl: Communication should be between host-guest only, already agreed to alter check-out date 6/22/22. Asked him if same lockbox access code to return keys.
That the bathroom has a leaky-toilet-tank. We had to put the old, taped flapper back in place every time we flushed the toilet. The toilet hardly flushed.
Earl replied if I wanted to check-out that same night. I asked him to stop offering more check-out-dates.
He replied saying that the building super has been his friend for 15 years.
6/22/22 Checked messages w/Earl, 6/9/22 message had check-out instructions. Followed them. It would have been easier to find them in his Check-In/Check-Out section. Keycafe had confirmed to use same access code.

6/27/22 I found an email from Airbnb dated 6/25/22, Earl had filed a claim against me. We contacted Airbnb, eventually saw his claim: the pipe busted and flooded the apartment below, that we refused to leave, hostile with the building-super. He is asking me to reimburse him for the week 6/22/22-6/29/22. We didn’t refuse to leave. We offered 2 alternate dates 6/20 and 6/21, he is the one who refused those options.
We have been in contact with Airbnb and we categorically reject his claim. Pictures he has attached don’t show signs of such a flood. His claim is ludicrous, based on-what he and his friend building-super say. It seemed building-super lives in below apartment too.
We left on the date he had altered the check-out date himself!
We agree w/other guests, Earl misrepresents the size of apartment.
Pictures of apartment misrepresent too. Found dining-table moved against wall. Underneath seating bench, big plastic-storage boxes. Exercise-bike in the way and between that and the wall, big items stored. A step and brooms w/plastic handles literally right-next to stove. Blocking the fire-staircase exit is a violation of NYC codes. All in all his apartment was not in rental conditions. Though location is good, thanks but-no-thanks.
We took pictures of everything-related. My wife and I were not born yesterday, we certainly are not going to let anyone to take advantage of us. We regret reserving our stay with this host. Worst Airbnb experience!