I have never left a negative review for someone online before, but this was a really bad experience:
- Ryan didn’t let us check in on our check-in date because he had the place painted at the last minute and it wasn’t complete. This disrupted our travel plans.
- The next night when we were finally allowed to check in, the place was a mess.
- There was dust and grime everywhere from the paint job. The paint job wasn’t even complete and there were exposed electrical outlets and painters tape everywhere.
- The place also had a very strong smell to it. To me it smelled like mildew or mold. Days after leaving my clothes still smelled like mildew and dust.
- The place had not been cleaned before we arrived. The shower had dirt and hair in the drain and the glass of the shower was covered in grime, and there was a used loofa. The sinks in the bathroom/kitchen were dirty.
- The place was cluttered with the owner’s personal items. Every closet, cabinet, and drawer was filled with his stuff, so we had nowhere to unpack. Even the space under the bed and couch were packed with his stuff.
- The medicine cabinet in the bathroom was also filled with his stuff, including partially used bottles of cold medicine.
- It was very difficult to sleep in the apartment because the bedroom window is right next to a bright street lamp and the curtains are literally made of paper and don’t block any light.
- Every surface in the kitchen was covered with stuff, so we couldn’t even use the stove without having to move knives, cutting boards, and other items that were stored on top of it.
- Outside the apartment is not much better. There was a swarm of flies right outside of the door to the apartment.
- The street this apartment is on is dirty, covered in dust and rat and pigeon droppings. The first night when I walked down the street I saw at least 5 large rats.
- I used to live in Astoria for close to 8 years and I love the neighborhood, so I know that not all of Astoria is dirty like this.
- Ryan promised to fix things, but didn’t begin cleaning the place until the second week of our stay. We were forced to leave the apartment so he could finish the paint job, clean, and remove his personal items, so we had to find other accommodations for that time.
- When we tried to work things out with Ryan, he was a bit condescending, telling us we had to “lower our standards”, saying that our expectations of a clean apartment were “unreasonable”. All we asked for was a clean and comfortable place to stay that matched what was advertised in the photos.
- Ultimately we had to cancel our stay and resolve things with Airbnb to get a refund.