Please let me preface this by saying that I have stayed in quite a few different airbnb’s and am not a terribly fussy guy. I’ve written very, very few bad reviews here. Also, Alba seems like a very nice person overall, so none of the issues that follow seems to be from any ill intent on her part.
This is going to be long. I apologize in advance.
Let’s start with the heating system. Nighttime outdoor lows during our stay were 33-39° F (0.6 - 3.9° C). Upon our arrival at about 7pm, I’d asked Alba if the heat could be turned on. She replied fairly soon after that “it is automatic” and that “it is on right now” and that “extra blankets are in the closet”. I told her that the radiators had not come on and that we were quite cold. She then replied, “OK I’ve raised the temperature”. (So, it’s automatic, but set to come on at too low of a temperature?) The radiators came on, making a lot of noise as if they had not been used a long while. It warmed up and we went to bed. The radiators in the southeast bedroom and the living room had leaked puddles onto the floor so that when I awoke to use the bathroom my socks got soaked. The system was then turned off again in the middle of the night so by 4am the apartment was again cold.
The second night, I had to again ask Alba to turn on the heat. She said, “Yes I’ve raised the temperature. There’s a knob by the radiator. Turn it so it’s halfway from open to close. Don’t let it be all closed, or all opened.” The radiators came on making usual radiator noises but much more quietly this time. We followed Alba’s instructions, thinking she must know her heating system well. About four hours after we went to bed, we were awakened by heat in the apartment well over 95° F (32° C) and had to shut down the radiators and open all the windows to cool the place down. It would be nice to leave the radiators on and adjusted to a reasonable setting prior to guests’ arrival, and supply some written instructions for those unfamiliar with radiator systems, to allow them time to figure out the system before they go to bed. We adjusted the valves so that some were completely closed and others just barely, barely opened. The temperature remained a bit warm but we were then able to sleep.
After that, Alba had turned the heat on without having to be asked. We had gotten the valves adjusted so the temperature was pleasant. The valves still leaked but we’d known to put towels on the floor to soak up the water and mark the place where we shouldn’t step. The vinyl flooring in the bedroom has a hole next to the radiator from previous water damage. The radiator in the northeast bedroom has a valve that is inaccessible and cannot be adjusted once the radiator comes on. So, that room is either too cold when the heat is off, or much, much too hot to be used when the radiator is on. But, that’s okay because the bed in that room has a weird, super-firm memory foam mattress too uncomfortable to sleep on. Luckily, the sofa in the living room converts into a fairly comfortable futon, so our daughter slept there instead, taking away the only place in the apartment where one could hang out without disturbing others if one is wakeful.
I am not new to boiler/radiator systems. I had owned an old building in New York that had one, and had rented two floors to tenants. I do not know the particulars of Alba’s system, but most likely, installing thermostats, diverter valves, and/or thermostatic valves and insuring they are functioning correctly would probably fix the temperature control issue.
Be aware that the rental is upstairs from Alba’s place. When one walks downstairs the temperature in the stairwell is always perfectly comfortable. Again, Alba seems very nice. I get the feeling that she is just not all that observant and may not know all that much about how her building functions.
Alba says in the listing that this is a “work in progress”. It would be nice if it were progressing towards improvement instead of breakdown. The kitchen had been correctly installed at one point, (the photos look nice in the listing) but now is looking shabby. The cabinet doors must have been showing wear, so they have been removed since the photos were taken, with some hinges still in place, and others with the screw holes crudely patched.
The kitchen is the nicest part of the apartment. I am a professional chef. The kitchen is nicely stocked and has a great set of equipment for preparing meals.
Three of the four burners on the stove work. The gas output is very wimpy on two of them.
It’s nice that the hood fan vents to the outside. It also has a super-neat feature of having a return air fan to bring air into the kitchen to help the fan work better. But the return air was installed without the usual flap in the vent to stop cold air from drafting into the room on breezy days when the fan is not in use. The fan itself makes noise like it works…..except that it doesn’t. When the fan is on, the return air vent also blows dandruff-like dust onto the top of the fan and the stovetop.
The wrong type of smoke detector is installed in the kitchen. So, it goes off easily when you cook. It should be changed to a photo-electric or dual-mode type of detector so guests are not inconvenienced.
There is now a thick line of poorly applied black paint along the whole top edge of the white stove, making it too look shabby. At least use white paint.
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