TLDR: dirty unit, broken window latch, unresponsive host, possible bedbugs.
I am currently in the mediation process with Airbnb to receive a refund for my stay since Melissa has been extremely unresponsive. When I first arrived in the apartment, the latch on the window was broken so the window was wide open and the place was freezing. We eventually were able to temporarily fix it to make it bearable during our stay. Given COVID, we always wipe down places we stay at in their entirety, and this place was not clean. The 95 dollar cleaning fee is a joke. I messaged Melissa about this and after hours of waiting she had someone else reach out to me. He offered to send a cleaning team or building management, but during COVID that was not something we were comfortable with and we had already cleaned the place ourselves.
Worst of all, I found a bug on the couch that looks like a bedbug. We trapped the bug and spent time trying to identify it, hoping it wouldn’t be a bedbug. Unfortunately, we are fairly certain it is. We found the bug the morning after we’d spent the night and spent the morning messaging Melissa, checking the unit for bugs/eggs/droppings (we didn’t find any, thank goodness), and bagging all our belongings in garbage bags. Instead of responding quickly and listening to our concerns, Melissa alleged the bug did not originate in her unit. This is wholly unprofessional and we will be warning friends visiting NYC about this host and unit.