This was the worst experience I’ve had using Airbnb. For the sake of our community’s safety, here are some highlights from my five-month stay with Edwin:
ADDRESS: The address was inaccurate. I asked the host several times to revise it, but he refused to do so. Please be sure to verify the address and request that the host change it. The host should also call Airbnb to correct the error immediately. Otherwise, it means that the listing identifies a different address that was subsequently changed to this small flat’s address without Airbnb's permission.
ROOM: The room was in a very small flat situated in a noisy building with weekday and weekend parties. The bed was squeaky and uncomfortable, and the room faced an elementary school. If you are only in New York City for a short time and want the ability to sleep in on weekdays, I don’t recommend this place since it is impossible to sleep once the students are on the playground. Similarly, you can hear sounds from the school building day and night. If you want to enjoy your stay in this room and are bothered by a lot of noise, you should wear a noise-canceling headset most of the time. In addition, when the door to my room was completely closed, there was still an open space through which the host and other guests could peer through from the outside. To ensure full privacy, the host should correct this issue immediately before booking any new guests.
CLEANING: The host never cleaned the flat. Instead, his guests carried out this task. He failed to follow Airbnb’s 5-step cleaning process during my stay, though it is advertised in his description.
COVID-19: The host was well aware of other guests who were infected with COVID-19. However, he did not inform me immediately. Instead, he referred to the incident five days later, after ensuring that he had received a negative result. This was unacceptable and demonstrated the host's disregard for his guests’ safety. If you rent this room, make sure the place is cleaned per Airbnb's 5-step cleaning process to preserve your health. While there, I asked about the delayed cleaning service, and the host became angry with me. He then offered me a refund and asked me to leave the flat. He did not respect me as a guest, was not concerned about my health, and did not look for a solution to remedy the situation. He also refused to clean the flat when other guests were impacted by COVID-19. Instead, he stated that the infected guests would clean the area themselves and that the virus would not be transferred from the surfaces of the communal areas. How so?
HONESTY: After the COVID-19 incident, the host got upset with me when I requested to stay another month, according to a verbal agreement we made in April, and stated that his family would be using the flat from mid-June onward. However, this small room is still available on Airbnb for anyone to reserve, and it is now listed at a higher rental price. The excuse about his family was clearly a false reason crafted to end my stay and raise the rent on his small, noisy room. The host did not abide by his word or respect our agreement. Should you need anything from this host, please document your conversations and inquiries with him in writing on Airbnb. Otherwise, he will report you to Airbnb for false actions and activities. Be careful!
PRIVACY: The host also tended to invade my privacy. He frequently asked questions about personal things that he was not entitled to ask about. I tried to ignore him several times, but he was like this until the last conversation we had in the flat. In addition, he complained a great deal about the rent. He asked me to pay him directly, and I told him to use Airbnb. Communicating with the host clearly and respectfully was quite difficult.
COMMON AREAS: In the flat, there was also a respectful female guest I often spoke to and shared coffee within the common area. However, the host interrupted us several times and asked us to leave the common area because he was working. He also shouted at us many times and never had the opportunity to attend to his guests. The four guests were all dissatisfied with his behavior, though most of them paid directly rather than through Airbnb. This is why his other guests present during my stay could not leave reviews on Airbnb, though they did leave his flat for good. One good takeaway on this trip was that his former guests became good friends of mine.
LIGHTS: For the most part, the host turned off the lights in the communal area. When they were lit, they were switched off almost immediately. This was a highly unusual experience. The host knew that I had recently had eye surgery, so the lights were vital to me when I used the common areas, especially at the end of the night.
CONCLUSION: Though I experienced much more during the past five months, I have noted the most remarkable incidents that occurred during my stay. I wouldn't recommend this host to anyone, so please find another clean, quiet, peaceful, and safe place to enjoy your trip to New York without any hassle.
Many thanks for reading this, and please stay safe!