We were very excited to stay at this property. (My sister and I were traveling with our children) After reading many reviews we thought it would be perfect for us. When we arrived we thought everything was beautiful - the yard was lovely, the rooms in the house were perfect, it has such a quaint feel and we were looking forward to enjoying a few days there with our kids. One of the reviews I read shared a concern about the tenant coming home late, turning on the hall light and it frightened that guest. I messaged the host to ask about it and her response was “this is not an issue” “private and safe” and assured us that the tenant is never home. We felt reassured a little so we decided to keep the reservation. Unfortunately we only stayed for one night due to safety reasons which I will explain below. All of this could have been avoided if the host was honest and forthcoming instead of avoiding our concerns and being honest.
The first evening as we got the kids ready for bed we realized that there was no window covering in the twin bed bedroom. We were able to cover the window with a blanket. Not a big deal.
At around 10:30pm, as we were sitting in the kitchen talking we we heard creaking and footsteps outside the hall door. We continued talking and several minutes later we heard more creaking right outside the door. We could tell someone was lurking outside the door. They were not going walking through the hall, they were just standing outside the kitchen door. We quickly went to the front bedroom and looked (out the French door glass) and saw someone in the hallway. We believe this was a man. I yelled through the door and asked who was there. I told them I could hear them, they quickly went into a door under the stairs (to the basement). This was very unsettling. Our children heard everything and were very scared.
I immediately called the owner. When she answered the phone we could very clearly hear her voice coming from the basement below us. I asked her if she was in the house and she said that she came home to get tools from the basement and that she works in construction in town. We shared our concerns about someone outside the door and she avoided answering our questions about a man in the house. She kept saying she can’t hear and couldn’t understand me. I asked if she was staying in the house overnight and she said no. She kept saying how safe the house was. After our call we did not feel comfortable at all. She she never left that night (the cars were still out front all night - and we sat listening in the kitchen to see if she would leave. (We did not sleep!)
We went to check all the locks in the house and realized that the back door deadbolt did not lock - there is broken wood along the trim where the lock should go in (there is a lock on the handle which works). The door from the kitchen to the hallway had a lock on the handle. In the front bedroom (the one with the French doors that attach to the shared hallway) there is NO way to lock the French doors.
We were traveling our our 3 children and did not feel secure that evening at all. We were not able to sleep because we are concerned for our privacy and safety. I spent hours that evening on the phone with AirBNB, they were helpful and encouraged us to leave. We did take photos and videos and AirBNB has this info.
This could have all been avoided if there was clear honest communication about who was staying at the house. If the host was staying in the basement, she should have just told us. She could have offered to come and meet us to reassure us. Instead she just avoided the issues and I believe lied to us about who was in the house.
On top of this the person upstairs was making lots of noise on the floor until 2:15am.
We left the next morning and went to a hotel. We made sure to leave the house looking nice, I really wish we could have stayed because the property was adorable. Unfortunately we did not feel safe and our children were already shaken up. I hope the host can address these issues so other visitors can feel safe, secure and enjoy her lovely property.