I've stayed in one of Chris' rentals before, in fact on the ground floor below this unit, about 6 months ago. While the units are a bit outdated, the last stay was pleasant. This one, however, has me questioning my return. It's certainly a "you get what you pay for" type of place.
Overall, I'm really disappointed. My biggest critiques regard the cleanliness of the unit. Simply put, it was filthy.
1) The fan blades had what can really only be a year's worth of dust hanging on them, which, conveniently, falls all over you when you turn the fan on.
2) When I first arrived, the water in the bathroom ran orange briefly. Chris cracked this up to being the result of a leaky pipe recently, but I would have expected the host to run the lines before my arrival. I ended up bringing back bottled water to drink and brush my teeth.
3) The dishes in the kitchen were disgusting. The glasses were covered in finger and lip prints, making it clear they were not cleaned and sanitized in between guests.
4) There is a gaping hole in the wall of the kitchen above the stove. While this is just an artifact of the old construction, it'd be nice if it were at least covered as to not leave me wondering if a bat or rat was going to emerge.
5) There is plenty of outdated décor. While this on its own is not a big deal, the lamps all had a weird 1980's faux moss on them which is nothing but a dust magnet. The one by the bed surely was the cause of the head cold, of which I am leaving town with.
6) One of the pillow cases had a large tear in it, unmissable to an attentive host or cleaner, so it's ultimately negligent to leave it. If they can't get rid of ripped pillow slips, are they even washing the linens in between guests?
7) Lastly, the doors are secured only by an electronic locking mechanism. My code was the same as the front door of the building. While I really hope it's not the case, I do wonder if they change the code in between guests. I propped the chair up at night to give me one extra layer of security, but I wish there was an extra manual dead-bolt that guests could lock at night.
Ultimately, given the amount of work I had to do and the busy 6am to 11pm schedule I was working on this trip, I made the decision not to contact Chris during the stay. I simply did not have the time to be relocated, nor would I have felt comfortable with someone in the unit without my presence to "mitigate" these issues.
Again, you get what you pay for, but this was rough.