Our negative experience with the host overrode all other feelings about his apartment.
My husband and I rented Miguel’s apartment for three months from the middle of December 2018 to the middle of March 2019. Because our stay was for three months, it was of primary importance that our monthly rental fee included all utilities. We chose Miguel’s apartment after considerable correspondence with him, making our needs clear and asking questions.
Halfway through our stay, Miguel emailed us there was “a problem." He had received the apartment’s electric bill for December and January and it was more than he expected.
The apartment has forced hot air, powered by electricity. The day we arrived, we had called Miguel asking why the apartment's heat did not seem to be working well. He told us the apartment was difficult to heat because of its large size, cathedral ceilings, and heat ducts located near the ceilings. Given these factors, the bills were reasonable for these coldest winter months.
However, Miguel claimed electricity was not included in our rental agreement and asked when he could pick up the money, even though Airbnb’s rules explicitly state that all expenses must be submitted through their website and not collected by the host. We reminded him that our rental agreement included all utilities. He replied there was a paragraph in the listing which specified that electricity was not included for rentals longer than a month. We told him we needed to see our listing because we did not have a copy with us in Spain. He sent us a photograph of the current website listing in which there was a paragraph clearly stating rentals over a month did not include electricity.
We then sent Miguel copies of our correspondence with him prior to booking the apartment, confirming our decision to rent his apartment for one monthly fee including all utilities and pointing out that, when he responded, he never contradicted this. His answer was he did not know why he had not pointed it out, but that it was “always in the listing.”
We did not believe that provision was in the original listing and decided to consult Airbnb. We called Airbnb, explained the disagreement and asked if they retained copies of original listings. We told them if the mistake was ours, we would remit payment without further question. Airbnb opened an inquiry. They told us they do retain a copy of the original listings because hosts often modify rental listings, although changes cannot be applied retroactively.
Within a few hours, Airbnb called back and told us Miguel’s original listing did NOT specify electric bills had to be paid separately for rentals of more than a month. Airbnb informed us, and confirmed in writing, that the condition is enumerated in the current listing, but it had been added AFTER we signed our contract. Therefore, we were not required to pay the bills.
Airbnb said they would notify Miguel. He would have the option to either honor the contract or breach it—with a financial penalty—whereupon Airbnb would attempt to find us similar accommodations elsewhere.
A few days later, Miguel contacted us saying Airbnb suggested we try reaching a compromise on the electric bill. We had checked other Airbnb listings in Seville to see if there were any comparable apartments available for the duration of our stay, but there were none for that length of time. We would have had to move from one apartment to another with no guarantee whether there would be an elevator, washer, dryer, etc. We also had a large amount of luggage and no car.
Knowing our options were limited if Miguel chose to breach the agreement or, if he did not, staying in the apartment with a disgruntled host, we agreed to pay half of each electric bill through Airbnb. Miguel thought our decision was fair, thanked us, and apologized for the “misunderstanding.”
We believe that prior to our stay Miguel never had a continuous 3-month rental during the winter and, upon receiving a larger than expected electric bill, he decided to try to bill us. There was no misunderstanding. Our lease was clear and corroborated by Airbnb. What is most upsetting to us is that Miguel attempted to support his claim with the listing he had changed, obviously unaware Airbnb kept a record of the original one.