CONCERNS OF BLACK MOLD: We booked this apartment based on the host's reviews, photos, and direct communication with the owner. I was traveling with my 85-year-old aunt and cousin. We were only in Miami to attend a funeral, so our expectations were minimal, just someplace clean, safe, and close to Aventura. While the apartment is about a ten-fifteen-ish minute drive to and from the Aventura Mall, it is located in a remote and isolated area reminiscent of an old and aging military retirement community, where the neighborhood seemed questionable. Luckily, the owner secures the unit with security cameras at the front door.
Upon entering the unit, we were all greeted by an overwhelmingly strong, musty, damp smell, similar to rotting wood/paper or old wet socks in every room. While the photos seemed to be representative of the apartment, there were undoubtedly some exclusions to what was shared. Inspection of the unit revealed damp and dirty grout between the white tiles in both bedrooms and a collection of wet soot or dirt in most corners of the apartment which extended upward onto the walls. There were also visible signs of a dark discoloration seeping through the paint in the hallways and rooms. Within 15 minutes inside the unit, I began to experience a cloudy headache. Not long after, my 82-year-old aunt developed pain in her chest and difficulty breathing. We immediately became concerned that we were experiencing exposure to black mold.
If you are unfamiliar with black mold, the odor of black mold is strong, and you can often identify it before the mold itself is visible, but we believe the signs were there on the walls, floors, and corners of the unit. No, I am not a mold expert, but I have enough experience to know that staying inside that apartment was not safe. We took photos to document our experience and immediately contacted Airbnb and left.
While I do not wish to harm the host's ratings, I felt it necessary to share our experience.