Brenda and Jodie's space is decorated well, is in a great location, and has extra amenities. But the overall experience did not live up to its description or its price.
My primary concern is that, soon after I checked in for a nearly 2-month stay, the communication and hospitality from the hosts dropped substantially. The washer broke before my arrival, and Brenda was very communicative and accommodating, agreeing to take my clothes to the local eco-friendly laundromat. I was fine to take them once, but when the washer still wasn't fixed a week-and-a-half later, she was no longer willing to accommodate.
In this instance, and with respect to issues with the pocket doors to the bedroom, the hosts took several days or even a couple weeks to fix the issues, and did not keep me apprised of the delays in scheduling maintenance. I felt like I was being treated like a long-term tenant, rather than as an Airbnb guest. We pay a premium on Airbnb (even with month-long stays), as compared to a lease situation, in part because a level of hospitality is baked into the cost.
The other major issue is that the hosts told me, a week after checking in, that I could not leave my bikes inside the unit. This was not included as a House Rule, and upon subsequent review of the listing, was only mentioned in a line buried at the bottom of several paragraphs about the neighborhood and renting bikes. (I brought my own bikes, so I didn't read this section of the listing before I booked.) The hosts ultimately allowed me to keep my bikes in the unit, but the back-and-forth about the issue was very stressful. My bikes are expensive, theft in Portland is rampant, and the hosts stood their ground for awhile, not realizing or acknowledging their error in failing to include this as a House Rule.
Finally, there are issues with the unit itself. It has substantial moisture issues. Despite taking various measures to decrease the moisture such that I noticed very little moisture accruing on the ground, I realized upon move-out that most of my belongings that had been stored on the ground (i.e., in the closets and under the bed) were covered in mold.
In addition, the pocket doors kept falling off their hinges. (I think the handyman finally fixed this, but it could revert.) The washer doesn't get my clothes clean. And the unit was freezing cold when I checked in. (The heater was not on, and it took very long time to warm the place up.)
Brenda and Jodie seem like awesome people. The communication with them prior to check-in was fabulous, and made me optimistic about this Airbnb experience. But I was very disappointed. Ultimately, the issues with the space would not have affected my review in a significant way. But the issues with the hosts deeply affected my experience over the course of my stay.