We rented the flat for 11 nights but moved after 2. The host asked me to be fair in my review so I'll do my best.
The flat could have used a deep cleaning. There was dust and cobwebs, and dried food on the couch The worst part was black mold in the kitchen and bedroom. Having lived in a house with mold before, I know what a big job remediation can be. So we moved to a different flat after only 2 nights.
I was really disappointed by how much the listing description was embellished. Shame on me for not reading between the lines better, though. They used words like "chic" and "quirky," which should have been red flags. Said in plain english, the place was a basement flat that was made to look larger and better than it was with a wide angle lens and some staging. It looked out on the dumpster and parking lot. They said there was "lush and well looked after gardens" behind the building. It was really a piece of fake grass carpet and some sickly potted plants on the asphalt car park. That pretty much tells you the difference between the online description and reality.
The host Hannah was quick to respond to emails and sent someone over to replace burned out light bulbs very fast. She didn't like that we moved out without giving her the opportunity to fix things. I explained to her that in my opinion, the problems I had with the place could not be fixed easily and I didn't want to spend my vacation focusing on that. I didn’t ask her for my money back. I just moved out and told her I was disappointed.. She emailed again to say the guy who changed the bulbs told her there were 3 of us in the flat, not 2 as I said in my reservation, so I was in breach of contract. She also said that because I moved out without letting her try to fix things, "stereotypes must have formed [my] opinions" of her. For the record, the 3rd person they saw was my son who lives in London. The 1st night he slept on the couch b/c he hadn't seen us in 9 months . He didn’t stay with us again. As for her other accusation, I am the white mother of 2 biracial kids, so I don't understand her suggestion there was racism behind my not liking her flat. With a lot of money in her pocket for 9 nights I didn't stay in her flat, she felt the need to call me a liar and a racist. SMH.
I think I will go back to staying in hotels and give up on VRBO. It’s just too unpredictable and inconsistent, not to mention expensive to pay double for lodging.
