The introduction of Airbnb disrupted and changed the hospitality industry in many positive ways. It started offering more authentic, convenient, and cheaper experiences for travelers and allowed homeowners to earn some extra income by renting out their unused space, from budget rooms or apartments to fancy villas. I’d say that’s a win-win for everyone.
However, as with most things in life, there are bound to be some disappointments or things that don’t particularly go to plan. From mushrooms growing in the bathroom door to extortionate cleaning fees and child-sized furniture, scroll down to find some of the strangest Airbnb conditions guests had to endure.
#1 I Feel Really Creeped Out, As I Didn't Notice It Earlier
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#2 I Found A Pair Of Handcuffs Attached To A Leg Of The Bed In My Airbnb In Tijuana
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#3 From A French Airbnb Alternative
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According to a 2021 study, a lot can go wrong when staying in an Airbnb. A data scientist, Asher Fergusson, collaborated with a few researchers to find out the problems that guests are most likely to face when staying at short-term rentals.
The project even received funding from ASIS International, and over 2 and a half years the team used machine learning and natural language processing techniques to analyze X (previously Twitter) posts associated with guest complaints.
#4 The Bathroom In Our Airbnb Was Rather Small
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#5 This Hidden Camera Disguised As A Clock In My Airbnb
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#6 This Bedroom On Airbnb In A Place Called “Stabbin Cabin”. Sounds About Right
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“Our number one goal when starting out with this research was to find out what’s most likely to go wrong for Airbnb guests,” Fergusson said to Forbes Women.
In total, they analyzed over 127,183 posts published between January 1, 2015 and September 20, 2020 and broke them down into types. The results ranged from frustrating to dangerous.
#7 Not Even Motel Is This Bad
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#8 This Sink In Our Airbnb
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#9 The Airbnb Has A Window From The Shower To The Living Room
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“We found thousands of cases of account hacking with vacation dollars being stolen via fraudulent bookings as well as many other scams,” says Fergusson. “Then there were police interventions, bodily harm, threats, bug infestations, invasions of privacy via hidden cameras, long-term negative health impacts after the customer checked out of the Airbnb and so much more. Even in 2021, the amount of illegal, unsafe or fake listings on the platform is staggering—more than any of us probably realize.”
#10 The "Bathroom" In My Airbnb Will 100% Result In Encounters With The Host
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#11 A Cleaning Fee Just As Much As The Room Cost?
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#12 Just Saw This On Airbnb. What £2100 Per Month Gets You In Central London
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The report revealed that the most common problems were linked to customer service (72.2%), which provided limited support during emergencies or was rude or even unreachable. Scams made up 22.3% of complaints, from fake listings to hacked accounts. 10.4% of guests were left unsatisfied because the host cancelled their stay. 6.1% experienced unsafe conditions ranging from pest infestations to hidden cameras. While 3.7% of complaints reported discrimination against race and sexuality.
#13 Air Quality Tests From My Airbnb Where The Host Claimed Not To Smell Any Mold. Support Refused My Refund
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#14 At My Airbnb There’s A Mushroom Growing Out Of The Bathroom Door
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#15 While My Family With Young Kids Were Staying At This Airbnb, An Old Man Walked Into The Backyard And Started Draining The Pool
Image credits: Particular-Bike-9275
Ferguson published the report, saying that it was important that Airbnb users know what awaits them when they’re using the platform. “Countless Airbnb guest complaints we reviewed on Twitter suggested that the company is very good at circumventing responsibility,” he says. “Their customer service will often go silent or cite some obscure, confusingly worded terms of service when guests rightfully request refunds for services not rendered. It’s important for users to understand renting an Airbnb is not the same as booking a hotel.”
#16 Airbnb Hosts Are Likely Selling The Audio Of Your Private Life
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#17 The Host Said That This Airbnb Is "Full Of Traditional And Modern Artwork." "Tastefully Decorated" And "Quirky Interesting Decor"
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#18 They Said There Was A Sea View At Our Airbnb
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He believes that it’s easier to scam people with short-term rentals as they have little supervision as opposed to hotels. Reputable hospitality institutions are less likely to be massively deceiving people or constantly cancel reservations hours before guests have to arrive. Moreover, it’s rare to find a hotel that doesn’t have safety precautions like a smoke or carbon monoxide detector.
#19 Got An Airbnb Just For The Tub
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#20 The Bathroom Door In My Airbnb Is Ineffective
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#21 Airbnb Wasn’t What We Were Expecting
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In order to stay safe and protected, Ferguson recommends treating rental reviews as a mystery novel. This means reading between the lines what the previous guest has written, as most of them don’t express the negatives directly. In addition, he advises to never book a place with zero reviews. Instead, he says to aim for rentals with a 4.85-star review average or higher.
#22 Deadbolt, Mice, Leaking Ceiling, Roaches I Caught Everything On Camera. I've Messaged The Host But They're Not Responding And Calling Support Is Worse Than Useless So Here We Are
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#23 Over The Bathtub In My Airbnb
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#24 Disco Toilet In An Airbnb
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It’s also important to look at the hosts’s overall reviews, not just the listing’s. Be sure to reach out to the host before the stay and document anything that goes wrong or seems suspicious with video evidence. This helps to get a refund with less hassle.
#25 Well, The Airbnb Looked Nice Online
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#26 From An Airbnb I Stayed At
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#27 When You Rent An Airbnb In The Philippines, You Get Free Protein Every Morning. Glue Trap After 24 Hours
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#28 Airbnb Host Tried To Charge Us For Changing Settings On A Thermostat
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#29 Found An Interesting Airbnb In Waterloo
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#30 My Airbnb Assured Me They Have A “Very Safe” Baby Gate
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#31 Airbnb Description Said "Views Of The Main Church From The Bedroom Window." Technically, It Was Not A Lie
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#32 Better Hope You Don’t Stab Yourself In The Shower Of This Airbnb Rental
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#33 Airbnb Host Tried To Double The Price
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#34 My Airbnb Estimate - No Wonder Bookings Are Down
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#35 Mushrooms Growing In The Shower Of Our 5-Star-Rated Airbnb
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#36 Airbnb With “Motion Detector” Ring Camera Above A Full Length Mirror. $500 For Tampering With Or Unplugging It. Good Thing I Have Post-It Notes
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#37 Airbnb Host Asks This After A $350 Cleaning Fee While Being Asked To Strip All Sheets, Take Out All Trash And Run Dishwasher
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#38 This Marbled Shower At An Airbnb I Stayed In. I Thought It Was Dirty And Tried To Scrub It Clean Until I Realized It Was "Supposed" To Look Like That
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#39 There's A Mirror Screwed Into The Ceiling Above The Toilet In My Airbnb
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#40 The Airbnb I'm Staying In Says It's A Laundry Room, So I'll Be Wearing Dirty Clothes All Week Because I For Sure Won't Be Going There
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#41 It Was Supposed To Be A Cozy Flat For A Couple And Now I Have To Stay Here For 3 Weeks Because No Other Option Is Available. All This Stuff Belongs To The Owner
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#42 I Booked An Airbnb A Year In Advance Of The Eclipse In April. The Host Yesterday Canceled Because They Realized They Could Make More Due To The Eclipse
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#43 On The Wall Of A Friend's Airbnb Rental
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#44 Looking For An Airbnb In London. Did Someone Really Just Put A Bed In Their Bathroom?
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#45 Dirty Floor At Airbnb “Is Typical And Not An Indicator Of Dirt”
I’m posting to get some reactions to an experience I had at an Airbnb rental. I rented a place for my father and me to stay while he recovered from surgery, and I expected a high level of hygiene accordingly to keep him safe. I ended up spending hours after checking in cleaning (after I took an Uber to get cleaning supplies). The company representative was trying to tell me that it’s normal for the Swiffer wipes to appear "to be removing dirt." I’m pretty baffled by their response, as I know that floor was filthy. But could there be an element of truth to what they’re saying? Do some types of flooring give off color like that?
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#46 My Airbnb Host Is Using T-Shirts As Pillowcases, And One Has A Body Odor Smell. I Guess I’ll Be Dreaming Of Sweaty Armpits Tonight
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#47 This Bathroom Tile At My Airbnb
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#48 The Airbnb I'm Renting
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#49 The Place I Found On Airbnb
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#50 When One Of The Troops Books An Airbnb Specifically For The Pool Table
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#51 I Found This Painted, Feathered Baby Doll Head In The Freezer At My Airbnb. Am I Going To Die?
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#52 Staying In An Airbnb. I Woke Up This Morning To Find The Cover To Access The Attic Completely Moved
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#53 My Airbnb Host Said The "Keys Are In The Grey And Black Safe Near The White Door"
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#54 After A 14-Hour Drive, We Found Bed Bugs At Our Airbnb
My wife worked for months to pick out the right house for our family, so it was disheartening to have it ruined like that. We were allowed to change to a different house nearby, but it was a cheaper house, had a worse view, and a worse pool. And because we changed houses, there's no way to leave a review on the original house.
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#55 All The Rooms In My Airbnb (Including Mine) Have A Key Locked Behind A Lock With A Code That's A Room Number
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#56 At The Airbnb I Stayed At
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#57 Seen In An Airbnb. Upcycling Fail
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#58 If You Needed Another Reason To Hate Airbnb. 2 Weeks Before Our Reservation Our Hosts Tells Us He Over-Booked
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#59 In Our Airbnb In The Middle Of Nowhere
"Thank you for the tips! It helps to keep this place clean. Some people give us 1 or 2 dollars. Tips, this amount is not helping too much. We do charge a small amount for each room. We deserve more than 1 or 2 dollars in tips. Thank you.
Come back again."
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#60 At An Airbnb
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#61 This Narrow Hallway In My Friend’s Airbnb Is Only 1.2 Meters (3.9 Ft) Wide, You Can Barely Walk Through When The Attic Ladder Is Down
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#62 I Tried To Open The Air Conditioner Vent At The Airbnb I'm Staying At On Vacation And Found This
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#63 Notice To Airbnb Guests
One night stay £25-£30 (depending on the room size). Your thoughts?
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#64 A "Perfect" Fit For A TV (At An Airbnb My Girlfriend Stayed In)
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#65 Oh My God, The Airbnb Bathroom Is Tiled With Rocks
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#66 This Creepy Family Photo In My Airbnb
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#67 This Shower At My Airbnb
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#68 Airbnb Room Online Compared To Real Life. A Buddy Of Mine Is Currently In Rome And Pays 200€ Per Night For That Beauty
The bed is rock solid and apparently, the bathroom is a biological research center for mold.
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#69 The Toilet Paper At Our $3k/Week Airbnb
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#70 The Airbnb I Stayed At Last Weekend. This Renter Likes To Patch Sheetrock Holes With Cardboard And Fake Flowers
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#71 This "Abstract" Billiards Table At An Airbnb I Was At. As It Also Turns Out, Thick Globs Of Hideous Paint Don't Allow For A Very Smooth Table Roll
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#72 Found This In An Airbnb In Amsterdam. You Can't Even Sit Down
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#73 Airbnb Said I'd Have A Balcony, But Seriously
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#74 My Airbnb Stairs. Every Step Is A Different Height, Width, And Depth
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#75 This Corner Table At An Airbnb
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#76 Booked A Beautiful 2 Bedroom Condo On Airbnb. Host Cancelled And “Upgraded” Me To This “4 Bedroom Dream Home”
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#77 Looking For Somewhere To Stay On Airbnb And Found This House Of Nope
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#78 This Airbnb Had Framed Skulls Above The Fireplace
In the description, the owner clarified that there were 36 of them, that they were human skulls, and that the frame was made of oak.
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#79 My Airbnb With This Weird Perspective Corridor
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#80 Airbnb A/C Is Locked At 80 Degrees F. Staying In Jacksonville, Florida. The Host Won’t Give Us The Pin For The Thermostat
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#81 Our (Not Cheap) Airbnb Has A Tip Jar
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#82 I Booked An Airbnb, Then Received This Message From The Host. A Few Hours Later, They Cancelled The Stay
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#83 Airbnb With Aquatic-Themed Floor
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#84 Bathroom In Airbnb's Party House Doesn't Have A Shower Cabin Or Elevated Water Drainage, Which Leaves The Whole Room Flooded After Showering
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#85 Checked Into Our Airbnb And Found These Tiles
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#86 Airbnb House. TV Is Hung Halfway Up A Two-Story High Fireplace, Nearly Level With The Upper Floor
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#87 I Have An Interesting Airbnb Tonight
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#88 This Inconsistent Wall Clock At My Airbnb
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#89 This Tapestry Hanging In The Room Of An Airbnb
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#90 Shower Curtains Falling At An Airbnb We Are Staying At
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#91 This Bathroom Door In An Airbnb In Vienna
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#92 I Was In An Airbnb And Found This Map Missing A Lot Of Islands And Even The UK And Ireland
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#93 The Side Table In Our Airbnb Is A Phone (Non-Functioning)
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#94 This Window In My Airbnb
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#95 Gotta Love Random Airbnbs
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#96 This Wall Art In My Sicilian Airbnb
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#97 Sitting Atop The Bathroom Mirror At Our Airbnb
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#98 Found On Airbnb In Maine. The Bat Was Cracked Too
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