Origine Rentals Galata L1

We paid around 700$ and ended up in what felt like a cave. The apartment we got was in the basement, with no sunlight, no windows, lots of humidity, and a bad smell. People in the open area talked loudly early and late at night. The guy who handed us the keys told me to raise it with the hosts through airbnb. I did, but they never replied. Apparently, they have one listing with the same pictures shown here, so when you book, you’d expect to get the place in the listing. Instead, we got a completely different apartment. The building is clearly very old, and it doesn’t seem safe given Istanbul’s strong earthquakes. I woke up every day to rocks falling from the ceiling onto the floor. Never rent this place. It’s a complete scam. They’re thieves and scammers.

We booked through Airbnb expecting one apartment for eight people, but instead got two apartments for four in the same building. Both were in catastrophic condition: one smelled of cat urine and the other of smoke, and everything was filthy. One shower only had cold water. One apartment wouldn’t lock, and two bedrooms were completely flooded by rain. We discovered the flooding too late, and several items of clothing were ruined. This was clearly not the first time there’d been water damage, and it was outrageous of the landlord to give us those apartments. I strongly advise against staying here.

The damp basement apartment had mold and mildew on the walls throughout, and some bedrooms had no windows. The sheets were wet and wouldn’t dry, even in July. Another guest had shared photos of snails inside, which says a lot about the condition. The owners regularly delete their account and make a new one to erase bad reviews, which is fortunate for them, I suppose. This place completely ruined our family holiday in 2024. It’s a complete scam, and I strongly advise against booking it.