Modern HomeStay

The place was dirty throughout and badly needs a deep clean and redecorating. The sheets smelled of body odor and weed, the rooms were hot with no air conditioning, ventilation was poor, and a lumpy, sunken mattress was uncomfortable. There was rotten food under a bed, faeces on toilet tissue in the bathroom bin, and a blocked sink. The microwave in one kitchen was broken, as was a main door lock, and there was also a broken microwave in the other kitchen. There was no WiFi at first, no vacuum cleaner, and bedding wasn’t changed often. The online listing didn’t match the property. One bathroom was shared by 20 people. Before arriving, I emailed the owner and got no reply. When we arrived, the room wasn’t ready. They tried to say the booking was for one adult, even though the confirmation clearly said two. It took 15 to 30 minutes to assign us a room, and we weren’t in the best state. The manager took up to 30 minutes to greet us, and communication by email and phone was dreadful. A woman interrupted me, rudely demanded the booking confirmation even though I’d shown it hours earlier, then walked off and dismissed me when I showed it again. The manager kept asking whether I wanted a refund, then said I had to go through the booking company. He said he was a manager but couldn’t offer a refund. At the first property we were allocated beds that weren’t made, and someone had taken our beds, so we had to move to alternatives later that day. There was no tour of the building like Ron had said. The woman pointed out as we were leaving for the next property that WiFi was working then. Ron struggled with basic questions, including how many people and bathrooms there were, and kept saying it was shared accommodation. The manager at the other property was expecting us. The first property didn’t feel safe. There were a lot of mentally unstable people, and one person kept following me around. They were rude and hostile, and other people had apparently had similar issues. I told Ron, who asked for a description, but he didn’t seem bothered. Someone exposed herself to me at night and stood over me while I was asleep. The bathroom floor was wet as if someone had been swimming. A note on the door said to call two numbers instead of knocking. I called and left messages, but nobody answered or called back. When I knocked, a person outside asked whether I’d read the sign, then started crying and said her partner had kicked her out. I didn’t hear from the manager until after 12, and he kept going on about the confirmation showing two people. The fire exits were blocked, a serious fire hazard. Because of all the problems and poor communication at both properties, I requested a refund. We checked out early and got 75 percent of our booking back through the company we booked with. This company never responded. They took photos of our passports and said they’d put them on their system and immediately delete them from the person’s phone. They said our actual passports would be removed from their system when we left. With identity fraud being a concern, I found this very troubling. If anything happens, I’ll know who was responsible for our identity being used fraudulently.