I host over 100 AirBnB Listings in CA and AZ **Ask Me Anything**
Hey BP Gang,
I'm a real estate broker in Sacramento, California (23 yo) and I host about 125 properties on AirBnB and VRBO, mostly in Sacramento, CA and Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ.
I am new to BiggerPockets but am hoping to help out as much as possible! I have followed quite a few STR threads and I will continue to monitor this one if anyone could use some general or technical advice. My partner and I are quite savvy with the software platforms if that helps. :-)
So ask me anything! I am here to help.
Quote from @Jc Bustillos
Why is my listing not getting many views? I gave adjusted the price daily, changed the main page pic and tried making listing adjustments. I'm not getting many views.
i have a property in Tempe, AZ and I have had zero luck getting booked for Superbowl.
i have hosted for 4 years and have never had this problem until a couple months ago
I wonder if the forum admin would be okay with you posting a link to the listing. It wouldn't be solicitation, purely informative. Good luck getting booked!
Thanks for the tips everyone. I decided to get an air purifier w/HEPA filter to stay in the 4 br house and an ozone machine to use initially to get rid of the stubborn smell. It's not as bad as it initially was but my guess is previous tenants were in there smoking for 20+ years and maybe not just cigarettes, plus there was dog urine as well....We have replaced drywall in some areas, skimcoated and painted, new textured ceilings, pulled out carpet, replaced floorboards, put down new lion boards and new LVP flooring, new paint, all new appliances. Hard to believe the smell remains, so hopeful the ozone generator will knock it out. Here is a video if anyone is interested:
Quote from @Noah Nadeau:
Hi Noah Laker,
I too have recently joined BiggerPockets and hope to contribute from my experiences. I've begun short-term renting through Airbnb and was wondering how you deal with the 1-day tenant rights in California? Here in Tennessee we too have a law that gives tenancy rights after one-night of sleeping over, so long as they have personal belongings with them (clothes, toothbrush, etc.).
My first set of renters stung me on this and didn't leave after their designated stay duration. They ended up staying 3 months, didn't pay a dime in rent, ran up the utilities, destroyed the property, terrorized tenants, and costed me thousands in legal fees to get them out. The situation was even worse, since it was a live-in situation; as I was renting a room out on Airbnb (real-life Pacific Heights experience).
This has cautioned me from ever renting out a property again when laws like this exist. I spoke with the judge who stated that the law was put in place when apartment landlords would accept 1st & last month's rent from new tenants and have them escorted off the property before the traditional 30-day tenancy rights came into play. Airbnb was unable to help because their eviction policy defaults to the eviction laws of the state that you live in.
If anyone else has info on this too, I'd love to hear how to mitigate this problem.
Kind Regards,
Noah Nadeau
Hi Noah,
I have never had to deal with this situation thank goodness, but we consider our GUESTS just that-- guests. We treat them as such and expect courtesy in return. :-)
If they "terrorize" other tenants, there are cases where an emergency eviction might be warranted, but I am not a lawyer and you should always consult one.
Quote from @Jc Bustillos:
Why is my listing not getting many views? I gave adjusted the price daily, changed the main page pic and tried making listing adjustments. I'm not getting many views.
i have a property in Tempe, AZ and I have had zero luck getting booked for Superbowl.
i have hosted for 4 years and have never had this problem until a couple months ago
I host a bunch of listings in Tempe, ALL booked for Super Bowl. DM me so my team and I can get involved. :)
Quote from @Dee Bral:
Thanks for the tips everyone. I decided to get an air purifier w/HEPA filter to stay in the 4 br house and an ozone machine to use initially to get rid of the stubborn smell. It's not as bad as it initially was but my guess is previous tenants were in there smoking for 20+ years and maybe not just cigarettes, plus there was dog urine as well....We have replaced drywall in some areas, skimcoated and painted, new textured ceilings, pulled out carpet, replaced floorboards, put down new lion boards and new LVP flooring, new paint, all new appliances. Hard to believe the smell remains, so hopeful the ozone generator will knock it out. Here is a video if anyone is interested:
That situation *stinks.*
Yes, new paint and carpet replacement helps.
From my experience, some properties are just... stinky. You'd have to tear the whole place down to the studs in order to really really really solve this problem.
Quote from @Gordon Cuffe:
@Noah Laker How does someone research an area to see if anybody would even rent short term? I have a friend that owns a house near clear lake and I have no idea if people would stay in short term rentals around there. How do you avoid the crazy party animals in short term rentals?
Gordon,
There is a market for travelling nurses in the Clear Lake area for STR or Air BNB. My aunt's house in Kelseyville was sold and completely updated for STR for travelling nurses. Hope that helps.
Hey Noah,
I am just looking into buying for STR in the NJ Market, I was wondering what do you use to evaluate the rent and occupancy on these properties?
I have several rentals and would love to start!! Where to begin???
Quote from @Matthew Brown:
Hey Noah,
I am just looking into buying for STR in the NJ Market, I was wondering what do you use to evaluate the rent and occupancy on these properties?
Hi Matthew, see my previous reply to this question on the thread-
Basically, we analyze real comps on AirBnB and VRBO manually. PriceLabs dashboards and AirDNA are only good for getting a macro perspective, for example, seasonal variances in your locality. Best to take a sample of direct comps and break them down yourself. Keep an eye on nightly rate as well as cleaning rates.
Quote from @Michael Collins:
I have several rentals and would love to start!! Where to begin???
Are your current rentals optimal for STR? Where are they located? Are they A-class and high walk score?
If no to one or both of those questions, are you in a position to buy more? Or would you consider a 1031 exchange into a more ideal property? With this strategy you might increase your cashflow without losing equity positioning.
Feel free to DM me!
UPDATE THE HOT WATER HEATER IS BROKEN AND WE CAN NO LONGER REACH ANY OF THE HOSTS
My teenage daughter who is a freshman at a UC school, decided to surprise her brother ( student at NAU) and I with an Airbnb for the holidays. We hadn’t all been together in over 3 months and this would be perfect for us.
My daughter rented the Ruby Red apartment. They also have a yellow themed unit and a blue themed unit in the same complex. My daughter has stayed in contact with me through this entire process. Once she sent a request to book, the host sent back a long list of rules and regulations she had to follow. She had to respond “I accept” to all the rules laid out in the email.
We arrived on Saturday 12/23, the apartment is very cute at first glance. Then you notice there are dried stains all along the walkway. They look like someone was taking the trash out and the trash cans leaked all over the walkway. No one cleaned it up. The baseboard are filthy, the paint job is not even and the pictures on the walls are all crooked. The couches are crap and super low to the ground. They are not in the least bit comfortable. The bathroom is tight and there is visible mold and mildew around the tub. There are dirty splashes on the white cabinets near the toilet…. Not sure what that is. The kitchen is updated but the pots, pans, and utensils all need to be replaced. There are also not enough pots and pans in the kitchen to prepare a Holiday dinner.
The neighborhood is a little sketchy as well. It’s Scottsdale but it’s in a very old neighborhood. The home has an old outdated smell we have tried to cover up with air fresheners.
We noticed when we checked in there was no hot water. We let the water run for a bit, I went outside to the water heater and turned up the temperature to “very hot”. After 30 minutes still no hot water. I boiled a pot of hot water because I need to cook and hot water is a necessity in the kitchen. It’s also a necessity for the bathroom to have hot water but there was no hot water at all in the entire house.
Once we contacted the host, Leslie, around noon on Sunday. They begin to tell us someone was at the home recently and checked the hot water heater. “We don’t know what would have happened since then”. We are not sure either but the fact is we don’t have any hot water. They proceeded to guide us through steps of trying to get hot water. Asking us repeatedly to let the water run for a little while. We let the water run for an hour! still nothing. Leslie asked us to fiddle around with the hot water heater. This is not our home and we will not be responsible for any damage. With all their rules we felt if the water heater breaks they would simply try to charge us for it. Leslie claimed to be unable to find someone to come to the home on Christmas Eve. We researched a few places through Google and found a Chas Roberts. They had a technician that was in the area and could be here within the hour. I gave the hosts the contact information and waited. The hosts then contacts us states they are unable to get a technician out until Monday (Christmas). I let Leslie host know this is unacceptable as we have had no hot water for 2 days. She stated she would try to find someone to come out sooner. Leslie refused to contact Chas Roberts and handle this in a timely manner. After much reluctance I checked the pilot on the water heater and it was not lit.
We contacted Leslie let her know the pilot was out and we only need someone to come over and relight it. Leslie claimed to have found a technician that could arrive on Sunday between 4:45-8:45 PM. This was not Chas Roberts. But someone else they normally deal with and we were going to have to wait another 4 hours for hot water.
I initially contacted Leslie at noon on Sunday. We spent 9 hours texting and they showed no urgency in having the hot water fixed. It was Christmas Eve, we had plans with friends for the day. We had to cancel those plans because we were unable to shower. A kitchen is unusable without hot water. I was unable to cook anything for my family for fear of cross contamination without hot water. We were absolutely miserable and not even Airbnb could get the hosts to respond. Yes they ignored the messages from Airbnb who was trying to help us resolve the issue.
Airbnb did give us the option to move to a new location but for a few reasons that was not possible for us. We booked this Airbnb and we should have hot water as a basic need. With all of their rules and regulations you would think they would be able to provide hot water.
After 9pm, when a technician did not show up, we called Leslie again. She told us the technician wouldn’t be able to arrive until Christmas morning at 9am.
It’s 10am Christmas morning and we don’t have any hot water. We contacted Leslie at 9:20am and made her aware the technician has not arrived. She stated she would check and call us back. This is also after she sent a message saying she confirmed the appointment.
We have been treated poorly, dismissed, and not taken seriously. This issue has not been a priority to Leslie and Wish Star Rentals. Maybe if we were of a different race or rented a higher end property then they would care. But this has not been an issue or a concern for them at all.
The hosts has given my daughter dates and times for a technician only for one not to show up.
It is Christmas morning and instead of celebrating, we are wondering if we will have hot water today. This is our last night in this property. We will never stay with Wish Star Rentals ever again, we are suggesting you do the same and stay away. They manage over 110 properties on Airbnb, none of these guests matter to them, they only care about the bottom
Dollar.
It’s now 10:19 am and I had to call Leslie back again, she informed me the technician would be out within the hour.
We have been dealing with this issue for too long and it doesn’t look like they plan on fixing it at all. They just keep telling us someone is coming and they never show.
This has been the worst Airbnb experience we could have expected. The hosts will try to reply to my review by apologizing profusely. Their apology is not accepted. Not today, not tomorrow, this will always be a sad memory of Christmas 2023. Leslie and Wish Star Rentals are solely responsible for ruining our holidays. Even if they provided us with a full refund. It wouldn’t wash away the memories of this place and this horrible experience.
#2 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
- Olympia, WA
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#2 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
- Olympia, WA
Hey @Duffy Denise, sorry to hear you are having problems.
Why did you come post this here? This is a pretty old post so I am not sure what you are looking for.
Quote from @Duffy Denise:
UPDATE THE HOT WATER HEATER IS BROKEN AND WE CAN NO LONGER REACH ANY OF THE HOSTS
My teenage daughter who is a freshman at a UC school, decided to surprise her brother ( student at NAU) and I with an Airbnb for the holidays. We hadn’t all been together in over 3 months and this would be perfect for us.
My daughter rented the Ruby Red apartment. They also have a yellow themed unit and a blue themed unit in the same complex. My daughter has stayed in contact with me through this entire process. Once she sent a request to book, the host sent back a long list of rules and regulations she had to follow. She had to respond “I accept” to all the rules laid out in the email.
We arrived on Saturday 12/23, the apartment is very cute at first glance. Then you notice there are dried stains all along the walkway. They look like someone was taking the trash out and the trash cans leaked all over the walkway. No one cleaned it up. The baseboard are filthy, the paint job is not even and the pictures on the walls are all crooked. The couches are crap and super low to the ground. They are not in the least bit comfortable. The bathroom is tight and there is visible mold and mildew around the tub. There are dirty splashes on the white cabinets near the toilet…. Not sure what that is. The kitchen is updated but the pots, pans, and utensils all need to be replaced. There are also not enough pots and pans in the kitchen to prepare a Holiday dinner.
The neighborhood is a little sketchy as well. It’s Scottsdale but it’s in a very old neighborhood. The home has an old outdated smell we have tried to cover up with air fresheners.
We noticed when we checked in there was no hot water. We let the water run for a bit, I went outside to the water heater and turned up the temperature to “very hot”. After 30 minutes still no hot water. I boiled a pot of hot water because I need to cook and hot water is a necessity in the kitchen. It’s also a necessity for the bathroom to have hot water but there was no hot water at all in the entire house.
Once we contacted the host, Leslie, around noon on Sunday. They begin to tell us someone was at the home recently and checked the hot water heater. “We don’t know what would have happened since then”. We are not sure either but the fact is we don’t have any hot water. They proceeded to guide us through steps of trying to get hot water. Asking us repeatedly to let the water run for a little while. We let the water run for an hour! still nothing. Leslie asked us to fiddle around with the hot water heater. This is not our home and we will not be responsible for any damage. With all their rules we felt if the water heater breaks they would simply try to charge us for it. Leslie claimed to be unable to find someone to come to the home on Christmas Eve. We researched a few places through Google and found a Chas Roberts. They had a technician that was in the area and could be here within the hour. I gave the hosts the contact information and waited. The hosts then contacts us states they are unable to get a technician out until Monday (Christmas). I let Leslie host know this is unacceptable as we have had no hot water for 2 days. She stated she would try to find someone to come out sooner. Leslie refused to contact Chas Roberts and handle this in a timely manner. After much reluctance I checked the pilot on the water heater and it was not lit.
We contacted Leslie let her know the pilot was out and we only need someone to come over and relight it. Leslie claimed to have found a technician that could arrive on Sunday between 4:45-8:45 PM. This was not Chas Roberts. But someone else they normally deal with and we were going to have to wait another 4 hours for hot water.
I initially contacted Leslie at noon on Sunday. We spent 9 hours texting and they showed no urgency in having the hot water fixed. It was Christmas Eve, we had plans with friends for the day. We had to cancel those plans because we were unable to shower. A kitchen is unusable without hot water. I was unable to cook anything for my family for fear of cross contamination without hot water. We were absolutely miserable and not even Airbnb could get the hosts to respond. Yes they ignored the messages from Airbnb who was trying to help us resolve the issue.
Airbnb did give us the option to move to a new location but for a few reasons that was not possible for us. We booked this Airbnb and we should have hot water as a basic need. With all of their rules and regulations you would think they would be able to provide hot water.
After 9pm, when a technician did not show up, we called Leslie again. She told us the technician wouldn’t be able to arrive until Christmas morning at 9am.
It’s 10am Christmas morning and we don’t have any hot water. We contacted Leslie at 9:20am and made her aware the technician has not arrived. She stated she would check and call us back. This is also after she sent a message saying she confirmed the appointment.
We have been treated poorly, dismissed, and not taken seriously. This issue has not been a priority to Leslie and Wish Star Rentals. Maybe if we were of a different race or rented a higher end property then they would care. But this has not been an issue or a concern for them at all.
The hosts has given my daughter dates and times for a technician only for one not to show up.
It is Christmas morning and instead of celebrating, we are wondering if we will have hot water today. This is our last night in this property. We will never stay with Wish Star Rentals ever again, we are suggesting you do the same and stay away. They manage over 110 properties on Airbnb, none of these guests matter to them, they only care about the bottom
Dollar.
It’s now 10:19 am and I had to call Leslie back again, she informed me the technician would be out within the hour.
We have been dealing with this issue for too long and it doesn’t look like they plan on fixing it at all. They just keep telling us someone is coming and they never show.
This has been the worst Airbnb experience we could have expected. The hosts will try to reply to my review by apologizing profusely. Their apology is not accepted. Not today, not tomorrow, this will always be a sad memory of Christmas 2023. Leslie and Wish Star Rentals are solely responsible for ruining our holidays. Even if they provided us with a full refund. It wouldn’t wash away the memories of this place and this horrible experience.
Hi Duffy, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We've received your messages through various platforms and we are continuing to respond to the best of our abilities. Please remember it is Christmas Day, and finding an emergency plumber was quite challenging. Thankfully we were able to find one to address the issue temporarily while we obtain bids to replace the problem water heater.
Truly I feel terrible that this affected your vacation - but I have to state unequivocally that this has nothing to do with "race" - also, this property is located about 5 minutes from downtown scottsdale in a fairly upscale neighborhood. It's an unfortunate accident but I'm glad my team was ultimately able to find a solution for you.
Quote from @Michael Baum:
Hey @Duffy Denise, sorry to hear you are having problems.
Why did you come post this here? This is a pretty old post so I am not sure what you are looking for.
This person experienced a maintenance emergency at one of my properties - on a federal holiday - and is rightfully upset, but expressing that frustration by harassing me and my company on every platform. :/
#1 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
- Investor
- Greer, SC
- 13,516
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- 11,472
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#1 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
- Investor
- Greer, SC
Quote from @Duffy Denise:Why didn't you just relight the pilot?
UPDATE THE HOT WATER HEATER IS BROKEN AND WE CAN NO LONGER REACH ANY OF THE HOSTS
My teenage daughter who is a freshman at a UC school, decided to surprise her brother ( student at NAU) and I with an Airbnb for the holidays. We hadn’t all been together in over 3 months and this would be perfect for us.
My daughter rented the Ruby Red apartment. They also have a yellow themed unit and a blue themed unit in the same complex. My daughter has stayed in contact with me through this entire process. Once she sent a request to book, the host sent back a long list of rules and regulations she had to follow. She had to respond “I accept” to all the rules laid out in the email.
We arrived on Saturday 12/23, the apartment is very cute at first glance. Then you notice there are dried stains all along the walkway. They look like someone was taking the trash out and the trash cans leaked all over the walkway. No one cleaned it up. The baseboard are filthy, the paint job is not even and the pictures on the walls are all crooked. The couches are crap and super low to the ground. They are not in the least bit comfortable. The bathroom is tight and there is visible mold and mildew around the tub. There are dirty splashes on the white cabinets near the toilet…. Not sure what that is. The kitchen is updated but the pots, pans, and utensils all need to be replaced. There are also not enough pots and pans in the kitchen to prepare a Holiday dinner.
The neighborhood is a little sketchy as well. It’s Scottsdale but it’s in a very old neighborhood. The home has an old outdated smell we have tried to cover up with air fresheners.
We noticed when we checked in there was no hot water. We let the water run for a bit, I went outside to the water heater and turned up the temperature to “very hot”. After 30 minutes still no hot water. I boiled a pot of hot water because I need to cook and hot water is a necessity in the kitchen. It’s also a necessity for the bathroom to have hot water but there was no hot water at all in the entire house.
Once we contacted the host, Leslie, around noon on Sunday. They begin to tell us someone was at the home recently and checked the hot water heater. “We don’t know what would have happened since then”. We are not sure either but the fact is we don’t have any hot water. They proceeded to guide us through steps of trying to get hot water. Asking us repeatedly to let the water run for a little while. We let the water run for an hour! still nothing. Leslie asked us to fiddle around with the hot water heater. This is not our home and we will not be responsible for any damage. With all their rules we felt if the water heater breaks they would simply try to charge us for it. Leslie claimed to be unable to find someone to come to the home on Christmas Eve. We researched a few places through Google and found a Chas Roberts. They had a technician that was in the area and could be here within the hour. I gave the hosts the contact information and waited. The hosts then contacts us states they are unable to get a technician out until Monday (Christmas). I let Leslie host know this is unacceptable as we have had no hot water for 2 days. She stated she would try to find someone to come out sooner. Leslie refused to contact Chas Roberts and handle this in a timely manner. After much reluctance I checked the pilot on the water heater and it was not lit.
We contacted Leslie let her know the pilot was out and we only need someone to come over and relight it. Leslie claimed to have found a technician that could arrive on Sunday between 4:45-8:45 PM. This was not Chas Roberts. But someone else they normally deal with and we were going to have to wait another 4 hours for hot water.
I initially contacted Leslie at noon on Sunday. We spent 9 hours texting and they showed no urgency in having the hot water fixed. It was Christmas Eve, we had plans with friends for the day. We had to cancel those plans because we were unable to shower. A kitchen is unusable without hot water. I was unable to cook anything for my family for fear of cross contamination without hot water. We were absolutely miserable and not even Airbnb could get the hosts to respond. Yes they ignored the messages from Airbnb who was trying to help us resolve the issue.
Airbnb did give us the option to move to a new location but for a few reasons that was not possible for us. We booked this Airbnb and we should have hot water as a basic need. With all of their rules and regulations you would think they would be able to provide hot water.
After 9pm, when a technician did not show up, we called Leslie again. She told us the technician wouldn’t be able to arrive until Christmas morning at 9am.
It’s 10am Christmas morning and we don’t have any hot water. We contacted Leslie at 9:20am and made her aware the technician has not arrived. She stated she would check and call us back. This is also after she sent a message saying she confirmed the appointment.
We have been treated poorly, dismissed, and not taken seriously. This issue has not been a priority to Leslie and Wish Star Rentals. Maybe if we were of a different race or rented a higher end property then they would care. But this has not been an issue or a concern for them at all.
The hosts has given my daughter dates and times for a technician only for one not to show up.
It is Christmas morning and instead of celebrating, we are wondering if we will have hot water today. This is our last night in this property. We will never stay with Wish Star Rentals ever again, we are suggesting you do the same and stay away. They manage over 110 properties on Airbnb, none of these guests matter to them, they only care about the bottom
Dollar.
It’s now 10:19 am and I had to call Leslie back again, she informed me the technician would be out within the hour.
We have been dealing with this issue for too long and it doesn’t look like they plan on fixing it at all. They just keep telling us someone is coming and they never show.
This has been the worst Airbnb experience we could have expected. The hosts will try to reply to my review by apologizing profusely. Their apology is not accepted. Not today, not tomorrow, this will always be a sad memory of Christmas 2023. Leslie and Wish Star Rentals are solely responsible for ruining our holidays. Even if they provided us with a full refund. It wouldn’t wash away the memories of this place and this horrible experience.
It is simple to do. You could google it if you have never done it before.
Quote from @Michael Baum:
Hey @Duffy Denise, sorry to hear you are having problems.
Why did you come post this here? This is a pretty old post so I am not sure what you are looking for.
my family and I were trying to get the attention of the host since they were no longer replying to myself, my daughter, or Airbnb.
We are not harassing them, we spent 3 days in an Airbnb with no hot water. There was never a temporary fix and this issue was occurring prior to us renting the home.
I found multiple plumbers available to come by the home and take a look at the water heater. The host refused to pay for the company we found, instead we had to wait another 24 hours. On Christmas Day when the technician assessed the situation. He stated water heaters are good for 6 maybe 7 years. The water heater in this apartment is 13 years old.
Would it be acceptable for any of your guests to go without hot water? Especially on Christmas? Let alone for 3 days? Noah, Leslie, they all stopped communicating with us yesterday after the technician advised them to replace the water heater.
Not one call, email, or text. We had no choice but to post our experience in various locations.
After many reservations, I did attempt to relight the pilot by reading the instructions on the water heater. I also googled a video. It would not light, the pilot was not the issue.
Quote from @John Underwood:
Quote from @Duffy Denise:Why didn't you just relight the pilot?
UPDATE THE HOT WATER HEATER IS BROKEN AND WE CAN NO LONGER REACH ANY OF THE HOSTS
My teenage daughter who is a freshman at a UC school, decided to surprise her brother ( student at NAU) and I with an Airbnb for the holidays. We hadn’t all been together in over 3 months and this would be perfect for us.
My daughter rented the Ruby Red apartment. They also have a yellow themed unit and a blue themed unit in the same complex. My daughter has stayed in contact with me through this entire process. Once she sent a request to book, the host sent back a long list of rules and regulations she had to follow. She had to respond “I accept” to all the rules laid out in the email.
We arrived on Saturday 12/23, the apartment is very cute at first glance. Then you notice there are dried stains all along the walkway. They look like someone was taking the trash out and the trash cans leaked all over the walkway. No one cleaned it up. The baseboard are filthy, the paint job is not even and the pictures on the walls are all crooked. The couches are crap and super low to the ground. They are not in the least bit comfortable. The bathroom is tight and there is visible mold and mildew around the tub. There are dirty splashes on the white cabinets near the toilet…. Not sure what that is. The kitchen is updated but the pots, pans, and utensils all need to be replaced. There are also not enough pots and pans in the kitchen to prepare a Holiday dinner.
The neighborhood is a little sketchy as well. It’s Scottsdale but it’s in a very old neighborhood. The home has an old outdated smell we have tried to cover up with air fresheners.
We noticed when we checked in there was no hot water. We let the water run for a bit, I went outside to the water heater and turned up the temperature to “very hot”. After 30 minutes still no hot water. I boiled a pot of hot water because I need to cook and hot water is a necessity in the kitchen. It’s also a necessity for the bathroom to have hot water but there was no hot water at all in the entire house.
Once we contacted the host, Leslie, around noon on Sunday. They begin to tell us someone was at the home recently and checked the hot water heater. “We don’t know what would have happened since then”. We are not sure either but the fact is we don’t have any hot water. They proceeded to guide us through steps of trying to get hot water. Asking us repeatedly to let the water run for a little while. We let the water run for an hour! still nothing. Leslie asked us to fiddle around with the hot water heater. This is not our home and we will not be responsible for any damage. With all their rules we felt if the water heater breaks they would simply try to charge us for it. Leslie claimed to be unable to find someone to come to the home on Christmas Eve. We researched a few places through Google and found a Chas Roberts. They had a technician that was in the area and could be here within the hour. I gave the hosts the contact information and waited. The hosts then contacts us states they are unable to get a technician out until Monday (Christmas). I let Leslie host know this is unacceptable as we have had no hot water for 2 days. She stated she would try to find someone to come out sooner. Leslie refused to contact Chas Roberts and handle this in a timely manner. After much reluctance I checked the pilot on the water heater and it was not lit.
We contacted Leslie let her know the pilot was out and we only need someone to come over and relight it. Leslie claimed to have found a technician that could arrive on Sunday between 4:45-8:45 PM. This was not Chas Roberts. But someone else they normally deal with and we were going to have to wait another 4 hours for hot water.
I initially contacted Leslie at noon on Sunday. We spent 9 hours texting and they showed no urgency in having the hot water fixed. It was Christmas Eve, we had plans with friends for the day. We had to cancel those plans because we were unable to shower. A kitchen is unusable without hot water. I was unable to cook anything for my family for fear of cross contamination without hot water. We were absolutely miserable and not even Airbnb could get the hosts to respond. Yes they ignored the messages from Airbnb who was trying to help us resolve the issue.
Airbnb did give us the option to move to a new location but for a few reasons that was not possible for us. We booked this Airbnb and we should have hot water as a basic need. With all of their rules and regulations you would think they would be able to provide hot water.
After 9pm, when a technician did not show up, we called Leslie again. She told us the technician wouldn’t be able to arrive until Christmas morning at 9am.
It’s 10am Christmas morning and we don’t have any hot water. We contacted Leslie at 9:20am and made her aware the technician has not arrived. She stated she would check and call us back. This is also after she sent a message saying she confirmed the appointment.
We have been treated poorly, dismissed, and not taken seriously. This issue has not been a priority to Leslie and Wish Star Rentals. Maybe if we were of a different race or rented a higher end property then they would care. But this has not been an issue or a concern for them at all.
The hosts has given my daughter dates and times for a technician only for one not to show up.
It is Christmas morning and instead of celebrating, we are wondering if we will have hot water today. This is our last night in this property. We will never stay with Wish Star Rentals ever again, we are suggesting you do the same and stay away. They manage over 110 properties on Airbnb, none of these guests matter to them, they only care about the bottom
Dollar.
It’s now 10:19 am and I had to call Leslie back again, she informed me the technician would be out within the hour.
We have been dealing with this issue for too long and it doesn’t look like they plan on fixing it at all. They just keep telling us someone is coming and they never show.
This has been the worst Airbnb experience we could have expected. The hosts will try to reply to my review by apologizing profusely. Their apology is not accepted. Not today, not tomorrow, this will always be a sad memory of Christmas 2023. Leslie and Wish Star Rentals are solely responsible for ruining our holidays. Even if they provided us with a full refund. It wouldn’t wash away the memories of this place and this horrible experience.
It is simple to do. You could google it if you have never done it before.
As you said an “emergency” that was never dealt with. You never offered to move us to another one of your 110 properties. You offered us nothing. You and your staff are unprofessional and immature. We will never forget our horrible stay at this property. You won’t forget about us.
d I’m Quote from @Noah Laker:
Quote from @Michael Baum:
Hey @Duffy Denise, sorry to hear you are having problems.
Why did you come post this here? This is a pretty old post so I am not sure what you are looking for.
This person experienced a maintenance emergency at one of my properties - on a federal holiday - and is rightfully upset, but expressing that frustration by harassing me and my company on every platform. :/
What was the solution? I missed the solution? We are checking out today and didn’t have any hot water during our entire stay! You have done nothing! Nothing! Quote from @Noah Laker:
Quote from @Duffy Denise:
UPDATE THE HOT WATER HEATER IS BROKEN AND WE CAN NO LONGER REACH ANY OF THE HOSTS
My teenage daughter who is a freshman at a UC school, decided to surprise her brother ( student at NAU) and I with an Airbnb for the holidays. We hadn’t all been together in over 3 months and this would be perfect for us.
My daughter rented the Ruby Red apartment. They also have a yellow themed unit and a blue themed unit in the same complex. My daughter has stayed in contact with me through this entire process. Once she sent a request to book, the host sent back a long list of rules and regulations she had to follow. She had to respond “I accept” to all the rules laid out in the email.
We arrived on Saturday 12/23, the apartment is very cute at first glance. Then you notice there are dried stains all along the walkway. They look like someone was taking the trash out and the trash cans leaked all over the walkway. No one cleaned it up. The baseboard are filthy, the paint job is not even and the pictures on the walls are all crooked. The couches are crap and super low to the ground. They are not in the least bit comfortable. The bathroom is tight and there is visible mold and mildew around the tub. There are dirty splashes on the white cabinets near the toilet…. Not sure what that is. The kitchen is updated but the pots, pans, and utensils all need to be replaced. There are also not enough pots and pans in the kitchen to prepare a Holiday dinner.
The neighborhood is a little sketchy as well. It’s Scottsdale but it’s in a very old neighborhood. The home has an old outdated smell we have tried to cover up with air fresheners.
We noticed when we checked in there was no hot water. We let the water run for a bit, I went outside to the water heater and turned up the temperature to “very hot”. After 30 minutes still no hot water. I boiled a pot of hot water because I need to cook and hot water is a necessity in the kitchen. It’s also a necessity for the bathroom to have hot water but there was no hot water at all in the entire house.
Once we contacted the host, Leslie, around noon on Sunday. They begin to tell us someone was at the home recently and checked the hot water heater. “We don’t know what would have happened since then”. We are not sure either but the fact is we don’t have any hot water. They proceeded to guide us through steps of trying to get hot water. Asking us repeatedly to let the water run for a little while. We let the water run for an hour! still nothing. Leslie asked us to fiddle around with the hot water heater. This is not our home and we will not be responsible for any damage. With all their rules we felt if the water heater breaks they would simply try to charge us for it. Leslie claimed to be unable to find someone to come to the home on Christmas Eve. We researched a few places through Google and found a Chas Roberts. They had a technician that was in the area and could be here within the hour. I gave the hosts the contact information and waited. The hosts then contacts us states they are unable to get a technician out until Monday (Christmas). I let Leslie host know this is unacceptable as we have had no hot water for 2 days. She stated she would try to find someone to come out sooner. Leslie refused to contact Chas Roberts and handle this in a timely manner. After much reluctance I checked the pilot on the water heater and it was not lit.
We contacted Leslie let her know the pilot was out and we only need someone to come over and relight it. Leslie claimed to have found a technician that could arrive on Sunday between 4:45-8:45 PM. This was not Chas Roberts. But someone else they normally deal with and we were going to have to wait another 4 hours for hot water.
I initially contacted Leslie at noon on Sunday. We spent 9 hours texting and they showed no urgency in having the hot water fixed. It was Christmas Eve, we had plans with friends for the day. We had to cancel those plans because we were unable to shower. A kitchen is unusable without hot water. I was unable to cook anything for my family for fear of cross contamination without hot water. We were absolutely miserable and not even Airbnb could get the hosts to respond. Yes they ignored the messages from Airbnb who was trying to help us resolve the issue.
Airbnb did give us the option to move to a new location but for a few reasons that was not possible for us. We booked this Airbnb and we should have hot water as a basic need. With all of their rules and regulations you would think they would be able to provide hot water.
After 9pm, when a technician did not show up, we called Leslie again. She told us the technician wouldn’t be able to arrive until Christmas morning at 9am.
It’s 10am Christmas morning and we don’t have any hot water. We contacted Leslie at 9:20am and made her aware the technician has not arrived. She stated she would check and call us back. This is also after she sent a message saying she confirmed the appointment.
We have been treated poorly, dismissed, and not taken seriously. This issue has not been a priority to Leslie and Wish Star Rentals. Maybe if we were of a different race or rented a higher end property then they would care. But this has not been an issue or a concern for them at all.
The hosts has given my daughter dates and times for a technician only for one not to show up.
It is Christmas morning and instead of celebrating, we are wondering if we will have hot water today. This is our last night in this property. We will never stay with Wish Star Rentals ever again, we are suggesting you do the same and stay away. They manage over 110 properties on Airbnb, none of these guests matter to them, they only care about the bottom
Dollar.
It’s now 10:19 am and I had to call Leslie back again, she informed me the technician would be out within the hour.
We have been dealing with this issue for too long and it doesn’t look like they plan on fixing it at all. They just keep telling us someone is coming and they never show.
This has been the worst Airbnb experience we could have expected. The hosts will try to reply to my review by apologizing profusely. Their apology is not accepted. Not today, not tomorrow, this will always be a sad memory of Christmas 2023. Leslie and Wish Star Rentals are solely responsible for ruining our holidays. Even if they provided us with a full refund. It wouldn’t wash away the memories of this place and this horrible experience.
Hi Duffy, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We've received your messages through various platforms and we are continuing to respond to the best of our abilities. Please remember it is Christmas Day, and finding an emergency plumber was quite challenging. Thankfully we were able to find one to address the issue temporarily while we obtain bids to replace the problem water heater.
Truly I feel terrible that this affected your vacation - but I have to state unequivocally that this has nothing to do with "race" - also, this property is located about 5 minutes from downtown scottsdale in a fairly upscale neighborhood. It's an unfortunate accident but I'm glad my team was ultimately able to find a solution for you.
I own and manage a few STR units in Chicago & looking to scale in new markets this year. What is your process when sourcing and furnishing new units remotely? What are some important things to consider?
I have one remote STR. The biggest challenge in furnishing it was getting the furniture there. We bought a few things where it is located, ordered things through Minoan to be delivered directly, or stacked furniture in my garage, rented a U-Haul and took it down. Unfortunately, Minoan (at least when we used them for this property) doesn't always have the most accurate delivery info from the vendors. I found that out when I had bunk beds delivered to the property and I was not there to receive them. That made for an interesting day! Once that happened, I had the remaining furniture sent to my house and used the U-Haul.
Quote from @Richard Anderson:From a previous post you responded on:
I have one remote STR. The biggest challenge in furnishing it was getting the furniture there. We bought a few things where it is located, ordered things through Minoan to be delivered directly, or stacked furniture in my garage, rented a U-Haul and took it down. Unfortunately, Minoan (at least when we used them for this property) doesn't always have the most accurate delivery info from the vendors. I found that out when I had bunk beds delivered to the property and I was not there to receive them. That made for an interesting day! Once that happened, I had the remaining furniture sent to my house and used the U-Haul.
@Richard Anderson: You've piqued my interest.
Do you happen to know if there are guidelines in the banking industry as to how to handle the Due on Sale Clause when a seller sells on Executory contract to another individual?
I’m very curious how many Due on Sale clauses are invoked on a yearly basis in the industry or by state or by bank that can be extrapolated.
Quote from @Noah Laker:
Quote from @Mike Dymski:
What is your average occupancy rate and ADR in Phoenix from Oct-Mar and from Apr-Sep? Thanks for posting.
Oct-Mar is upwards of 90%
Apr-Sep is closer to 75%
Why is the drop in the April to Sept?
Quote from @Johnson Best:
Quote from @Noah Laker:
Quote from @Mike Dymski:
What is your average occupancy rate and ADR in Phoenix from Oct-Mar and from Apr-Sep? Thanks for posting.
Oct-Mar is upwards of 90%
Apr-Sep is closer to 75%
Why is the drop in the April to Sept?
Most of our properties are in Arizona, which is very seasonal Q1 is peak and summer is the lowest
which is the best city for STR?