We rented an apartment in Los Angeles and from all the pictures it looked like a nice place. We arrived in a shady neighborhood and walked to the apartment. We were greeted by a barking dog and a musty odor as soon as we opened the door. We opened all the windows and waited for about three hours. After three hours, the smell had not changed. We contacted the owner and they basically said “Too bad – O was there earlier and didn’t smell anything.”

I asked if we could negotiate something as I knew they had it reserved and they said no. We then rented a hotel for the the week instead and contacted Airbnb. They called the owner and he sent them some pictures and everyone said it looked nice. I said I had a sensitive nose and allergies; my sinuses began to swell closed and I had difficulty breathing because of the moldy odor. They said because there was nothing visible they could not help me.

I said I could not photograph the odors and they asked if I went to the hospital. I said I had not, as it was an allergic reaction and I knew how to treat it; there was no need for a hospital trip or expense. They then said there was nothing they could do. So I immediately filled out my review in detail and they never posted it. I started to read reviews on the site and noticed there were very few negative reviews. I wrote and called, asking why they did not post my review and I never received an answer. This was my first and last experience with Airbnb.