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I'm almost homeless: Why you should not go outside Airbnb's payment system

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Re: I'm almost homeless: Why you should not go outside Airbnb's payment system

#21

Post by greendot »

zacharydanger wrote: post #11
jjcm wrote: post #5

I'm not sure what the situation in Texas is, but I know many homes in Hawaii specifically will mention that refunds aren't available due to roach occupation in the home. Cockroaches there are quite literally a way of life. Doesn't matter how clean your house is, you will have them. You kind of get used to them while living there, and after a while they don't really bother you. Texas may very well have the same situat…

It's most definitely not the way of life here in Texas. I'm currently in Dallas, but grew up in the sticks and have never had to cope with the roach situation he's describing.

I'm in north Dallas and unless you pay for regular extermination visits, roaches are a way of life if you live near open areas. I have a 10 acre ranch behind, two parks within a half mile, and a creek a few hundred feet away, and roaches and mice just love to cool off or warm up in the house, depending on the time of year. Although, this year it is rats and spiders, go figure.

Re: I'm almost homeless: Why you should not go outside Airbnb's payment system

#22

Post by randito »

cobralibre wrote: post #13

Roaches are unpleasant, and I empathize, but Texas is going through a historic drought right now. You can expect to find thirsty pests heading indoors. And I haven't heard of $500/month rent in Austin in over a decade. For rent that cheap, expect hardships.

Yes, cobralibre is correct. I live in Austin and even with a regularly-scheduled pest treatment, we are still getting lots of bugs in the house. It's really hot out there and it's driving the bugs indoors.

Re: I'm almost homeless: Why you should not go outside Airbnb's payment system

#24

Post by drivebyacct2 »

Airbnb as a means to a business end and cash outside the system meant to protect you in cases where things can easily go wrong? And no handling of the situation except to run from the roaches? Business is a tough place, especially if you only have two months worth of money ahead of you...

Re: I'm almost homeless: Why you should not go outside Airbnb's payment system

#26

Post by almightygod »

kragen wrote: post #14

This is a great story! Thanks for sharing! It's not really surprising that someone who was willing to cheat AirBNB out of their cut of the deal was also willing to cheat you. You've got to watch out when you're dealing with people like that. Couldn't you have hired exterminators for US$310? Let alone US$700. Also, Hostelling International Austin charges US$28 per bed per night with a shared bathroom in the room, so y…

I don't really think they guy cheated them. They saw the place and paid for it, the guy clearly isn't running at hilton here. At $500 month in a major city, I wouldn't expect anything less then sub-standard living conditions.

Re: I'm almost homeless: Why you should not go outside Airbnb's payment system

#27

Post by Vivtek »

greendot wrote: post #21
zacharydanger wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's most definitely not the way of life here in Texas. I'm currently in Dallas, but grew up in the sticks and have never had to cope with the roach situation he's describing.

I'm in north Dallas and unless you pay for regular extermination visits, roaches are a way of life if you live near open areas. I have a 10 acre ranch behind, two parks within a half mile, and a creek a few hundred feet away, and roaches and mice just love to cool off or warm up in the house, depending on the time of year. Although, this year it is rats and spiders, go figure.

You realize you're not seeing roaches because the rats are eating them, right? (Healthy ecology, healthy home!)

Re: I'm almost homeless: Why you should not go outside Airbnb's payment system

#29

Post by etcet »

boyter wrote: post #17

I guess I should pass this piece of advice on. If you have roaches in your house (or anywhere for that matter) there is a simple cheap effective way to get rid of them. Boric acid. Just sprinkle it around the place (its not toxic to humans, or comparable to salt anyway), on the sideboards, and anywhere else the roaches are likely to go. It will kill them all pretty quickly. I recently had issues with the neighbor hav…

Boric acid mixed into simple syrup will control ants as well.

Re: I'm almost homeless: Why you should not go outside Airbnb's payment system

#30

Post by blantonl »

boyter wrote: post #17

I guess I should pass this piece of advice on. If you have roaches in your house (or anywhere for that matter) there is a simple cheap effective way to get rid of them. Boric acid. Just sprinkle it around the place (its not toxic to humans, or comparable to salt anyway), on the sideboards, and anywhere else the roaches are likely to go. It will kill them all pretty quickly. I recently had issues with the neighbor hav…

As a resident from Louisiana and now living in Texas, I would tell you that spreading Boric acid is only attempting to address the symptom, but not the problem.

When you see one roach, you can rest assured that 25 more are in the walls. See 5, and yes, there are 125 roaches waiting in the wings.

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