I agree. I've used two Airbnb places (one in Reykjavik, one in Munich) that were clearly owner-occupied. Both had family nearby and camped out with them. I loved the more personal decor and browsing (carefully) the shelf of Icelandic-language books in one in Reykjavik. My other experience was a flat in Edinburgh, clearly stripped down and furnished with the bare minimum from Ikea. Not enough electrical outlets, dim lighting in the bedroom (I read in bed at night), mattress on wooden slats across the frame that kept shifting. No trash cans- tote your own out to the communal bin. No microwave and the only coffee maker was a french press. It had everything as described in the listing but zero extra and I wrote a very careful review to that effect.

The stories of last-minute cancellations are concerning.