Are all rentals like this?! PLEASE help me find a CLEAN rental!

[gingerblue]

We just returned from a vacation at Disney- it was our first time staying in a rental villa and it was a total disappointment.

I don't know if I'm being overly picky, but the villa we stayed in was advertised as "luxurious" and "immaculate"- and inside was threadbare stained sheets matted with hair, no linens besides raggedy towels, a fridge/freezer with tons of crumbs and hair in it (eww), months of food under the burners of the stove, and filthy rugs. The decorations/decor was nice, but it was really dusty and not taken care of. I mentioned it to the owners after we were done with vacation, HOPING that it was a problem with the management company, but they didn't seem phased or terribly concerned.

Is this typical of rentals? I know they aren't going to be pristine and brand new, but are crumbs and bits of hair and stained sheets normal? I was really disappointed.

If you have a favorite rental that's clean and has a pool, can you recommend it to me? Otherwise, I guess the key is to find the smallest rental for your needs with the higher price. You get what you pay for.

Oh, and to anyone considering a first time rental, DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE on websites. The more people that can be jammed into a rental, the worse it will look in time. Check occupancy (try not to book houses that offer occupancy way beyond what you need) and book a house that fits your family.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

The last rental pool home we stayed in was not the absolute cleanest, but it certainly wasn't dirty...just a bit aged and worn.

The one before that at Solana Resort in Davenport was immaculate and beautiful. That resort was much newer, though.

I think you pretty much get what you pay for...I paid significantly less for last year's rental than the year before.

 

[gingerblue]

Thanks for the info- can you send me the info on the immaculate house you stayed in? At this point, I'd much rather pay more money than spend the whole vacation itching and being annoyed and feeling ripped off.

 

[JANNYANS]

No not all rentals are like this- most owners take pride in their homes -especially if they do all the rentals themselves I generally hear tales like this about homes that are rented out by agencies and whose owners don't take any interest in their property.This home sounds as if it hadn't been cleaned for a while and that the owners hadn't been over to replace and upgrade items
I am truly sorry you have had this nasty experience but am also pleased to read it won't put you off renting a home again.One questions you can ask owners when you are looking next time is how often they visit their homes to upgrade and check things over as the homes do need an owner to visit at least twice a year and if they go more than that it is even better.

 

[isla bonita]

"Are all rentals like this?! PLEASE help me find a CLEAN rental!"

Not at all.

It is a shame that any one should arrive in a home that is unkept. It is a reflection on the owners and if can ruin their business.

It is great that you are going to try again. Just know that there are many a good owner that takes pride in their home. It is also a good idea to ask about the home you are renting. Many fellow Diser's have been to many a home in the area and might have some good advice.

I do aree with you that some times you get what you pay for.

 

[Freaky]

I must echo what Jannyans and Isla Bonita have said - all homes are NOT like this! There are many owners who work very hard to have their property at high standards.

It does sound like the owner of the one you booked don't really have much of an interest - perhaps just leaving it to their management company. With the economic situation there are many owners struggling and think that just reducing their rates to extremely low prices is the solution - it is not. More importantly they should be making sure their home is being maintained and spotlessly clean for each guest - after all I'm sure they would expect no less if it was them renting.

Great to hear that you have not been put off as it can be the most economic, and relaxing way for a family to vacation.

Tracey

 

[tiggerplus5]

Oh, and to anyone considering a first time rental, DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE on websites. The more people that can be jammed into a rental, the worse it will look in time. Check occupancy (try not to book houses that offer occupancy way beyond what you need) and book a house that fits your family.

It is unfortunate that this happened to you. I've stayed at 5 different villas over time and this has never happened to me. I thought the above quote was kind of funny because the reason why we rent vacation homes is so we can spread out and not have to "jam" 4 or 5 people in a tiny 400 square foot hotel room.

The condition of the property really depends on the management and cleaning crew. I've seen many hotel rooms that are in disrepair. I would not walk around barefoot on the carpets, etc.

For instance, thread bare sheets are not caused by "jamming" people in a rental. This is directly related to how old they are and how many times they have been slept on and washed.

Dirty carpets could be caused by one messy toddler or a family that likes to party and spill beer all over the floor. I used to be a housekeeper in a motel many years ago and trust me, this can happen in a hotel room too.

We've stayed in 3 bedroom, 4 bedroom, and 5 bedroom homes (and yes we used all the bedrooms. One time we utilitized a pull out couch in a second living area too). I think the 3 bedroom home was the oldest. The slider was hard to open, one of the vertical blinds wouldn't open. No big deal for us though because the house was immaculate and the sheets were egyptian cotton. You can call the owners when you get there if there are real problems. Dirty sheets would definitely be a reason to call. I would call the front desk if we rented a hotel room so I would not hesitate to call if we were renting a vacation home. If it is so bad that you are not enjoying your trip then call and ask for a quick clean up of the kitchen and new sheets. If the house is unacceptable, call right away.

Families are harder on properties. Absolutely! But that is all part of the cost of doing business. It really depends on the family. And that can happen in a hotel, motel, condo rental or vacation home. I just don't want others to be turned off by this comment. I find the space to spread out is the reason we love vacation homes. The owners are supposed to go by the occupancy standards set by their local Board of Health or whoever issues occupancy permits. I would not go over that.

We are all so spoiled by Disney resorts. I see from your siggie you've stayed at some of the most beautiful resorts on property. I wish every place could be like WDW resorts.

And I hope you try another vacation home in the future. Just not the same one.

 

[yasuern]

Here is a home that is clean and reasonably priced the owners are very nice and easy to deal with - its a 4bdrm pool home.


http://chattysdream.com/



Also if you are ever interested in a 2 or 3 bdrm condo(they also rent a couple of townhomes w/splash pools) at Windsor Hills I recommend this gentleman - but he only rents sat-sat

http://www.vacationcentralflorida.com/clickhereforrates.html


Also just wanted to say you are a better person then I am as I would have called the management company or owners as soon as I saw the filth and not have waited to after my vacation.


Sue

 

[tami82]

I cant answer this but i would be totally upset if i found hair on the sheets and frig. That type of thing really ruins my vacations. I have had very nice hotels where the bathrooms were dirty with hair and it totally grossed me out and ruined my night. This happened twice on the past two vacations we have taken. I do have to say we did stay in South Carolina in my husbands associates condo for free and did come across the blankets which did also have this problem. I had to take every blanket and wash them in the machines before i felt better. I guess there is no telling how good the housekeeper it.

 

[gingerblue]

Thanks so much to everyone for replying. It's so good to know that what I experienced not typical.

The only reason I mentioned "jamming people into houses" is because at the community we stayed in, there was one house with FOUR CHURCH VANS pulled into the driveway and all those people were staying in one home! They were there the entire week, so I assume management saw and never said a word. My husband commented that it happens more than it should, and those huge groups of people probably put a lot of wear and tear on a rental very quickly.

The hair and bloodstains on the sheets definitely stressed me out- so much so we left a night early so we didn't have to sleep there one more night.

 

[gingerblue]

I cant answer this but i would be totally upset if i found hair on the sheets and frig. That type of thing really ruins my vacations. I have had very nice hotels where the bathrooms were dirty with hair and it totally grossed me out and ruined my night.

This is exactly how I feel- plus hair matted into towels. Ugh. The worst though were the blood stains on the sheets...

 

[angelat]

Also if you are ever interested in a 2 or 3 bdrm condo(they also rent a couple of townhomes w/splash pools) at Windsor Hills I recommend this gentleman - but he only rents sat-sat

http://www.vacationcentralflorida.com/clickhereforrates.html


Sue

I agree with the above. We stayed in one of their condos last year and it was amazing. We are going back in August and staying with them again. They are reasonably priced as well.

 

[mysparky]

Gingerblue -
If you happened to have rented through a website that allows you to post reviews (i.e. vrbo.com or cyberrentals.com), I hope that you will post a review there!

 

[gingerblue]

Actually, I posted a review on TripAdvisor and one of the villa owners from the same community IMMEDIATELY started harassing me and bullying me. He insisted I send him my name and check in date (!!! like I am going to send him my personal details) or else he would tell TripAdvisor it was a fake review from a competing community and get it yanked. And he won't let up! He even tried looking up my login name on the resort's computer system- what the heck sort of place is that that customers' files (home address, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and license numbers!) are available to any owner that wants to see them- including those people that didn't stay in the property they own?!

I shouldn't bother, but now I am determined to get the review out there. I was wondering why there weren't any bad reviews of the place when it was so bad and now I know- because all the owners bully/harass anyone who dares to post a less than glowing review of the place.

This is making me incredibly angry.

 

[tiggerplus5]

He even tried looking up my login name on the resort's computer system- what the heck sort of place is that that customers' files (home address, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and license numbers!) are available to any owner that wants to see them- including those people that didn't stay in the property they own?!

WTH This is crazy!! I've never had to give any villa owner my social security number or license number. I can understand a credit card if that was how you paid. Maybe the resort communities are different?

Can you contact the resort office about this? I don't know that they will do anything. Who knows, this guy harassing you may actually work in the office and answer the phone! Thank you for trying to get the word out about this. It is definitely the right thing to do.

All the villas we rented were privately owned and not in any official "resort" community. I'm not knocking them, I just have no experience. In regards to the church group...WOW. I've never seen anything like this and we usually stay for 2 weeks at a time. We spend some days at home relaxing and the neighborhoods are unusually quiet. Everyone is in the parks, I guess. I know there are some larger 7 or 8 bedroom houses but how many people are we talking? There's always someone that tries to circumvent the rules. Could it be the owners or it could be the renters not being truthful? At some point, management should be stopping by to check the pool chemicals or whatever and they didn't notice this?

Now you are saying there were two incidents at this resort community and a privacy issue. Get that review posted!

 

[Freaky]

Actually, I posted a review on TripAdvisor and one of the villa owners from the same community IMMEDIATELY started harassing me and bullying me. He insisted I send him my name and check in date (!!! like I am going to send him my personal details) or else he would tell TripAdvisor it was a fake review from a competing community and get it yanked. And he won't let up! He even tried looking up my login name on the resort's computer system- what the heck sort of place is that that customers' files (home address, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and license numbers!) are available to any owner that wants to see them- including those people that didn't stay in the property they own?!

What a nightmare Sounds like this guy either works for the resort or the management company. Only the specific owner (if you booked directly with them) or the MC/Resort should have any of your personal details and these should be treated as confiendential. Didn't think they ever needed your Social Security number either

You could maybe copy his correspondence on to the Trip Advisor moderators - perhaps get him banned for bullying as it is against the rules of TA.

Tracey

 

[tami82]

Oh yeah i forgot to add that last year we stayed at a Yogi Yellowstone park that had cabins. I was so excited to stay for two nights but once i got there not too excited. There were some cabins who just cram loads of people in there and i wonder if they ever cleaned it as people have to bring there own sheets & towels. They mentioned some charge if the cabin wasnt totally cleaned of everything before you left. The upstairs loft where the kids slept had two queen size beds on a carpet and the carpet didnt look like a vacuum ever went up there (there were a set of stairs going to the loft so im guessing it must be alot of work to get one up there and this doesnt happen to often. plus the hard wood floor looked dusty. I do have to say i never went barefoot and felt it was the longest two nights of my life, i couldnt wait for it to be over. I honestly dont think anyone went in these cabins to clean them.