Penmac
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2017
- Messages
- 323
Last week, we stayed in a 4-bedroom home in a gated community near Disney. The house and decor were a bit dated but rugs and rooms very clean and the owners/management company were great- very easy to work with. We had a small issue night one with the toilet running and they came and dealt with it the very next day. We loved having a pool to ourselves and my kids loved the onsite amenities.
Toward the end of our stay, a small lizard (not sure the of the name- tons of harmless ones running all over the area) made its way into our bedroom and I found it, which was the least ideal situation. Being from the Northeast and uncomfortable around any lizard or snake-type animals, I was so freaked out. My husband was completely reasonable about the whole thing since they are harmless. He caught it in a Tupperware container and released him in the yard. He kept saying how freaked out the little guy must have been.
If it had been him to find the critter, I am sure he would have adiosed him quietly without me even knowing and all would have been fine. I would have been none the wiser!
But needless to say, I was so on edge sleeping in that room, even after making him do a full sweep of the house. I tried to keep my worry on the DL from the kids but they definitely picked up on it and my 10 year old ended up sleeping with us that night. We were tired and the whole situation just put a damper on the end of the trip.
Just how common is this? My husband says totally normal in FL. We had briefly talked about purchasing a condo at same complex and renting it out most weeks and maybe using annual passes a couple times a year since we are frequent visitors to DW. We own rental property at home and my husband is an experienced landlord- the rental income has been helpful. BUT, this literally put the breaks on the whole thing since clearly I can’t handle a tiny lizard, and he thinks this is run of the mill.
I guess I am wondering if there are reasonable steps to take to prevent this kind of thing as a condo/home owner, or renter for that matter since we will likely rent again in the area. I saw the lizards running around the pool area and told my kids to keep the doors closed all the time. But, I did notice gaps of sunlight peeking through certain parts of the sliding glass doors while closed (they were a bit dated looking), and also under the garage door which had been repurposed as a game room. I guess I just thought it was odd that there were not any screens on doors and the weather stripping around the ground area seemed a bit lax considering all the wildlife. We also found a very small dead lizard on the indoor track of the sliding door to the pool area, and several small worm-like looking insects dried up in the same area. I didn’t notice these at first but once I started looking closely... they were there.
I am not totally clueless. I know Florida is a natural environment for these animals.
But, I just keep thinking if it was a snake
I found in the bedroom and not a lizard I would have lost my mind. I’m not saying it’s rational, but it’s me. I never reported it to the owners or management because my kids very well could have left the door to the pool area open just long enough for a critter to make its way into our bedroom undetected. I left the inside door from house to the garage open for a few minutes here and there while I did laundry (machines were there) and maybe it happened then?
Bottom line- was this house just ill-equipped or do we always have to be so vigilant? We did food shopping a couple times throughout the week and as we were carrying shopping bags inside, I kept yelling to my kids like a drill seargent to shut the door to the house between each run to the car. It felt excessive and like a chore tbh, but with no screens and lizards running all over the property, it seemed so easy for them to get in. And get in they did!
The idea of owning a rental and being able to visit our favorite vacation destination once or twice a year would be great, but maybe I’m not cut out for southern living!! I’m thinking maybe we would be better off with a high floor hotel situation during future trips. Maybe the rental situation, yard and ground level scenario is too stressful for my northern bones.
Toward the end of our stay, a small lizard (not sure the of the name- tons of harmless ones running all over the area) made its way into our bedroom and I found it, which was the least ideal situation. Being from the Northeast and uncomfortable around any lizard or snake-type animals, I was so freaked out. My husband was completely reasonable about the whole thing since they are harmless. He caught it in a Tupperware container and released him in the yard. He kept saying how freaked out the little guy must have been.
If it had been him to find the critter, I am sure he would have adiosed him quietly without me even knowing and all would have been fine. I would have been none the wiser!But needless to say, I was so on edge sleeping in that room, even after making him do a full sweep of the house. I tried to keep my worry on the DL from the kids but they definitely picked up on it and my 10 year old ended up sleeping with us that night. We were tired and the whole situation just put a damper on the end of the trip.
Just how common is this? My husband says totally normal in FL. We had briefly talked about purchasing a condo at same complex and renting it out most weeks and maybe using annual passes a couple times a year since we are frequent visitors to DW. We own rental property at home and my husband is an experienced landlord- the rental income has been helpful. BUT, this literally put the breaks on the whole thing since clearly I can’t handle a tiny lizard, and he thinks this is run of the mill.
I guess I am wondering if there are reasonable steps to take to prevent this kind of thing as a condo/home owner, or renter for that matter since we will likely rent again in the area. I saw the lizards running around the pool area and told my kids to keep the doors closed all the time. But, I did notice gaps of sunlight peeking through certain parts of the sliding glass doors while closed (they were a bit dated looking), and also under the garage door which had been repurposed as a game room. I guess I just thought it was odd that there were not any screens on doors and the weather stripping around the ground area seemed a bit lax considering all the wildlife. We also found a very small dead lizard on the indoor track of the sliding door to the pool area, and several small worm-like looking insects dried up in the same area. I didn’t notice these at first but once I started looking closely... they were there.
I am not totally clueless. I know Florida is a natural environment for these animals.
But, I just keep thinking if it was a snake
I found in the bedroom and not a lizard I would have lost my mind. I’m not saying it’s rational, but it’s me. I never reported it to the owners or management because my kids very well could have left the door to the pool area open just long enough for a critter to make its way into our bedroom undetected. I left the inside door from house to the garage open for a few minutes here and there while I did laundry (machines were there) and maybe it happened then?
Bottom line- was this house just ill-equipped or do we always have to be so vigilant? We did food shopping a couple times throughout the week and as we were carrying shopping bags inside, I kept yelling to my kids like a drill seargent to shut the door to the house between each run to the car. It felt excessive and like a chore tbh, but with no screens and lizards running all over the property, it seemed so easy for them to get in. And get in they did!
The idea of owning a rental and being able to visit our favorite vacation destination once or twice a year would be great, but maybe I’m not cut out for southern living!! I’m thinking maybe we would be better off with a high floor hotel situation during future trips. Maybe the rental situation, yard and ground level scenario is too stressful for my northern bones.
