Rental home pool problem. What would you do?

[mommy23kids]

We rented a house this past week at Disney and paid extra for pool and spa heat. When we arrived last saturday, we noticed the pool was pretty cold but it said to give it 24 hours. Monday the pool was still cold and the spa was not working. Called management they sent someone out on tues and said it was fixed. Thursday pool was cold again and pumps and jets were not working. Called again, sent someone out on friday said pump was broke but they did a temporary fix. Fix lasted a couple hours. Called again someone came out today and now say the pump is completely broke but pool is ok to use. Really? The pool is cold! Wondering what would be fair to ask for in the way of a refund? I feel at least what i paid in pool heat. But also the pool and spa was important to our vacation as my dad has MS and really enjoys using he spa at the end of a long day at the parks or when he stays back at the house. We also had several non park days that we planned for the kids to swim and they werent able. The rest of the house was very clean and nice but not having use of the pool was a big dissapointment. We would not have rented this home had we known the pool did not work. Of course I realize that things happen and this may have been out of the owners control.
But what I am wondering what would be fair to ask in the way of a refund if anything?

 

[starry_solo]

I would ask for compensation for the value of the pool and the pool heat that you had to pay for (but didn't receive). What you rented was advertised as coming with a pool (and probably priced accordingly).

 

[DVC California]

If your stay was one week, I think asking for a refund of one day is probably fair compensation. Tell the owner exactly how you described it to us and all shoukd go well if he/she is reasonable.

Good luck!

 

[Bell30012]

If you meet resistance on asking for money back, you might consider asking for a more substantial discount on a future rental. Makes it a win/win real quick.

 

[Robinrs]

If you meet resistance on asking for money back, you might consider asking for a more substantial discount on a future rental. Makes it a win/win real quick.

I've done this. We had a serious problem with a pool and the a/c during one trip and they offered us two free days on our next trip. Back then we went down at least 4 times a year so it worked for us. If you go there only once a year or so I'd ask for a refund.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We have lease homes in Ohio and vacation rentals in Florida.
2) We do our best for the renters of either.
. . . we proivide a decent place
. . . we make repairs as necessary
. . . we supply a good product at a fair price
3) However, we do not give refunds for repair issues.
4) Things break down and we try to remedy them quickly.
. . . eg. clogged toilets
. . . eg. broken tv's
. . . eg. air conditioning recharging
. . . eg. worn out light bulbs
5) Maybe your landlord or rental agent is different.
6) Ask, as you never know.

 

[phred52]

1)
3) However, we do not give refunds for repair issues.
4) Things break down and we try to remedy them quickly.
. . . eg. clogged toilets
. . . eg. broken tv's
. . . eg. air conditioning recharging
. . . eg. worn out light bulbs.

This issue was NOT fixed quickly or, it seems, at ALL yet.

OP I would be VERY unhappy with this ongoing problem. very. unhappy. I'd certainly want the owner to know the extent of disrepair his home is in .... and I would certainly expect a refund of several DAYS along with the pool heat fee.

 

[Kellydelly]

1) We have lease homes in Ohio and vacation rentals in Florida.
2) We do our best for the renters of either.
. . . we proivide a decent place
. . . we make repairs as necessary
. . . we supply a good product at a fair price
3) However, we do not give refunds for repair issues.
4) Things break down and we try to remedy them quickly.
. . . eg. clogged toilets
. . . eg. broken tv's
. . . eg. air conditioning recharging
. . . eg. worn out light bulbs
5) Maybe your landlord or rental agent is different.
6) Ask, as you never know.

Our dryer didn't work during our last vacation, I can see not refunding any money for that, but not having a pool work during a whole week-long stay is ridiculous!

 

[LJSquishy]

Not having the pool heat working when you paid for it entitles you to a refund of the amount paid forth at amenity. Definitely ask for a refund of that amount, although explain it all politely and state that you feel a refund for the pool heat is desired since that service wasn't rendered. Say that you understand these things happen and are somewhat out of their control but you are not willing to pay for something you didn't receive.

 

[Robinrs]

1) We have lease homes in Ohio and vacation rentals in Florida.
2) We do our best for the renters of either.
. . . we proivide a decent place
. . . we make repairs as necessary
. . . we supply a good product at a fair price
3) However, we do not give refunds for repair issues.
4) Things break down and we try to remedy them quickly.
. . . eg. clogged toilets
. . . eg. broken tv's
. . . eg. air conditioning recharging
. . . eg. worn out light bulbs
5) Maybe your landlord or rental agent is different.
6) Ask, as you never know.

A broken tv and a cold pool are two different things. The pool is the reason you RENT a pool house.... it's not called a toilet house or a TV house.

 

[mommy23kids]

Thank you for the responses. This is the 2nd time we have rented this particular home. First time was 4 years ago and we had one minor issue with the pool (again, cold pool) but it was imnediately fixed within a couple hours of a call to management. And the rest of the week everything was perfect. This time the problem was unable to be fixed in a timely matter partly due to the holidays. We rented this home for 9 days and we leave Monday. Everything else about the home seems to be well kept. Just think this is one of things out of anyones control but feel at the very least I should not have to pay for heat I did not get. Thanks again forthe responses, just wanted to make sure that I was not being unreasonable before contacting the owner again.

 

[Judique]

Thank you for the responses. This is the 2nd time we have rented this particular home. First time was 4 years ago and we had one minor issue with the pool (again, cold pool) but it was imnediately fixed within a couple hours of a call to management. And the rest of the week everything was perfect. This time the problem was unable to be fixed in a timely matter partly due to the holidays. We rented this home for 9 days and we leave Monday. Everything else about the home seems to be well kept. Just think this is one of things out of anyones control but feel at the very least I should not have to pay for heat I did not get. Thanks again forthe responses, just wanted to make sure that I was not being unreasonable before contacting the owner again.

What would you have expected if it was a Disney resort?

If I were not treated properly I would not want to return here.

I would expect my pool heat surcharge to be completely reimbursed and I would expect a discount of the rental house in line with the cost of a similar property that did NOT have a pool.

 

[TaraPA]

You said you paid extra for a heated pool & spa - find what they charge for a rental without those items, and ask for the difference between that & what you paid. I think that's totally fair. If they absolutely refuse and you plan to stay there again, like the OP stated, have them rent you a house with the heated pool & spa next time, at the rental price of a house without.

 

[seashoreCM]

I don't like dealing with private rentals because of things like this.

OT:

What would you have expected if it was a Disney's resort?

... [no] pool heat ...

I orta' expect to be able to use the pool in another Disney's resort.

aka POOL HOP!

 

[*Seanaci*]

Our dryer didn't work during our last vacation, I can see not refunding any money for that, but not having a pool work during a whole week-long stay is ridiculous!

A pool is useable whether the pump works or not. And the owner told the OP that even though it was broken they could still use it. The SPA is another issue. The OP and her family chose not to use the pool as it was cold (and not warm as they had hoped it would be had all the equipment been in proper working order).

My personal take, as I've never rented a home off property before, if a contract was signed, OP needs to pull it out and read it to see what was promised for her stay (if that included a proper working pool and spa for example). If no contract was signed, and OP was simply expecting that things would work properly and it was never promised, then OP is wasting her breath even asking for a refund. As another poster (who has rental props in Florida and Ohio) stated, they don't give refunds for things that break down. Although, it can never hurt to ask for a refund.

 

[LilyWDW]

The OP payed extra for a heated pool and spa. That was not delivered. As such, the OP should be reimbursed the extra money spent. That said, the pool is still usable but the OP prefers not to use it. The pool itself WAS delivered, just not the extra for the heat. As such, the OP should not be reimbursed for the cost of pool vs no pool.

 

[sookie]

1) We have lease homes in Ohio and vacation rentals in Florida.
2) We do our best for the renters of either.
. . . we proivide a decent place
. . . we make repairs as necessary
. . . we supply a good product at a fair price
3) However, we do not give refunds for repair issues.
4) Things break down and we try to remedy them quickly.
. . . eg. clogged toilets
. . . eg. broken tv's
. . . eg. air conditioning recharging
. . . eg. worn out light bulbs
5) Maybe your landlord or rental agent is different.
6) Ask, as you never know.

Leave us your rental links so we know which properties to avoid.
People pay extra to get access to a pool, especially in orlando. YES, I would be asking for a partial refund - especially if you are charged extra for pool heat, I would ask for a separate total refund of that. If you are paying any pool or other associated fees, I would also ask for a full refund of those fees.

Seriously - this is why people stay on property. Some rental owners / managers are not reasonable.
I've owned personal rental property (high end) with a pool. Yes, I made sure that pool was working for our renters.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Leave us your rental links so we know which properties to avoid.
People pay extra to get access to a pool, especially in orlando. YES, I would be asking for a partial refund - especially if you are charged extra for pool heat, I would ask for a separate total refund of that. If you are paying any pool or other associated fees, I would also ask for a full refund of those fees.

Seriously - this is why people stay on property. Some rental owners / managers are not reasonable.
I've owned personal rental property (high end) with a pool. Yes, I made sure that pool was working for our renters.

I can understand what that person is saying and don't find that means they are a bad landlord.

We have a residential rental property. The only discount we offer would be for loss of use of the whole property.

An unheated pool is MINOR and crap happens.

One thing to consider--the owner is paying for the repair themselves as they should. If they had to discount for every repair--that would be crazy.

As for Disney--they have "heated" pools, but they are not temps I am comfortable to swim in. Temps vary from frigid (but not hypothermia inducing) to slightly tolerable. But I don't get discounts if I can't swim even though the expectation is that I could swim if I chose to do so.

That said--it is fair to request a price adjustment comparable to a non-heated pool property, but the landlord is only obligated to what was agreed upon.

Lastly--owners-management companies are at the mercy of the people whom they higher.

Heck--we had a minor repair turn into a major repair over the course of 5 mi the because the initial repair person we hired was an idiot who turned out (IMHO) to be a dishones snake. He never properly addressed the issue. We ended up having to file an insurance claim. In any case--our tenants were understanding and we did not refund one cent of rent because they never asked. As it is, he property was still usable. In the end, when the fridge began having an issue, we replaced it immediately as a goodwill gesture (though they could have used it longer).

That said--stuff happens that is beyond the control of the owner. It sounds like each time the OP called, the owner (or agent) addressed it immediately. It is unfortunate the issue wasn't properly addressed--but that isn't the fault of the owner unless they knowingly hire an incompetent repair person.

(In my personal example--after the 2nd fix, failed, we fired the first guy and hired someone more competent.)

We don't charge extra for pool heat. It is solar. In winter, the pool needs a cover for the heat to retain. Tenant found our cover in horrible shape and it had to be tossed. We were not able to replace it. Forgot about it until this post. Unfortunately due to the magnitude of cost even after insurance of all that we MUST do, there will be no pool cover replacement. This shortens their swimmable season from about 10.5 months to 9. We won't reduce
Rent as we are under market.

 

[seashoreCM]

deleted

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

What would you have expected if it was a Disney resort?

If I were not treated properly I would not want to return here.

I would expect my pool heat surcharge to be completely reimbursed and I would expect a discount of the rental house in line with the cost of a similar property that did NOT have a pool.

I would expect Disney to fix the issues or move us to a comparable room that was in working order. We just got back from an 8 night trip and had issues in our room and after repeated attempts to remedy them, we were given a substantial upgrade without asking. We were shocked and thrilled but I would not have expected it since they were trying to fix the problems.

As for the private home rental, at the very least I would expect the pool heat money refunded. For the spa issue, I think the equivalent of 10% of the rental fee refunded would be an acceptable offer.