So disappointed with rental.

[Sunnygal75]

We have been to Florida many times - mostly renting pool homes. This time we choose to stay a little further out in Haines City. The property looked nice in pics and some of it does look fab but there have so many things I feel that have let down our stay. When we first arrived...the pool area was covered in tons of old bugs and some trash that I had to sweep up, ants were everywhere around the pool - so much so we had to buy 6 traps n ant spray. This still didn't really calm it down. 4 pool screens were torn, including the one around the screen door that leads to outside. Some of the pool has green slime around it. The front door seal was not not in good shape and let tons of love bugs in as well as other crawlies. The dishwasher is ancient - so much so it drips brown water/fluid from the bottom after running and the coffee maker looks just as old. The Disney bedroom sheets are cover in urine stains.
We went shopping before we arrived so biughtnsome burgers and hot dogs to grill. We noticed no grill - come to find out there isn't one and management or owner never mentioned this to us (it mentions bbq grill in both ad for villa and in house welcome info.).
We did call management and they have helped to a point but they claim the house is checked after each renter and the owner said he had no idea. I just don't see how with all these issues plus some that no one *knows* about these things.

I feel so embarrassed because I have family here and I usually praise how nice the pool homes are that we rent and this just isn't the case this time.

 

[conniehar90]

Sorry that you are having these issues! I would definitely demand a full pool cleaning. Did you rent through a site that has reviews? I will always pass by a home that has no reviews or a bad review. I am sure they could be perfectly acceptable but with so many homes in the area to choose from, I always make sure to find one with a lot of positive reviews. Good luck!

 

[HopperFan]

Your post made me sick to my stomach. Obviously the management team did not check this home after the last guests OR the owner used it and left it that way. I'm guessing you are "too far in" to demand to be moved.

If it were me I would:
- Photograph with written details every single issue
- After my deposit was returned and cleared ...
- However I paid I would then call financial institution to get management etc blocked from my account
- I would then post a review on every possible neutral site about your experience with the house and management team
- Places like Trip Advisory, Yelp etc
- If you found them via a vacation home site, I would report them
- If they are within a resort community I would be contacting them with all the issues so they know

 

[mjhtvchick]

Your post made me sick to my stomach. Obviously the management team did not check this home after the last guests OR the owner used it and left it that way. I'm guessing you are "too far in" to demand to be moved.

If it were me I would:
- Photograph with written details every single issue
- After my deposit was returned and cleared ...
- However I paid I would then call financial institution to get management etc blocked from my account
- I would then post a review on every possible neutral site about your experience with the house and management team
- Places like Trip Advisory, Yelp etc
- If you found them via a vacation home site, I would report them
- If they are within a resort community I would be contacting them with all the issues so they know

I agree with everything @HopperFan has said above - this is simply unacceptable. I have run into a few issues with homes I have rented in the past - also with dishwashers and BBQs, strangely enough but nothing to this extent.

I would also email the property manager and home owner directly, if possible detailing all the issues.

 

[NH-to-FL]

I think @HopperFan said it well.

As a former remote rental owner I would fear finding, or hearing about, our house in that situation. The bedding situation you mention is particularly disturbing. Being remote we depended on our management company to keep everything in good condition. Thankfully they did a pretty good job. Though there was always a bit of struggle with the cleaning. We would always have to undertake a serious cleaning every time we visited, which was usually twice a year. Another challenge was the bedding and the towels. If you think about it, it takes quite a bit of time to wash and dry all of the bedding and towels from a multi-bedroom house in the house washer/dryer. We would always wonder if the cleaning crew actually took, or perhaps better said was given, the time to wash everything. So we also washed everything in the house whenever we visited.

I reinforce the suggestion to enter a factual review wherever possible to save someone else from your experience.

 

[HopperFan]

I think @HopperFan said it well.

As a former remote rental owner I would fear finding, or hearing about, our house in that situation. The bedding situation you mention is particularly disturbing. Being remote we depended on our management company to keep everything in good condition. Thankfully they did a pretty good job. Though there was always a bit of struggle with the cleaning. We would always have to undertake a serious cleaning every time we visited, which was usually twice a year. Another challenge was the bedding and the towels. If you think about it, it takes quite a bit of time to wash and dry all of the bedding and towels from a multi-bedroom house in the house washer/dryer. We would always wonder if the cleaning crew actually took, or perhaps better said was given, the time to wash everything. So we also washed everything in the house whenever we visited.

I reinforce the suggestion to enter a factual review wherever possible to save someone else from your experience.

You sound like a very responsible owner, and I am sure the greater percentage are. It is sad when these situations come up because it scares folks off. I know the years we rented at beach we only booked through management companies that had many units in the same complex in case we had an issue on arrival. Never did because they had lots to lose if they didn't do their job.

We now own a beach home in a rental resort community that had been a rental for decades. We do not rent out but what they left were generic white sheets and towels. We do watch the crews enter the other units. I see big bags of linens outside so I wonder if they are washed offsite then brought back. And while this is happening they are cleaning the units. We have a full sized washer and dryer and it still takes us hours to wash all the linens, most units have the apartment sized w/d so I can't imagine how long they would take.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've started renting through someone I know online. She had received good reviews and I figured what the heck, how awful could it be for just a few nights. I lucked out! Everything was perfect. But....a cleaning person comes in right after we check out. If there is anything unusual, no security deposit gets returned! In fact, we are expected to start a load of towels and strip the beds, leaving everything to be washed in the laundry area! I can't begin to imagine walking into a situation like that!!!! My dh would have me looking for someplace different right then! And a call to the owner explaining why, and that our money was to be returned 100%.

 

[Sunnygal75]

Hello all.

Thank you so much for all your replies. I really appreciate the advice too.
We arrived back home yesterday but after hardly any sleep on the long flight home...totally exhausted and haven't sent an email to the owner explaining the stay was more disappointing than enjoyable.
I did write him during our stay though about some of the things but he seemed to make excuses and said "that we have just been unlucky and that no one in the past mentioned these things" which I find hard to believe honestly.
If I was the owner, I would be so angry knowing my guests kept having issues with my home and would offer some compensation.
As far as sheets and towels...we washed most of them the day before left. We also took many pics of that as well as the condition we left it in so they can't try to say we didn't clean or left damage.
This stay was sure a let down...this was out last vacation for a few years as we will be moving back from Europe to PA next year.