We arrived to find the house had not been cleaned. We spoke with a property manager who was out of state. We offered to clean ourselves, since it was a holiday weekend and we needed the accommodations immediately. She insisted on pictures for proof, which we provided in abundance. We asked for fair compensation, to which she agreed to determine before the end of our stay. We heard nothing.
The cleaning we preformed included the refrigerator, vacuum carpets, swept tile floors, wiped down bathtubs, wiped down all general surfaces, dumped trash from previous tenant, cleaned dirty dishes, washed linens and towels, and disposed of insects. The kitchen was infected with ants because of remaining trash and food residue on counter areas. It took several days to get the ant situation under control. We spoke with the local property manager, who said the regular cleaners were dismissed in lieu of the owners cleaning themselves.
To further exacerbate the situation, several amenities we counted on were not working. The internet was down. It took 3 days to fix. Family members had to find accommodations to work elsewhere. The pool and hot tub were cold, so we asked the local property manager to correct. The coffee maker did not work properly, the gas grill would not light, and there was no satellite/cable TV.
We have never left a bad review on rental sites before, but our stay was truly unacceptable. We attempted to negotiate a resolution with both the host and VRBO several times. Ultimately, the host offered a $120 refund for our "inconvenience " on the rental. (He reduced his original offer of $400 by $280 heating utility bill for use of the pool and spa heater, which was listed as included amenities). At the very least, we should have received our $225 Cleaning Fee paid.)
NOTE: The host has since removed the word "heated" pool from the title of "Luxury Salt Water Pool and Spa Home." However, the amenities listed still include "hot tub." This is truly misleading. The local property manager said the pool shares the same heater as the hot tub, which the host insists requires an additional payment (which is not disclosed on listing).
We paid a premium for this rental because we thought it included a hot tub and would be in a good location. The property was almost an hour away from the beaches and not even close to local attractions.