We rented this house from June till August this summer and we generally enjoyed our stay except for our experience with the host.
The house is spacious and located in a quiet neighbourhood by the river where walking, cycling or rafting is possible . It is well equipped with all amenities required. It has a cosy green little backyard with a bbq and seating area.
The furniture is very old and flimsy, except for the kitchen which is nicely renovated. The kitchen is quite welcoming and a nice place to cook family meals.
There was an issue with electricity which shutted down partially a couple of times and we had to visit the basement to switch on again. The basement is not part of the rent and it is used by the owner sometimes.
The AC and ventilation of the ground floor is not efficient and it gets very uncomfortable in hot days. The upper floor AC is ok.
The house is close to a bus stop and if time is not an issue, guests can reach downtown (old montreal, sainte catherine) within one hour.
As for our experience with the host, it wasn't good at all.
She had offered us a price based on 1 adult and 3 kids for half of the stay and 2 adults and 4 kids including an infant for the other half. As soon as we moved in, she started sending messages about extra charge for the adult an infant and that she could have rented for a higher fee, which was unjustifiable because she had officially accepted the number of people and adjusted the price accordingly before quoting us.
On the last day, the old entrance door was broken from the top and broke a lamp when it banged through the wall. She raised this concern and we accepted to pay for this damage.
She accused us of breaking a bed which we never did.
Additionnally, she wanted to charge us extra cleaning fee claiming the house was dirty. In fact we ensured the house was tidy and clean before leaving as and rejected this claim.
When informing her about guests coming to visit us over the weekend, she charged us 10$ per person per night. We paid this without complain.
She accused us of hosting my mother at one point and not informing her. A mother that we have never mentioned and has never existed in this house! She even requested to send her neighbour to verify the number of persons occupying the house! Despite the inconvenience, we said ok.
The next day after leaving the house, she claimed 700$ for my 4th child (the child that she accepted initially when quoting us) and extra cleaning and repair fee.
Bottom line, the host tried to take advantage of every opportunity to charge extra money, used false accusations which made us extremely uncomfortable throughout the stay. We couldn't leave because we had paid upfront and it is so inconvenient to move with little kids.
A late checkout was accepted which was nice.
We expect the host to revert to this review. However, the purpose of this review is not to seek a reply from the host nor to record a complain but to rather advise potential tenants to ensure there is clear written communication with the host and a proper handover and checking of all furniture considering their age. Also don't forget to inform about extra guests because you will be charged for this.