I don't normally write reviews, but after our house experience and poor interaction with the manager, I felt it was warranted.
First off, on a good note, the house location was great - right by the Pantheon and surrounding tourist sites. It made for very easy site seeing. The apartment was roughly as advertised and provided the room we needed for the number of guests. Had it ended there, we would have been reasonably happy with the place, despite the less than advertised condition upon arrival.
The first day, we opened the curtains in the main bedroom – just like anyone would, wanting to see the view out the window. Just sliding them open, the wire holding them up slipped out of the wall attachment and the curtains fell to the floor. We immediately called management and informed them of the issue and thought nothing more of it at this point.
The next morning, when going to leave the apartment, a previously damaged key (based on a crack we found in the key after closer inspection), broke outright on simple use. Out of courtesy to the manager, we let them know the key broke, even though there were 2 sets, and we didn't need a replacement. This courtesy call forced us into paying 30 euros for a replacement set (in retrospect, we should have simply refused - lesson learned), even though the key was clearly already damaged. The manager refused to listen to any reason and ignored obvious evidence that this was not negligence. The key smith that we had to wait on later that day even mentioned the lock was sticky and in need of maintenance and the key looked previously damaged.
At this point we informed the manager that we shouldn’t be responsible for the key and were owed a credit. She came up with every excuse possible for how this was not her problem, and then insisted the curtains were our fault as well. This behavior continued for the remainder of our stay.
Nothing is perfect, both with guests and accommodations - I get that, but after the insinuation by management that basically anything that goes wrong is the guest’s fault was really irritating. Keys don’t just break by simple turning, and curtains don’t just fall from simple use – and guests shouldn’t be expected to cover issues stemming from a lack of routine maintenance.
Other issues that were noteworthy - One of the sliding pocket doors to the middle living area (with the pullout couch) is completely off its rails and won’t close – so don’t expect privacy if sleeping in that room. Both bathrooms have shower doors that leak and are moldy at the bottom. The worst issue is the shower door glass/frame in the middle bathroom that is practically ready to collapse – the top is held together with little more than silicone caulk and the entire thing wobbles 3-4 inches with the slightest touch. Any slight slip in the shower and the entire frame will fall to the floor – it’s a bit of a safety hazard, especially for kids, and made us nervous every use – and especially after the key response. The exterior door casing to the middle bathroom is completely loose (as in removeable by hand) and had to be slid back into place when we arrived. Why it is not nailed in, I do not know. One of the bathroom windows won’t open – not sure exactly what is wrong, but makes for a steamy shower, and the toilet flush covers in both bathrooms fall off when you use them.
Overall, the house needs repairs beyond the cosmetic – nothing major, but definitely not as pristine as advertised or expected. Normally I would have lived with this and not said anything – as I’m sure most would when not wanting to distract from a vacation, but after the key/curtain response from management, I felt it was worth documenting for future guests.
The place served its purpose but expect any and all issues – which there will be given the current condition, will be blamed on the guest.