Let me preface this 1 star review by saying we tried to reach the owner the first night we checked in via the app (it was after 9pm), via text the next morning (after 9am), and by calling on the following Monday to share verbally our experience, and calling 2xs again, prior to this review (which is the last day to do so) and to no avail, there has been no contact from the property owner. If we do hear and kindly discuss our experience by all means, I will change the star rating.
Let me also preface this review by stating that I am very familiar with cleaning companies for AirBNB and property management for rentals, so reaching out rather than sharing publicly in a review is always a first priority. I am very understanding to situations that are out of someone's control, e.g. a cleaning company that's suppose to clean a house but the manager may not know how little or how much is being done... With all that said, I'm just simply going to share our experience as it happened, without any unnecessary details.
Here we go:
Property matched as pictures described.
2 families rented the house which was perfect in regards to size and location (drove in for state fair).
Upon opening the front door, the code was not unlocking the door. It first led you to believe you had the wrong code but then realizing that the door was too tight for the jam and applying pressure and pulling was the magic trick in order for the lock to release so you may get in. PHEW!
The guest bed was made nice and pretty with throw pillows, but when ready to put my daughter in, I pulled the sheets back and they were dirty with hair and make-up residue. The blankets in the other rear room also had stains on them.
The toilet in the guest bathroom was clogged and couldn’t flush; luckily my daughter only went #1 but our family was now out of a toilet. The dirty sheets and no toilet in the first 45 minutes after the front door, was the tipping point of why I text the owner via the app (it was after 9PM). We didn't want to go the whole weekend without a toilet; luckily however we got the toilet to work the next day after 20 minutes of elbow grease and the plunger. Remember, we didn't hear from the owner after the app message and text so we were now left to our own devices.
Kitchen cabinet had a handle hanging by one screw.
Laundry room had a missing door that was standing in the corner of said laundry room.
Soap and Shampoo wall dispensers in both showers were empty.
Refrigerator had no bottled water like the prior guests raved about.
Carpet in both rear bedrooms was very soiled (look like scattered oil spots?) to the point where you didn't want to walk in socks.
The beds and pillows were also very uncomfortable. The beds were noisy and bouncy and the pillows looked like prison pillows.
Both back bedrooms have windows on the doors that lead to the backyard, but there's a VERY bright light from the cafe (next door) that shines into the backyard. If you're light sensitive at night don't stay in these rooms as said light fully lights up the rooms.
Patio furniture (table, chairs and BBQ) were dirty, to the point where you would've had to soap- hose them down, not just wipe.
That's what we experienced. The next business day however, I called directly the number instead of texting and to no surprise a management company took my call. A lot of that I would guess is the responsibility of the cleaning/ management company and the owner may not know about said issues. I conveyed the above and politely shared that if someone is paying a house cleaner, they're unfortunately not doing their part based off what we experienced. I also understand we are renting a home and not staying in a 5 star property and there should be some leniency, but no acknowledgement about the dirty sheets and non working toilet are unacceptable. If there were an extra set of sheets, I would’ve handled that...
If you're a regular user of AirBNB then you may be familiar in how owners or management companies are grateful when info as such is shared because they want to make sure that you as a guest have been heard and the next guests won't repeat your experience. The disappointing part is that after I shared the above to date, I have yet to receive an acknowledgement that my experience has been heard.
Is the management company acting as a filter to the owner? I honestly don't know because after I spoke to the kind lady, she stated she would definitely further the info to the owner. If I was the owner, I would want to know so in his defense, he may not be aware of the above at all. I do think after this review though, (I would like to think) he will definitely know- fingers crossed. It’s with deep regrets this wasn’t a more positive review. 😟