Just incase you were wondering...

Guest: Rachel (Ledyard, CT)
Date of Stay: 07/22/11 Review Submitted: 08/05/11

This summer, a friend and i rented this cottage for week to get a little relaxation. When we viewed the property ahead of time, it seemed like a nice little place so we left a security deposit. Once the owner had that, she informed us that there would be two family members staying in the lower basement apartment for the duration of our week, which threw us off but ultimately wasn't an issue. The first problem occurred when we had to switch our week due to an emergency, luckily we were both able to switch our work schedules and although it was frustrating, we gave the owner the benefit of the doubt and chose to stay with it. When we went to check in, after she had the check for our rent, she informed us that the emergency was that the refrigerator had broken and assured us it was fixed. Unfortunately, when we checked on it later in the evening, it was not working properly so in an attempt to save our $200 in groceries we had to move most it to the freezer until it kicked back on overnight. In addition, the parking at this rental is a situation in its self. You are only allowed 1 car in the drive way, and any other vehicles we were told to park on the grass. If you had a truck or SUV i don't think it would be an issue, but when we pulled our cars off the grass they bottomed out and slammed on the curb. We thought parking in the street, like many other vehicles were, would be a simple solution to avoid any further damage to our cars, but apparently not because parking in the street was then cited afterward as a direct violation of the ordinate and was used as one of the reasons to withhold our security deposit. Lastly, i would have to say the most frustrating thing about renting this house was the fact that the owner frequently stopped by, another topic that was not brought up until after she had our rent check in hand. She was unannounced and didn't even give us a rough time frame or schedule for her visits. Needless to say this vacation wasn't much of a vacation at all for us. Giants Neck is a very nice, very quiet area with a small, but nice beach and many little rentals available, just don't chose this one.

Owner response: when you and your friend visited the property to see if you would like it, i told you that a member of the family lived in the lower level. my friend was visiting at that time and heard our conversation. this was acceptable to you and the very last thing you did was write the security deposit. when, because of an emergency, i had to change your original week to the one following i gave you the option of cancelling your reservation and receiving your security deposit back. you decided to go with the following week. when you claimed that the refrigerator was not functioning properly--your first night at the property-- i suggested to you that, if you were not happy i would refund your security deposit and you could leave. you decided to sleep on it and decide in the morning. when i visited you the next morning you said the refrigerator had "kicked in" and so you decided to stay, even though i told you, once again, that i would give you back your security deposit and not charge you for the night. there were no further refigerator issues! there is parking in the driveway for one car only and you had the option of parking an additional car on the grass. but parking is not allowed on the street during the summer and when you allowed some of your friends to park on the street you created an embarrassing situation with a neighbor who had to come over and ask you to move the cars. surely, i have the right to visit my property, without making an appointment with a guest, and tend to my garden. in fact i never entered the premises or otherwise infringed upon your privacy. by the way you forget to mention the scratches in my hardwood floor when you moved the bed! a totally unnecessary move. you really should be more careful and responsible when using other people's property.

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