Not what we expected upon arrival. Building exteriors are overdue for painting and complex needs renovation. We were disturbed to find 2 lively bugs in the bed upon checking in. Upset, we stripped the bedding and found holes in the first linens that we grabbed. After remaking the beds, we slept on top of the sheets and attempted to fall asleep.
On first glance, the rental looked clean but heavy dust/dirt buildup under bed, under furniture, on drapery rods, etc. Three of 4 lights burned out in main bath and bath floor rug was dirty and worn out. Living Room and Kitchen looked like listing photos, although couch had dirt on it and chair leather was cracked. 2nd bathroom had not been renovated. Building exterior has large sections painted with white primer but no signs of painting in process.
Next day, we informed owner by email of our concerns without any response. 3 hours later, we emailed that we had checked into a hotel and the owner responded with excuses. At the time, we did not ask for compensation – we just wanted out as we were not comfortable staying longer. We contacted VRBO the next morning to complain and pursue a refund. VRBO suggested we file a formal complaint (which we did with a few photos). Owner took our complaints as a personal attack, dismissed our photos, threatened to shame us with her review, and blamed the situation on our (supposed) unfamiliarity with Arizona (basically that we should expect bugs and dust).
We have been visiting Arizona since 1985 and have rented for several months in each of the last 6 winters (4 with VRBO). Our VRBO rentals while older have always been spotless and well maintained (inside and out) with nice linens and towels. We expected the same this time.
This was not a vacation and we were not expecting a resort. We were in-town helping our daughter move and just wanted a clean, comfortable rental where we could cook a Thanksgiving meal rather than stay in a hotel.
We informed VRBO that this rental is listed as “5 day minimum”. The owner provided written check-in instructions that stated the HOA has a 30 day minimum requirement and if asked, pretend to be friends and to not mention that we were renting for a week. That is false advertising and unethical.