A real nightmare for me and my family home. In over ten years of hosting, I've never had to take back a property in such condition. I've always received excellent ratings, even this season, on other platforms, especially for cleanliness, value for money, and respect for the property. For this reason, this experience was particularly disappointing.
There were four guests who stayed for two weeks, and the way the house was used caused damage and an amount of work far beyond the standard end-of-stay cleaning.
Inside the house, there were three complete sets of plates, glasses, and silverware for twelve people. Instead of using and washing only what was needed, they gradually used everything available without ever washing it properly, leaving the dishes dirty and greasy. The dish soap was practically untouched, as were the brooms and vacuum cleaner, which were never used.
The house was returned dirty and greasy everywhere: floors, surfaces, bathrooms, bedrooms, and furniture. They were constantly getting in and out of the pool wet, but the main problem was the excessive use of sunscreen and self-tanner, despite my explicit warning and the availability of eight dedicated beach towels. These products stained floors, sofas, outdoor fabrics, and the entire set of twenty-four white bath towels, all delivered perfectly clean. Many of these stains are difficult or impossible to remove without specific treatment or replacement, resulting in additional costs for me.
At check-in, the house was perfectly clean and tidy; at check-out, it appeared devastated: the living room in complete disarray, the sofa covers torn, furniture and fabrics carelessly used. I don't expect guests to clean, but a minimum of respect is essential.
The bathroom was also left in unacceptably hygienic conditions, with obvious signs that the cleaning supplies provided hadn't been used at all.
In the bedrooms, I found sheets, pillows, and decorative cushions piled in complete disarray. Even a room not included in the reservation had been used, with the linens being misused. Simply leaving everything in its place or asking permission would have been sufficient. Paying for a stay doesn't mean a home can be treated disrespectfully: a vacation rental is still someone else's property.
Another problem concerned the use of air conditioning. The house has two twelve thousandBTU units, located only in the bedrooms, insufficient to cool a property of approximately one hundred mq. However, guests spent almost all their time indoors, even eating in their rooms, with the air conditioning running continuously and set to temperatures as low as seventeen°C (using winter blankets due to the cold). This led to excessive consumption and improper use of the system. Use should be more balanced, alternating time spent outdoors with more conscious temperature management.
More efficient options were also available, such as a dehumidifier mode, which would have reduced stress on the systems and avoided repeated restarts, without ever reaching critical levels.
The situation was further complicated by a temporary reduction in grid voltage from the electricity company (from about two hundred and twenty V to one hundred and ninetyV) due to the heat wave, which compromised the operation of the air conditioners, water pump, irrigation system, and pool filtration system. I always responded promptly, restoring everything in about half an hour. With more careful use of the systems, such as turning off the air conditioner when necessary, many of these problems could have been avoided.
I would also like to highlight the almost total lack of communication: on several occasions, even when I was present for maintenance and checks, I wasn't even greeted, which I found difficult to understand and quite disrespectful.
I only acknowledge their patience in handling the heat and electricity issues, which were not the property's fault.
Otherwise, this was the worst experience in over ten years of hosting. I don't judge people by their background, but by the respect they show for the property, which in this case was clearly insufficient.
Given the damage and the extraordinary effort required to restore the home, I believe it is entirely reasonable to request compensation for the expenses incurred.
A family that leaves a home in this condition is not a family I would host again, and for the sake of other hosts, I cannot recommend them.