Although we had booked this property 2 weeks in advance, our arrival was a complete surprise to the property manager. At check-in time (4:00 pm) the house had not been cleaned since the last guest(s). We were greeted with dirty towels, food and crumbs all over the place, a sink full of dirty dishes, full garbage bags, and unchanged beds. After calling the property manager, we were met with his complete confusion about our stay. The manager came to the house and told us that his cleaning crew had been too busy to have the house cleaned on time, so he asked if we could come back in 3 hours. We left with our party, including 3 senior citizens. We were called at 8:00pm and told that we could return to the property, however he informed us that there was no hot water as the hot water heater wasn't working. We returned to find 2 people working unsuccessfully on the water heater. I had to get into the grimy furnace room and fix it myself. I then told him that he needed to have it inspected as the burner wasn't put together properly. After the manager left, we found the house lacking in basic supplies, such as dishes, glasses, cutlery, and towels. For instance, there were 7 people staying at the property, and we were given 6 towels. As well, we were left with one dish towel and no dish cloths. We also realized that the barbeque was in complete disrepair, as it had no bottom, and drippings from previous users had fallen directly onto the wooden deck. This was not only a mess, but a dangerous fire hazard, and a fire extinguisher was nowhere to be found. The yard and fence also lacked care and maintenance. It should also be mentioned that although it was July, scraps of Christmas decorations remained on some of the walls in the living room.
On a positive note, the house was a good size for the number of people in our group. The neighbourhood is nice, and the air-conditioning was great. Having the opportunity for our family members to stay in a house together was the redeeming factor of our stay.