We have been renting houses in the Port Charlotte area for over 17 years. This is our first rental from VRBO.
Although this is a lovely house, we were the first renters and were disappointed in many ways. As soon as we entered the house, we noticed an awful stench. At first we thought it was the horrible potpourri that the house was drenched in. We opened the windows to air the place out. When that started to dissipate, we were hit with the strong odour of moth balls. We searched the house and found two large open bags hidden under the sink and in the bathroom. We bagged them and removed them immediately. Unfortunately, the smell never went away. We are now home and everything we had with us at the house reeks of it. We are washing everything we own in vinegar water. Even the cookies we made at the house taste of it. We threw them away. In finding ways to get rid of the stench, we realized how dangerous this could have been to our health.
When we booked the house we did so specifically because of the pool and the hot tub for health reasons. . We even asked the owner about how the pool was heated and he pointed out the solar heating system. Imagine our shock and disappointment when we found out that the system was shut off , there was no pool blanket and NO HEATER at all for the hot tub. The pool remained freezing and unused our entire vacation.
We also told the owner that I have bad arthritis and needed a walk in shower. That was fine, but all of the beds are very high. I could not get into any of them. I spent the first night on the couch till we bought a step the next day for me to use with his assistance each night.
It appears that the homeowner set this house up quickly. Everything was new. The dishes were out of boxes, but still had packing papers between them. We had to wash all the dishes, glasses and cutlery before we could eat. The towels still had price tags on them.
The microwave kept making strange noises. The fridge controls kept shutting off. The water and ice supplied by the fridge were yellow and contained sludge. We bought ice and water.
The dock had a Restricted Area sign on it and was wrapped in caution tape.
There was no phone, no cable or satellite in the bedrooms. Cell phone service in the area is sporadic.
The house sleeps six, but only four chairs in the dining room.
This could be a lovely house with some work, landscaping and follow up.