despite my instincts (based on a VRBO review as well as a couple strange conversations with the owners) 8 rented this house for myself, my parents, my adult sibling and my three year old daughter over Labor Day. Unfortunately I wish I had trusted my gut as the owners not only invaded our vacation every day of our stay but also robbed us of over half our security deposit in one of the most ludicrous and insulting letters of grievances I have ever received.
The house lived up to its expectations in that it is charming, well decorated, organized so nicely for guests and a great location. Sue, the owner, left a wonderful book for my daughter as a welcome gesture, but unfortunately none of that outweighs the extreme negatives that are unacceptable for renters.
The owners found reasons to come to the property every day, and each time we were accomodating. Although it made my husband and parents uncomfortable, we were gracious and even went as far as to quickly vacate the home so the owner could show it to another prospect. The most intrusive was when the owner asked me if her son could come over and mow the lawn early one morning. I said yes and for the next two hours had to uncomfortably deal with her husband lurking around the backyard, front yard and garage. As my parents attempted to enjoy coffee in their pajamas, they felt incredibly uncomfortable being able to see the owner 10 feet away appearing to do nothing more than spy on us. Well after the son was done mowing, the husband stayed and at one point seemed to be watching the home from his car.
Despite all of this, I was prepared against my husband's wishes to not submit an official review but instead email the owners with suggestions on how to make people feel more like it is their home for the weekend if they pay.
That was until we received our security deposit back. The owners took over $600 of our money with unfounded and ridiculous charges such as "physical remnants and odor beyond description" in the master bedroom where my very tidy and clean smelling parents slept.
There were false charges of evidence of smoking cigarettes and damaging the cushions with ashes. This is an outright lie. Most frustrating of the claims is a paragraph long rant about ants. Yes, within an hour of arriving, we found ants so out of pocket we bought ant traps since this is CLEARLY a common problem.
If you value your privacy and money do not rent this home. We are insulted and will not be returning.