Pocono Rental Disappointment
Submitted: March 21, 2013
Stayed: February 2013
I have to agree with renter S.S. on this property. I don't think the rental lived up to the expectations that our group had based off of the photos and descriptions of the home.
I had searched for a home in the area specifically with a lake view property and was willing to pay a little more for that feature. Unfortunately, there is a row of homes, a street, then another row of homes before you can even get to the lake, so the "lake view" was in between rooftops of other properties.
Although the house may have been clean, it was in ragged condition. The lease not only states to report any stains or damages around the property, but includes a laundry list of penalties against the renters for potential damages or if trash/litter is left behind. Once we arrived at the house, there were stains on the carpet, broken window blinds, broken towel rack, etc, which I did report but were so many that I was worried about being falsely charged. I also ended up going outside and picking up all the cigarette butts (per the lease and way more than our group smoked) to ensure I would receive the security deposit back...yuck!
The 2nd full bathroom is in one of the bedrooms so the majority of the group ended up really only having access to 1 bathroom for the entire weekend. There were also no mirrors in the bedrooms, which wouldn't seem like a big deal, but when there are multiple people in the house all trying to get into 1 bathroom with a mirror to get ready, it became an issue.
The main highlight of the property is that it is close to a ski resort and the property manger, David, was a very nice person to work with, however, I just felt that it was slightly overpriced for the condition and location.
Owner's Response: One of my top priorities as an Owner/Property Manager is to ensure that the property meets the needs and expectations of every prospective guest. That's why I am readily available to answer any questions about the property in a detailed, honest, and upfront manner. I'd like to encourage anyone in the market for a vacation rental to ask detailed questions about the property during the search process, especially if there are specific things that you are looking for in a vacation rental like a lakefront view, or if you want to know more about floor plan of the house. Please do not base your decision to choose a Vacation Rental Property strictly from the photos and description on the listing. This is the best way to avoid any unnecessary disappointment on the part of the guest or the owner. I'm not interested in accepting a booking knowing that property would not meet the expectations of the guest in any way.
This property is located on "Lakeview Drive" and offers some views of the lake as advertised. It is not advertised as Lakefront or as having an unobstructed view of the lake. The lease terms are all simple and standard. Unfortunately, guests improperly disposing of cigarette butts on the grounds is a continuous problem and especially difficult to monitor in the winter months with all the snow and ice. Although I'm not a fan of the Smoker's Outpost stations I've decided to invest in some to see if that could help curb the issue so I appreciate the comments there. This property is currently advertised as having 2 full bathrooms - which it does. A third bathroom on the lower level is planned for completion by next ski season. I do think that the suggestion of adding some mirrors in the bedrooms is a good one and plan to add those in the near future. A grand total of 5 minor items were reported upon arrival inspection. The broken blind (which was functional) and towel rack occurred just prior to this guest's stay and both have since been replaced. (1) nick in the paint on a wall was reported... There was (1) minor carpet spot reported in the entire 2600 sq ft. house!
If you were to do some comparison of vacation rental properties in the Lake Harmony area you will find that this property is very competitively and fairly priced, receives generally very positive reviews, and is a good value.
Thanks! - David
Helpful votes: 1/4
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