Mislead, unclean, dishonest owner... deposit held. RENTER BEWARE!
Submitted: December 10, 2012
Stayed: October 2012
We had a very similar experience to the Virginia reviewer who also gave a 1-star review. The owner replied to that review saying she was just a "sour grape", but her experience mirrored our own. The following is a list of our grievances.
1) We received a verbal agreement that we could have dinner guests, a rehearsal dinner for a wedding -- the owner even recommended local caterers. The neighbors approached us during our party, and with anger and irritation, told us that our party had to disperse. We were lead to believe that the contract we signed was for the number of overnight guests, and we did not exceed that. But during the dinner we of course exceeded that number -- but the owner initially said that was fine! Later though, he refused to return our deposit because of this. I consider his behavior underhanded. When we talked with the neighbors, they said he has done this many times. I can understand their frustration.
2) The house was not clean, and in a state of minor disrepair. We were able to document visible mold in the shower, holes in the towels, no matching sheets, some doors could not open all the way, the refrigerator leaked water all over the floor twice.
3) You will not be alone in this house. There is a whole portion of the house locked off, where someone lives.
4) We did not receive our deposit back, though we were clean and followed the rules as they were discussed.
My advice is do not rent this place, especially if you plan on holding an event. Yet, if you still feel that you want to, be sure to get everything in writing -- that's were we went wrong. You are not dealing with an honest person.
Owner's Response: Unfortunately this is another case of the Rental Agreement in Breech, and of course disgruntled renters. Please be advised that when the rules are not followed, we will be there to make sure they are, to protect our property, and penalties will be enforced. We had found these renters to have 20+ people on the property and at least 15 cars, when it clearly states in the contract which every renter signs, that the max persons is 14. Again this limit is strictly enforced due to the fact we are on a septic system, and not city sewer. We do Advertise that we have a nice place for weddings and events, but there are a different set of guidelines and rental agreements that are met and are in place for such events. We do have a small staff that lives on site to watch over the property and take care of the animals, they are completely segregated from the main house w/ their own entrances. You will rarely see them, unless you need them, which many of our guests have found to a very helpful attribute to their stay.
We have just spent close to 2k making improvements to property buying new linens,towels,and other things to improve the house, as we do every year around this time.
As you can see by our 13 vrbo reviews, if you are a family orientated group who doesnt have a problem following simple rules, you and your group will have a fantastic time at HW. The Property is truly a beautiful place, the only bad reviews we get are from people who have intended to use our property in ways not concurrent to the rental agreement which they had both signed.
Helpful votes: 11/11
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