Steps to Beach or Bay, Patio, Pet Friendly

Tired, worn out, dirty, and bait-n-switch is how I would sum up this property. Not wanting to be over critical but this property is definitely deserving of a poor review and a warning to others not to rent. It's time for the property owner to put some money back into the property and pay attention to maintenance and housekeeping.

Don't be fooled by the picture gallery. The nice furniture you see inside and on the patio don't exist. The patio has a picnic table badly in need of paint and a couple of dirty mismatched chairs. Not like the photo gallery. The nice furniture shown in the living area is replaced with a single couch that the cushions won't stay in when sat upon. There's a broken, dirty, worn out recliner that doesn't recline and a low back settee in the same shape that should probably have an ottoman. The place looks like it's been furnished from a thrift store.

There is a definite lack of attention to cleanliness and maintenance including cobwebs, burned out light bulbs in several fixtures when we arrived, garbage on top of the washer/dryer, dirty stove top, dirty silverware, and dirty insides of kitchen cupboards and drawers. The dishwasher barely washes dishes. Soap dispenser doesn't work. We pulled many rejects from the DW to be washed again. Time for a new one. The washer/dryer are barely functioning. The washer was found full of water when we arrived. No telling how long that had been there. The dryer takes a really long time to dry. The stove has been well used. The top is worn and dirty. The bottom drawer is broken. Kitchen cookware is old and worn. We had to go through and tighten all the handles so they didn't fall off. Kitchen cupboard doors and drawers are out of alignment and loose. Cupboards missing pieces of laminate. Drawers are full of stuff left behind by previous renters besides the dirt. The kitchen sink faucet is so corroded that it will barely swivels.

The sliding glass door to the patio practically takes a Mac Truck to open and close. My wife and kids didn't have the strength to operate it. That could be a safety problem if a quick exit is needed.

The master bedroom closet cupboards and drawers are in the same shape as the kitchen; broken, loose, and misaligned. Sheets on one of the beds so thin that they ripped. No spare sheets in the house so had to ask for new ones.

None of the window blinds throughout are working and all have broken slats. All window coverings need replacing.

First impression, the pictures are nicer than the house in person.

Some good - The location was great! Right in the middle of Mission Beach. Close walk to the ocean or the bay, lots of restaurants, the roller coaster, PB, etc. The beds were comfortable. They accommodated our two children by providing highchairs and pack n plays (for a small fee). They also had bikes, lots of beach towels and beach toys, beach umbrellas, and a nice patio to hang out on.

Some bad - Things were a little old and run down. The dishwasher and w&d seemed like they might break at any moment. The place didn't have ac, which isn't that big of a deal if you can open windows and use fans. However, the master bedroom has the trash right out the window, so we didn't want to open it. The cleaners weren't out at 4 as promised, yet showed up 10 minutes early on our last day and expected us to be out. The photos look nicer than the house. Stains on the upstairs carpet and comforter. Things were a little old and warn.

Overall, if you're ok with the bad I listed, I'd recommend the house. You just want to set your expectations at the appropriate level.

gave one star for location - House is located steps from mission beach and boardwalk, just perfect

one star for owners communication - got back to me immediately about issues

one star for area restaurants and shopping close by

removed one star because house was not clean enough (owner did offer to have cleaners come again, but this should have been done b4 check in.

removed one star due to construction at 7:30am (owner spoke to upstairs workers, but this should be done before our trip)