Unable to accurately review the cleanliness of the property because I was not comfortable enough with the outside/location/appearance of the property to enter.
Communication with the property manager was fine up until the day of check in - I was told that I would be informed if we could check in early depending on the timing of the cleaning service however I did not hear from the property manager until hours after we were scheduled to check in (we were coming from out of town for a 4PM wedding and our check in time was 4PM)
The check in process initially seemed straightforward as I’ve had experience with temporary rentals before however, when we finally had the opportunity to check in just to sleep at our rental, we were met with confusion and we’re extremely concerned.
Despite being located in a remote town essentially on the border between NY and MA, the house’s location was far from any liveliness that existed in the community — not the issue. Though we had anticipated an older, quaint building based on the photos provided in the listing, we were met with a run down, windowless home with no signs of anyone inhabiting it for quite some time.
Because we were only able to get to the home after the wedding ceremony and reception, it wasn’t until late that we were able to contact the property manager with our obvious concerns. After several phone calls and growing frustration, the manager finally responded to my cell phone number with a question mark to which my partner angrily lashed back at.
After failing to hear from the property manager beyond that, my partner and I drove to the location of the event that we had attended as we felt safer parking there than in front of this run down VRBO. We ended up sleeping in our car and we’re informed later that day that the manager would be reporting us.
We never entered the building for fear of safety. We were confused and disoriented by the outer appearance not only looking completely different than the listing but by the lack of immediate response and assistance from the manager.
I had had high hopes for this stay as it seemed to be too good to be true; my initial interactions with the manager were pleasant. However, I left my stay having slept in my car feeling deceived and patronized.
I did take photos of the home and put them side by side what is being advertised for my open case with this this rental and VRBO’s customer service team.