The property was pretty much as described. It was very clean, though there were some issues of disrepair.
Beyond that, it was an incredibly poor experience. The biggest problem we had was communication, or lack thereof. Upon booking, we sent Mark, the owner, a brief description of our trip as requested in the booking summary. We never heard back from Mark. About a week prior to our visit, VRBO sent us a "here's your information" email. In the email, it said if you haven't yet received your check-in information, message the owner. We did. No response.
Fast forward to check in day. Through no fault of Mark's, VRBOs servers were being updated. So, we called Mark directly. No answer. Sent him a text, no response. So, we called VRBO asking for help. Somehow, they were able to reach him. So Mark eventually texted us the access code we needed. At this point, we were upset but chalked it up to one of those things.
We arrive at the property, use the access code given and it does not work. We both tried with no luck. We tried for 10 minutes. Then we gave up and called Mark. No answer. Texted Mark. No response. We drove away to a grocery store and waited for Mark's response. An hour passes and still no response. At this point, we were furious. We called VRBO and insisted on a full. immediate refund. at a minimum. They then tried to reach Mark and surprise, surprise, Mark answered for them. At this point, we were driving back. We saw a female in a red car leaving the alley of the house. (Important - there are really maybe three houses that use the alley.) Mark tells us that we must be entering the code incorrectly. So we pull up, open the cover to the lock and the keys literally fall out. Human error is always possible. However, I took a video of the last time we tried to open the lock to share with VRBO and Mark.
What I am certain of: at some point from when we went to the grocery store and when we returned, the keys were unlocked. How? I cannot say. But that red car timing was very interesting. If they hadn't changed the code, just tell us. Things happen. But add to that ignoring multiple calls, multiple texts?
Two main issues with the property. After unpacking in one bedroom, we felt a draft and noise. The window frame was rotted and broken; the pane of glass just hanging.
The neighbors have a dog that barks all day & night. It is penned between the two houses in HORRIBLE conditions. Not Mark's fault.
