We have used VRBO/Home Away for 10+ years and this is the first time we have given a property less than 4 stars. We are very respectful of the effort property owners take to maintain and make their places available to rent. But we expect that owners will respect renter’s right to get a full and accurate description of a property. We don’t want to have to do this negative review, but feel that future renters should be able to make a more informed decision than we were able to.
The house is in a good location for walking/hiking and being off the beaten path. It has (as described) a big kitchen with nice size table, a good work area with nice desk, a big fenced back yard and good parking. However, what was not described or visible in any pictures is what caused us to leave the property after just one night. The front steps and railing to the house are unstable with loose boards and posts. There are big areas of the front and back of the house that don’t have siding on them. One of the bedroom doors is a piece of unfinished plywood. The back yard grass was very long and the back yard included an active chicken coop. The sliding door to the back yard was not seated correctly and took both hands and significant effort to open/close. Most disconcerting was that the bathroom faucets barely dribbled water and the kitchen faucet water pressure was low. After we left the owner said he was able to increase the pressure somewhat. The kitchen cabinets that we put our food into were not clean. There were mice droppings in one of the kitchen drawers. The carpet in one bedroom was torn and ripped. The letter the owner left for us on the kitchen table included a reference to “squatters removed last winter.” For some folks, the deficiencies we encountered would perhaps not be an issue. Once the owner completes more improvements this would be a great place to stay, especially for folks like us with dogs. But in its current state, we can’t recommend this property.