This property did not have great photos and 0 reviews so we were hesitant to book. But the location was what we wanted & with a better price point than other options in Madison. I contacted property owner & he assured me it was a normal house that is occupied when not hosting. And only 2 rooms were available, not 4 as advertised in the listing. So we booked for 2 nights & considered requesting a 3rd night after we saw the place.
Upon arrival we were happy with the location and neighborhood. Normal suburban neighborhood with nice landscaping. This property’s yard was overgrown & not maintained but that didn’t bother us. It was the awful smell of the house when we walked in that was the first red flag. It smelled like animal & air freshener. There was black dust all over the fan in the living room. A pile of dishes in the sink covered with a towel. A dishwasher full of dishes - not able to tell if dirty or clean. We immediately opened windows to allow air in while we explored. Positives: lots of televisions, nice appliances, a nice back deck. Negatives: dirty cabinets, full trash can in kitchen, lightbulbs needed replacing, bedrooms were dank, mattress dirty, sheets seemingly unclean, guest towels were stained and had holes… generally the property was not well presented for paying guests. As I told the host, if we were friends crashing at a friend’s place, that would be one thing.
We tried to get out of the 2nd night but Vrbo told us to work it out with the host.