VRBO should make it very clear that the property one is considering and/or booking is not managed by owner. What happened to vacation rental by owner??? :(. VRBO has become just another site for managed properties, redundant fees and absolutely no care for your experience or expectations of services. I was specifically trying to avoid large property management firms and rent direct from owner as in my past experiences the owners are the best to work with and care enough to clean and make your vacation safe. I felt baited and switched on following booking and experiencing this condo rental and ended being charged more than double the nightly rate and if VRBO hadnât had me edit this posting you would see redundant fees, services and how they ended up pushing my nightly rate to more than double. How is this allowed to happen???
This unit was quite dirty with only minimal attention to toilets, sinks and showers and none of the bedding, linens and things were set out, all linens were cheap and stiff feeling that were wrapped up in plastic wrap in a large plastic bin left in front of the door as you walk into unit. It was so dark in the hallway that my wife tripped over the bin and hurt herself upon our arrival. The beds were awfully hard and pillows were flat, the linens smelled like grease and body odor. Didnât even know that the property manager charged us $$$ for linens and gave us no option during booking. We could have easily bought new linens, far better quality and still have enough left over for dinner. Master bedroom sink was stopped up and does so immediately so another indicator that only minimal care and attention was provided to clean the unit. Not even prior to COVID would I think this place was clean and now that and I quote âThomas realty prides itself on providing safe and CDC approved cleaning servicesâ which in my experience with this vacation rental canât be further from the truth.. I cannot recommend this unit based on current condition and how it is cared for and managed. I highly recommend finding listings or booking sites that allow you to deal directly with the owner especially when you are choosing anything that has â by ownerâ in its title. If I was the owner of this unit, I would terminate my agreement with Thomas and put a stop to overcharging tenants with hidden fees, services and duplicate service fees while taking back care and control to deliver based on expectations that tenants pay a lot of money to receive.