I found a condo on a travel web site which is called homeaway. The owner lives in Edwardsville IL but she bought this condo I suppose to make money. I rented the condo for a week during Christmas so that my family could congregate.
Upon arrival the place was freezing cold - the heat was off (in December) we had to turn it on and wait. The water was off and we had to figure out how to turn it on. The hot water was off as well and we had to wait after our long trip for hot water.
I paid $700 for the week along with a $160 non-refundable cleaning fee. There was nothing in the contract that stated that I was required to clean the condo or to supply paper/soap/etc. To the condo. There was a framed note by the door that seemed more like suggestions than anything.
I tried to comply with that as much as possible wherein I had to wash all the towels before I left and strip the beds. The owner has kept my deposit and not legally. She just said she was keeping it and did not supply receipts or adequate reasons other than she wanted me to clean apparently more than I did. She claims her maid spent more time cleaning than usual and I don't know why because we are not dirty people.
We were ten people staying there for a week so I expect there was some cleaning that had to be done but not an inordinate amount. She says we put bb's in the parking lot. That is not true. She says we left trash there. I had to haul out trash in my car to a dumpster down the road. I left a partically full bag on kitchen floor for the maid. I left a trash can full in the bedroom of baby diapers. The contract didn't say I had to take out trash anyway.
Owner complained that maid had to clean oven and microwave. We were there a week and we did cook. It was allowed. I did wipe out oven and microwave before I left to catch my flight. Owner complained there were pillows and blankets "everywhere". I folded the blankets and stacked them along with the pillows on the sofa. I thought they might need to be cleaned - I didn't know what state law was on that. We did use the pillows and blankets there were ten of us and she knew there would be ten guests.
There was no baby bed as she said there would be - I had to buy one. There were no Christmas decorations or Christmas tree as she said she would supply - I had to buy those, too. She complained that we used the tp, the soap, the paper towels. We did - it was supposed to be supplied. I also had to buy more as there was only 3 trash bags under the sink (we had Christmas there).
There was a small amount of soap in the bathrooms. There was one package of tp other than what was on the tp holder in the 3 bathrooms. I had to buy mattress pads to make the pull out beds sleepable, I had to replace batteries in her remote and lightbulbs in her lamps. I had to fix her fireplace which wasn't working. She said there was a baby crib there and there wasn't - I wish I had known that and I could've had my daughter bring her travel bed. I had to buy a crib there. She kept my $300 deposit which I gave her in good faith.
I think she is an unreasonable, unkind business owner. She says this condo is her "home" and she was angry at us. I could never determine why. I personally vacuumed, wiped down kitchen counters, emptied trash, stripped beds, washed towels, put away items we had used before I left. There needs to be some accountability by Ms. Romano as a business owner.
I realize she may need to make the mortgage payment on this extra home she has purchased, but she should not be allowed to do that in total disregard to the law and to the people she is supposed to be serving as the owner of a short-term rental unit.
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