I spent a long time searching OBX for an awesome rental property.
Things at the top of my list for the house were close to beach, hot tub (I knew it would be chilly) & game tables (again, because chilly).
We immediately noticed a ‘fishy’ smell upon entry. We aired it out as we brought in luggage.
We noticed there was food still in the garbage disposal and after running that and airing it out, we either got used to the smell or it dissipated.
It wasn’t enough to call/ complain.
We did also notice in the upstairs 1/2 bath sink had not been cleaned. There was still dried soap on the sink. We also noticed some pet hair on the coffee table, but had started a puzzle from the house and thought perhaps the box was where the hair had come from.
The biggest issue we noticed the first night at bedtime. The grown ups stayed up past midnight playing cards and upon getting into bed in the upstairs master, realized that the sheets had NOT been washed, the comforter had just been pulled up to make it looked washed! There was tons of pet hair in the bed. Gross.
I called the property manager the next morning and explained the issues. I was offered a cleaning crew to come out and “re-clean”. I did not want to spend my vacation sitting at the house while they cleaned, and I didn’t trust a crew to come in and do a good job unsupervised if they felt the way they left it the first time was acceptable.
I always bring my own microfiber cleaning supplies with me on trips, so I was able to do some cleaning myself. The property manager dropped off clean linens so we could remake the bed.
I requested a refund for cleaning fees, but was told there is no separate cleaning fee for these properties. I was offered a $100 Harris Teeter gift card as there is a store across the road from the house subdivision.
I accepted the gift card but felt very frustrated to be paying so much money to stay in a home that obviously was not cleaned prior our stay.
The other frustrations were that the pictures & description advertise a pool table And foosball table. However, it only has a pool table.
The hot tub also had a very hard time staying warm. Very disappointing when it was another top reason for renting the house.
There are 1000s of homes along the OBX. Pick one that is managed by someone other than Ocean Sands and hope someone else manages the property better.
Nothing worse than trying to stay in a rental that hasn’t been cleaned Before you arrive.