The property was misrepresented in several material ways, negatively impacting our stay and rendering certain amenities unusable.
Specifically, the issues included:
1. Unsafe and Unusable Pool – The listing prominently featured a private pool as a key amenity. Upon arrival, the pool was found to be filled with algae, murky, and clearly unmaintained. It posed both a safety hazard and a public health concern, making it completely unusable until the last night of our stay. (Even at this time it was still murky and slightly green). This property failed to provide a core amenity as advertised and may violate local public health ordinances.
2. Misrepresented Backyard and Unusable Outdoor Space – The listing stated that the backyard was suitable for hosting gatherings such as a BBQ. In reality, the yard was significantly smaller than shown in the listing photos and was poorly maintained, an absolutely filthy grill (so full of grease that it leaked onto the ground near the barbecue), uneven ground, and debris. The condition of the landscaping rendered the space unsuitable for the intended use and contradicted the expectations reasonably set by the listing’s descriptions and images.
These misrepresentations affected our ability to enjoy the property as intended and planned, particularly because the outdoor amenities were a primary reason for booking this rental. This rental was for our wedding party's lodging and was designed to be our rehearsal dinner's location. We were left frantically looking for an alternative location. Weddings only happen once in a lifetime, and we invested countless hours and dollars preparing. Being in a last-minute logistical dilemma caused me great financial and emotional distress. We made good-faith arrangements based on the listing, and the property's failure to meet those representations resulted in both economic and experiential loss.
Attempts to address these issues during the stay were made as I messaged Vrbo support who stated “I’m sorry to hear the pool water isn’t looking its best. When the water is green and cloudy, it typically requires some maintenance before it’s safe to swim. For your safety, I suggest not using the pool until our local team can take a look. I’ll alert them immediately to investigate and resolve the issue as soon as possible.” However, to my knowledge there was no support staff who came to maintenance the pool, nor was there any further contact from VRBO support to ensure the issue was resolved.
I hope that in the future people who pay to stay here can receive the rental in better condition than I did.