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Original poster

Not allowed back to a holiday cottage because we left it "in a state" - what could we have done?!

150 replies

Thurlow · 07/07/2020 19:58

Just tried to book a cottage we've been to before through an agency and have been told we're not allowed back because of the condition we left the property in last time. They've got no explanation yet of what we've done.

I'm at a complete loss - we stripped the beds, out the used towels in the bath, swept up, emptied the bins, put the cushions in place, made sure the fridge and all the cupboards were empty, wiped the sides down, everything we normally do to leave a cottage ready for new linen and cleaning etc. We definitely didn't break anything while we were there either.

Has anyone had this happen before, or is an owner who could say what they hate? I'm doubly pissed off as they haven't immediately returned our deposit and are trying to get us to book another cottage with them. I can't for the life of me think what we've done as we've returned to other cottages before and have never had any complaints. Or have we just come across a bonkers host who wants the whole place steam cleaned before a guest leaves?

OP posts:

Biscuitsdisappear · 07/07/2020 23:39

We had a complaint about the way that we left a villa having stripped the beds, put the bedding in the wash, vacuumed, all rubbish in the bin etc. We had not stacked the towels back in the cupboard in the exact order that they were when we entered the place. We would have needed to take a photo to get them in the coloured order. My ghast was flabbered.

domesticslattern · 07/07/2020 23:49

I reckon it's the smoking too.

MrsEricBana · 07/07/2020 23:57

This happened to us when we went away with another family years ago. The husband of the other family still mentions "the cottage we were barred from" in wounded tones. We left it as we found it other than ready for the paid for cleaner to do standard cleaning. I am very particular and I checked it after the other family left before we drove away. The reasons they gave for barring us were simply not true e.g. we had extra people staying while we were there - we didn't. I felt very wronged at the time. Don't think too much about it but ensure you get your deposit back.

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biglouis · 08/07/2020 00:37

Always pay the deposit by credit card then you can do a charge back if they refuse to return it.

I would be sending a firmly worded letter hinting at "further action" and giving a time frame for return of deposit.

GabsAlot · 08/07/2020 18:21

even it was soke they should just say so-there is no smoking places btw its the law now

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 08/07/2020 19:43

How annoying for you OP. I don't really have much experience of this expect for work where sometimes I'll book a cottage for a week if I'm working away... but if a deposit is required, I won't. I'm neat and tidy, never been refused a return and as far as I'm concerned, deposit-requesters can happily do without my custom.

I hope you get your deposit back and yes, paying by credit card is exactly what credit cards are for.

TatianaBis · 10/07/2020 13:45

as I'm concerned, deposit-requesters can happily do without my custom.

How would property owners protect themselves from renters who aren’t so neat and tidy without a deposit?

We once had a 1000 Euros worth of damage at one property.

AtLeastThreeDrinks · 10/07/2020 15:07

This happened to me a few years ago and I'm still annoyed! We left the place spotless. It was via Airbnb so you can only see their review once you've posted yours –I wrote a glowing paragraph about how lovely the cottage was and what a nice time we had, they wrote they were "disappointed with the state we left the house in". I replied expressing my surprise and asking for details, but never heard back. I was doubly annoyed as their comments appear on your profile, so it could put off any future hosts from accepting my booking.

We genuinely left it how we found it, beds stripped (as requested), bins out, floor mopped etc etc. Baffling.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 10/07/2020 16:05

TatianaBis I take your point. I'm not sure but perhaps it's because generally mine are business bookings so there is some traceability there? I know that if I made a mess and my company got to hear about it, they wouldn't take kindly to it.

I think, as with all things, some accommodation places take the mickey (as with the OP) and they deserve to not have any renters at all.

Personally, I will spend my money where I'm trusted. Those who are risk-averse will just have a smaller pool of customers.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 10/07/2020 16:06

... and reading your post, AtLeastThreeDrinks, I will never change my mind. That's appalling and shouldn't be permitted.

Fungster · 10/07/2020 16:24

You smoked inside a rental property?

Fungster · 10/07/2020 16:27

Oh, I see that you were outside.

AtLeastThreeDrinks · 10/07/2020 17:04

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe The weirdest thing was we already had our deposit back! So they weren't even after money. I've re-annoyed myself thinking about it

TatianaBis · 10/07/2020 20:34

Personally, I will spend my money where I'm trusted. Those who are risk-averse will just have a smaller pool of customers.

How can someone know whether you can be trusted over the internet or the phone?

Traceability is irrelevant, it can be impossible to get funds out of people after the fact unless they’re honest, which some people aren’t.

DobbyTheHouseElk · 11/07/2020 09:11

If you put the ash and stub ends in the kitchen bin it will have stunk the bin out, then they’d had assumed that you were smoking inside.

It will be that, smoke stinks and it’s hard to get out of soft furnishings. I can always smell it. Unfortunately it will have been on your clothing,

Defenestratethecat · 11/07/2020 09:20

I think I've mentioned this before on here but I was mightily pissed off with a French holiday cottage owner a few years ago. We'd had a brilliant week in a lovely cottage, got up at 7 am on last day to do a thorough clean (only DH and I so the place wasn't dirty/untidy anyway.) The owner did a walk round before we left, pulled the bed away from the wall and berated me on the long blonde hairs he found on the floor. He stood over me while I swept them up. DH had a greying No. 4 cut, and I had short mousey/grey hair.....

I really do need to 'Let It Gooooooooooo'

Walkerbean16 · 11/07/2020 09:28

we got banned from an air bnb because my son had a nose bleed on the sheets. we immediately sent them £100!! to replace them (and she couldn't possibly have tried to get it out because she asked for it over email 10 minutes after we had left - we had told her about the sheets) but she banned us anyway.

October2020 · 11/07/2020 09:30

It is absolutely the smoking. Even if you smoked outside, the smell lingers on your clothes and will have stunk the house out. Non smokers can smell it - smokers seem totally unaware!

I bet the people after you cancelled/kicked up a fuss.

Itsarattrap · 11/07/2020 09:39

How did you dispose of your cigarette ends?

We asked to be moved from a supposed non-smoking property because the smell of stale cigarettes was the first thing we noticed when we walked through the door. Agency moved us without question.

ClarencesMum · 11/07/2020 09:46

I don't think it was the smoking at all. A cig outdoors isn't an issue at all.

Mustbetimeforachange · 11/07/2020 09:54

We got yelled at by a frightening French cleaner in a cabin on a French campsite for leaving with the dishwasher running. Apparently we were supposed to empty it & put away. With 3 kids aged 2-7 we were a bit frazzled. However I always think of that lady & do it now!

Boomerwang · 11/07/2020 10:44

How can this be a holiday if you're forced to spend a chunk of time keeping everything spick and span? Surely the point of a holiday is to pay someone else to do that? I haven't rented anywhere personally so I'm interested in knowing whether this is a typical thing or are there more relaxed places? I guess it's only private letting.

Alongcameacat · 11/07/2020 23:50

I'm interested in knowing whether this is a typical thing or are there more relaxed places?

We've always spent half of our last day cleaning the place until its spick and span! I wouldn't like to leave somewhere dirty or untidy and I particularly don't want my 'rating' to be marked down as a 'bad guest'. I find it annoying though as we also have to pay for cleaning when we arrive as part of our deposit.

itstrue · 12/07/2020 00:23

We rented a rural property once. When we arrived we found that there was no water! The rainwater tank had been accidentally blocked up and it was just our bad luck. The owner turned up with 6 litres of water - we were a party of 4 adults and six kids! Lucky for us a neighbour had heard that there was a problem from the owner and then dropped off a lot of 20 kilo containers of water. The owner suggested that he would refund some of our money because of the water issue.

We got on with our weekend. The lack of water was a pain and while greatful of the neighbour the 20 kilo containers were heavy to deal with every time we needed to flush the toilet. And of course showering wasn't an option.

We then discovered the bbq was broken, and the stove only had one element that worked.

We spent a good couple of hours cleaning before we left.

I didn't give a bad review because I felt that the major problem was the water and that was definitely an accident. But I couldn't give a positive one so I left no feedback. I then found he had given us 3 stars out of 5! And of course no refund was ever given!

Redhair23 · 12/07/2020 00:23

This is why I stopped using holiday cottages-too stressful and too many strange rules and owners.

I have never been banned but I lost a good day of the holiday cleaning and reading huge manuals of rules.

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