Booked holiday apt but visitors can't use the pool

[dollylucy]

Booked apt with pool
Paid in full

Now I receive extra details from the owner and only the people staying at the apt can use the pool.
I booked it so my brother and his family can visit and use the pool.
Is the owner being unreasonable or am I ?

[Excited101]

YANBU OP. I'd have assumed I could invite guests tbh- it wouldn't even occur to me to ask I don't think.

[DailyMaui]

I lived in an apartment complex with a pool and a beach and family/friends were absolutely allowed to use it as long as they entered the pool/beach area with you. What pissed off the residents were people coming in who had no link to the compound at all. Family and friends were never an issue.

Pool - depending on the complex, public accessed pools like this don't go off as quickly as private pools - the chemical levels are way higher, and tested regularly.

If I booked an apartment like this - residential rather than specific holiday let - I genuinely would have assumed it was like my old home and would have thought that as long as it was an occasional visit, family or friends would have been fine. Lots of people over everyday? Not so good. But that's not what the OP is suggesting. A holiday apartment is very different.

Some of the comments about the OP's family apartment are really mean. And I wonder what actually motivated them.

[PersianCatLady]

Persian, my experience of pools is that once a pool starts going off it happens very quickly and is hard to bring back without shocking it
It all depends on how exactly it is being monitored and treated but a lot of these little pools do use a manual system. When they are not checked frequently enough and the water quality turns as you said yes it is very hard to recover it without a shock treatment.

[Chopstick17]

Imagine if you booked for your family thinking that maybe 4/5 apartments can use the pool and one or two families invite lots of others over. Suddenly your semi private pool is not so appealing is it?

[GnomeDePlume]

Persian, my experience of pools is that once a pool starts going off it happens very quickly and is hard to bring back without shocking it. Pools go off because the chemicals put in are not sufficient for the load being put on them.

The reality will be that there are lots of reasons why the OP is not allowed to have guests:

• overcrowding in/around the pool
  
• insurance
  
• the owner may already be using up her guest allowance in the form of letting to the OP

[BoneyBackJefferson]

I am not sure that the OP will read this but I suspect that it will be an extension of 'no all male groups', in an effort to prevent large numbers of non paying people having a party and trashing the pool.

[Meeep]

I was going to say what hulababy said. Sat your niece wants to have sleepovers at yours, so she'll be added on the booking. Then she can go in the pool!

[PersianCatLady]

The pool chemicals will be set for a certain level of usage
But the water would still be checked at the very least twice a day either manually with DPD strips or automatically by chemical testing regardless and altered to suit the conditions.

Without being too disgusting the number of people using a pool is too vague a measure of how much chlorine to use.

Factors such as kids urinating in the pool and the amount of sun care products that have washed off into the pool are all factors that can dramatically change the quality of the water and therefore what needs to be done to correct it.

[RichardBucket]

Wow. The OP was remarkably restrained in this thread. Horrible behaviour from many of the posters. MN at its worst.

[dowhatnow]

Well the alternative is not to invite them!

Play it by ear and see how the land lies when you get there. It may or may not be a problem.

[PersianCatLady]

I'd play it by ear. It's only two extra people. It probably won't be a problem
I am sorry but I don't think that is very good advice when the owner has specifically told the OP that visitors are not permitted.

[dowhatnow]

I'd play it by ear. It's only two extra people. It probably won't be a problem. If it is you'll soon find out and they won't be able to come again. Don't sweat it. I think the clause is to prevent parties etc not just an extra kid and her dad.

[KateSMumsnet]

Evening all! Can we all take a second to remember the talk guidelines try to post in a calm, considered manner?

[Sloegin2]

Just come back from a private apartment in a complex with a communal pool.
A family we got friendly with invited members of her family (resident to that country) in to sit on her balcony and use the pool. It was so quiet it wasn't an issue; plenty of room both around and in the pool.

[BikeGeek]

People that own/ permanently rent the apartment are obviously 'allowed' to have friends over occasionally to use the pool, so why shouldn't short term holiday renters?

Not obviously 'allowed' at all, plenty of complexes have facilities for residents that are for exclusive use of residents or very tightly controlled.

[Amelie10]

I said in the beginning the op was BU and I think she agreed herself. But this thread has now just become ridiculous!
Seems like op was just answering people's questions but she's accused of being argumentative and I read 'fraudulent' somewhere too. Op hide the thread.

[GnomeDePlume]

Hi OP, sorry this thread got a bit nasty.

Just another thought on why 'extras' arent allowed. It is probably simpler than the insurance point.

The pool chemicals will be set for a certain level of usage. Too many bodies in the water and the chemicals get out of balance. Cue a green pool like the Olympic diving pool. When that happens you have to use a shock treatment which kills the algae but leaves the pool cloudy so you have to add flocculant to clump the dead algae together then hoover it off the bottom of the pool.

While that is going on the pool may have to be closed which means unhappy residents.

[ArmySal]

Well said, Koala.

Some horrible replies to the OP on here.

[FairySpinster]

I cannot believe how awful this thread has become, AIBU is just a horrid little corner of the net OP, don't let it upset you so much

[Mummaaaaaah]

Wow this got nasty fast. OP I don't think you were spectacularly stupid at all. I think a grown up conversation with the owner should result in your family visiting once or twice. Good luck and enjoy your holiday.

[LivingOnTheDancefloor]

Oh yes Persian I see the point. Especially as the pool might have been built with the assumption that not all residents are attending at the same time.

I was just saying this as some posters seem to think it is completely out of order to even think about having guests. So ok, in this place it is not allowed, but I can totally understand the OP booking it without realizing there was this rule.

[PersianCatLady]

being really harsh with the OP
I don't understand how it has got so out of hand on this thread.

it was OK to have a couple of guests on occasions
Unfortunately at this place it is not OK but that could be a blessing in disguise. I mean what would happen if everybody staying there that week decided to have visitors at the pool? It could make it unenjoyable, this way the OP knows that at least it won't be super busy.

[LivingOnTheDancefloor]

Wow some posters are taking this quite seriously and being really harsh with the OP.
I have been on holidays in places like this and from what I remember it was OK to have a couple of guests on occasions, as long as it was not every day and just a small number of guests.
If OP's place could house 4, then I don't see how it would be an issue for 4 people to use the pool, and even 5-6 people a couple of times.

[PersianCatLady]

TBH I can't understand why you thought it would be OK for visitors to use the pool but never mind, you did.

Now you have found out that this is not possible, so no dramas you have two options.

One either try and cancel the booking and book somewhere else where this is possible, which would probably need to be a villa as a lot of apartment complexes have this rule.

I just remembered that you said there were no villas available so really that gives you option two which is to just accept it, annoying yes but at least you know for next time.

What I wouldn't do is to ignore the owner's information and allow visitors in anyway as personally I think that is out of order.

A lot of apartment complexes have really secure pool areas now where you need key cards to access the area and I think that is because not only have they had issues with visitors gaining entry but also locals.

[Sanityseeker75]

OK Haven't quite rtft so I may have missed this BUT when booking did you rent the apartment as a whole - as in it didn't matter how many of you there are t was a fixed price? Or was it reduced as there is only you and your daughter in there?

If it was a fixed price could you not just add the childrens and your brother name? Or if reduced price offer to pay more for use of the pool as you are under occupied?

Have you spoken to the owner explained the situation and advised that it would be for x amount of days and see if there was any movement due to under occupancy?