to be angry with our holiday let guests

[birdladyfromhomealone]

As Holiday makers, have you ever wondered why you are asked to pay a refundable damage deposit?
The reason is - not every one is respectful or treats rental homes as they would their own.
Just a month ago we posted pictures of our newly refurbished studio apartment in our villa in Spain with a brand new day bed that pulls out to two singles or a double.
With thanks to our first guests of this season we will now have to refurb again although the deposit may not cover the cost of their "the bed just broke"
We have a great team of cleaners that keep our Villa in immaculate condition but they should not have to clean up what has been left.
Why would anyone leave a holiday villa in this condition?

the agency will know better than any on here what is acceptable and what isn't and it looks to me like they are pretty horrified or why would they be sending you these pictures?

Another very valid point

Perhaps the real irony is that, had OP furnished the entire place with top of the range stuff and that got broken/stained/whatever, she'd have been blamed for that too, as in "you know some don't take care, so why did you spend all that money?"

I think you're really scraping the barrel. The grit and dust in that tumble dryer filter is not from one family staying there two weeks, it's been there longer than that. The aerial can put pushed back in. How did it come out so easily? Perhaps it happened before or the picture was fuzzy and they dislodged it trying to fix it. There seems nothing wilful there. The grease on the seating is what's going to happen to white seats - there's people with suntan lotion on eating greasy food from BBQs. It happens. It could be a lot worse.

How old is the bed? Why has the paint work come off it to such an extent? Perhaps the metal has been stressed and it snapped when someone sitting on it and the movement meant the slats snapped.

I'm playing devil's advocate here but some of the stuff you're saying doesn't seem bad. The kitchen is not tidy but it's not horrendous. You're getting cleaners in presumably. Were they expecting to do nothing. They could have kept the leaflets tidy, true.

To be honest, it doesn't seem high end the place, the furniture or the decoration. In the one photo where it looks like something has been spilled and not cleared up the paintwork by the skirting to the right of the photo looks shoddy as there's either a line of where the paint is missing or a line of grime.

The pool tiles must have got loose. If they were going to destroy them they'd have pulled up more. I just think you're looking for things.

Apart from scraping the food bits off a BBQ I'm not sure I'd do more. I'd clean it when starting the holiday more.

Piggy - by make the beds I mean out the pillows and duvet straight, not leave them in a crumpled mess. I do the same at hotels. Takes a few seconds. I think it's an automatic thing to do - just like I make my own bed every morning.

I can see how it looks horrendous at the end of the let. They do not appear to have taken reasonable care.

But I could also see a scenario where they turn up, one of the couples sets up in the studio because no one wants the 9-year-old boy to be sharing with the adult couples and there's supposed 4 bedrooms plus a garden studio with a day bed in there that converts to 2 singles or a double bed - it's why they booked the place. So they try to get it to convert, but they can't work it out, think they've got it and then something bends/snaps/breaks and they can't even use it as a sofa anymore. They upend it to make more space for their mattresses on the floor and are really annoyed at this supposedly luxury place they've rented. Then they can't get the hot water working for two days. End up feeling like idiots when they find out why, but they still spend two days before that annoyed that the there's no hot water and on top of the bed it just feels like they've rented a lemon.

The TV is in a position where it gets hit by the sun so they can't see the picture or it's not in a place where there's enough seating for all 9 to see (or they're dicks and want to move it so they can watch while they BBQ and swim in the pool), they're already annoyed with what was supposed to be a luxury holiday so they move it to somewhere more suitable, hence the plugs being pulled out of sockets so they could move it somewhere convenient, hook it up to their laptop (which is not what I imagined you meant when you said wires pulled out of the wall).

The pool pump appears to stop working - they' don't have a pool of their own, know nothing about it really, but are worried about it wrecking the rest of their holiday because then the pool won't even be available and they're already thinking the place is poorly done - so they call. The minute they sit down on the sofas in a waterproof sunscreen (pretty much a standard expectation in a villa with a pool) the cushions get stained. The place looks and feels a mess by the second day and they spent, to them, a fortune on the holiday. They are annoyed at you.

Lots of other little things don't meet their expectations and they end up really not caring by the end of the holiday. Leaving everything a mess.

You think they are bad guests and they think you are a bad host.

Some better pictures! Ok so fridge is full of rubbish, that's pretty unacceptable. This should have been binned before they left. Can see now damage to the metal bed. That looks like someone quite large either jumped or fell on it. Not great but in a rental I'd be getting pretty sturdy stuff as you have no idea how heavy some people are and the frame is flimsy.

Dirty sheet. Hmmmm after 2 weeks I wouldn't expect it to still be clean. That could be a lotion of some sort or semen (blehhh) but I can't see a huge issue with that.

Mattresses on floor - because bed broke. No where else to put them.

Did they pay a cleaning fee though? That would explain the food and bag of rubbish.

I can't see what's up with the pool.

Tv Ariel, just plug it back in? Can't also see issue with it.

Leaflets messy. 2 seconds to straighten them.

I can see how you're a bit horrified as that's certainly not how I'd leave a holiday let, fat from it. But if they paid a cleaning fee you can't complain about it not being cleaned. If they didn't and it states they should leave it clean then YANBU.

I'm still on the fence about the bed. It does look cheap crap, but on the same score a heavy person shouldn't be flopping/falling on it.

're the tv .
They bought something like a x box with them and plug it in .

Day beds are unsuitable for being used as a regular bed.

I have never heard of a day bed- why would it have two mattresses on it if it is not to be used as a bed? I think it's better to either get rid of the 'day bed' so there's no confusion about using it (guests will want to spread out if you give them the option) or replace it with a sturdy one with fixed slats/underside- I had one with these type of slats and they fell out a lot and also cracked. My husband is a big chap and would easily break this type of bed just by sitting on it waiting for the kettle to boil...

A day bed, yes, because it's just a name for a type of sofa. But a day bed that converts to two singles or a double is a convertible sofa and if you advertise saying you have a 4-bed villa with a garden studio that has a daybed that converts into 2 singles or a double, people are going to think they can use the beds in the studio.

Looking at the recent pictures I will concede that they were grotty but nothing a regular clean wouldn’t fix - if you wanted to dock the deposit for that I think that would be in the realms of reasonableness.

The aerial - not sure. Depends what they say happened.

The bed and the tiles - again I’d like to hear their explanation but I still think it’d be wiser to look at you’re tradespeople and supplier. Expensive doesn’t mean sturdy or the best quality. Like a PP I can’t see how they could have done that to the tiles. Even dropping something in the water wouldn’t have done that. I imagined originally it was a tile exposed to the air.

I still think you need to suck up the stained white furniture. There will be a way to get the stains out somehow and I wouldn’t bet on it being the last time it needs doing.

*your not you’re

From photos you posted - bed seems very flimsy nor do I see any broken bed slats.

What was wrong with the rubbish being bagged and tied?
Floor looks clean and washed
As you have not provided photos of damage to cushions it isn't possible to ascertain damage.
From photos provided cannot see a reason to delay payment of deposit

I am so baffled anyone is struggling to see the issue 🙄

We rent villas often as we prefer them to hotels and wouldn’t dream of leaving them like this! For those saying they don’t clean on holiday surely you wipe sides down and sweep up crumbs to avoid insects etc!?

When in a villa regardless of instructions we remove rubbish and generally leave everything how we found it. We also strip all beds and leave the bedding piled in the corner.

I’m really sorry this has happened to you OP, I know I’d be devastated in your situation.

I can’t believe that people are still downplaying the holidaymakers role and blaming the OP’s furnishings and expectations. If the OP had posted these pictures as the mess left after her SIL and BIL has stayed in her house by agreement to visit other family and have a break while she was away with her her own family, everyone would be saying what pigs and monsters they are. The fact that in this case the guests are paying, only means they don’t have to leave it as clean and tidy as they found it, it doesn’t mean they can trash the place.
Sorry but I can only think that some posters’ dislike of OP having a fuck-off big villa with a pool is coming into play.
OP are you able to leave feedback on the guests? Will they be banned by the agency? I hope you have a massive security deposit.

They do look like total scum, OP.

My initial comments were based on your first three pictures.

They have taken no care whatsoever. I’m absolutely sure their own home will be kept like shithole.

I hope you can make them pay what they should. Scumbags.

They certainly left a mess and stains, but regarding the bed, maybe I am prejudiced because I wouldn't buy trash from IKEA but even if a bed frame is heavy to lift, does not mean it isn't flimsy. I think tbh, that is what happens when one is a bit of a cheapskate and buys a kit bed from IKEA. Its all junk. Absolute garbage. And one pays a motza for that set it up yourself kit bed. Next time, buy an actual bed from a bedding/furniture place. IKEA rubbish is not real furniture and that is not a real bed. Tbh I wouldn't want to stay in a place or sleep on a kit bed from IKEA. May as well just use a blow up air mattress or a sleeping bag.

LightDrizzle I guess it is the just the juxtaposition that she has this nice villa and all but furnishes it with IKEA. IKEA for goodness sake. If you have a lot of money, normally you would have sense and buy proper actual furniture. But it seems as though the OP thought they could get away with leaving crap furniture for the guests.

People are vile sorry this happened to you cx
ppl on here are weird. so you would be happy if someone treated your homes like this? Clearly mumsnet is full of the same animals who rented your villa OP X

My bed is from ikea it’s a good solid comfy bed.

The tv ariel looks unplugged not 'pulled out'.

I think you are flogging a dead horse with the bed. We had a bed, considered it solid/sturdy, definitely took a few people to move it. Had a guest in our home who was overweight (putting it politely). They certainly didn’t jump on bed, slept on it, slats broke. Took a few people to remove bed from room. That wasn’t our guests fault. Our bed looked a hell of a lot more sturdy than the bed you have shown. I’m guessing the 9yo slept in the room with 1 adult and the other adult had to have the bed in the outhouse and it just was not suitable for purpose. No idea why you keep banging on about the mattresses being on the floor, of course they are as the bed broke, how did you expect them to sleep?

The aerial can just be plugged back in. You know that right? It actually would have been quicker than taking a picture.

The sheet? They have slept in it for two weeks, it’s a body stain, wash it? I take it the sheets get washed between guests don’t t they? Also, why white sheets? I use grey or similar in our house, light enough so white stains are not obvious, dark enough so that a few days grot does not show. I would not have white in a holiday let. Please tell me you don’t have white towels also?

The fridge is disgusting. I would definitely charge an extra fee to deal with that!

It's not about Ikea furniture being flimsy. We have one bed from Ikea, it was £70 in the sale..it's black metal. It's as sturdy as a bed could possibly be. When the apocalypse comes only it and the cockroaches will survive. However it's a hook together bed frame, not a screw together frame, which OP's bed is. That's the difference. The screw together metal frame beds are not as sturdy (we also had one of those and it had to be constantly repaired).

I don’t think the aerial can just be plugged back in. It looks like the cable has been pulled out leaving the connector in the socket to me.

Not difficult to fix (assuming the connector comes out) but not “just plug it back in”

@JellyBears it’s not her home it’s a business. And I’m pretty sure OP hasn’t mentioned how much she charges. I think there’s be less sympathy not that there is much!
if we knew.
Bar the food in the fridge, them’s the breaks of renting out a property. And be aware your cleaners are not going to underplay the work they have to do. Picture of wires behind a tv/ bagged up rubbish/ even the cluttered surfaces and definitely the leaflets, I’d not want to hear about.