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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to be angry with our holiday let guests

390 replies

birdladyfromhomealone · 22/06/2018 23:17

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?

to be angry with our holiday let guests
to be angry with our holiday let guests
to be angry with our holiday let guests
OP posts:
Thread gallery
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FangAchePartDeux · 23/06/2018 00:39

Sorry OP, I was all ready to be on your side but I think YABU. I've been looking at Ikea day beds recently and there is no way that one cost €700.

Also, you say that they had no need to use that bed but if you rent a property out, the guests should expect to be able to enjoy all of it, not only what they "need".

To be fair to them, I doubt they would have said the pool pump didn't seem to be working if it was absolutely fine. How would they benefit from that? As much as it's a pain for you, nobody wants to be inconvenienced on their holiday waiting for workmen to turn up. Couldn't you have talked them through it on the phone without having to call someone out?

As for the rubbish, I personally would have taken it out but they may have been of the mentality that if they are paying a cleaning fee then it's fine to leave for the cleaner unless instructed otherwise.

Don't you have insurance to cover those small breakages?

elephantscanring · 23/06/2018 00:39

OP, do you have a booklet saying how to use everything in your flat? Spell it out: 'turn the taps clockwise for hot water'??

Why did they think the pool pump was broken?? It doesn't remove leaves!

Tara336 · 23/06/2018 00:40

Is there any way to recoup your costs? Does the breakage deposit cover it? I don’t understand some people’s attitude, I’d be mortified if I broke even a mug in a holiday let. I can understand why your so annoyed it’s just not on

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 23/06/2018 00:40

And they used every towel and every piece of linen.
so what? Isn't that what they are for? Completely unreasonable to complain about that.

Sorry OP, but why wouldn't your guests call to ask questions of if there's a problem?It's a holiday let, they are reasonable to expect answers on any day of the week.

You are annoyed with them, but it is making you over-react about everything.

Bramble71 · 23/06/2018 00:42

You did drip feed, OP, but of course YANBU to be angry at them. They sound very disrespectful and not too bright either!

You mention about not needing to use the studio apartment. Is there any way you can lock it off separately when it's not needed?

I'm super careful in holiday lets. We do the laundry before we leave etc. I imagine most holidaymakers are respectful. Unfortunately, these people weren't.

Maybe you could increase the deposit in case if future issues? Though, a very high deposit might put some people off. It's a balancing act.

I don't expect to see fancy furniture in a holiday let, and a day bed is fancy to me, I just expect to see solid, sturdy pieces.

birdladyfromhomealone · 23/06/2018 00:42

the kitchen roll we provided but neverthe less

OP posts:
catinasplashofsunshine · 23/06/2018 00:43

bird was there any prearranged agreement about them not using the studio flat? If they'd paid for it it's utterly normal that one of the couple's unrelated to the child in the party would want the more private accommodation, especially if there's a younger or more recently together couple...

Common sense tells you to put a very robust bed into the more secluded private sleeping accommodation surely!

Or did you genuinely expect a 9 year old to sleep in the same room as their parents and a holiday group to leave a Studio flat they'd paid for as part of their booking untouched?

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 23/06/2018 00:51

'm super careful in holiday lets. We do the laundry before we leave etc. I imagine most holidaymakers are respectful.

It's kind of you, but I would never do the laundry or the cleaning when I pay for a cleaner to do just that! And also to prevent any disagreement on the level of cleanliness.

I wouldn't leave rubbish either, but its not such a big deal and a surprise if some people do.

Bramble71 · 23/06/2018 00:51

You also say that there was no need for 8 adults & 1 child to use the apt as the villa has 4 bedrooms, but that's assuming the 8 adults are 4 couples. This may not have been the case and likely won't always be in future. Just something to hear in mind.

I must have missed your comment about all the towels & linens being used. YABU there. That's what they are for and part of what you pay your housekeepers for.

birdladyfromhomealone · 23/06/2018 00:51

catinasplashofsunshine
The main four bed villa has ten beds, the booking was for 8 adults and one 9 year old in the MAIN villa.
The studio apertment is in the gardens next to the pool , mainly used to prepare lunch by the pool, it has a fridge and kitchen unit and shower room, it is NOT meant for overnight hence a DAY bed,.

to be angry with our holiday let guests
to be angry with our holiday let guests
OP posts:
birdladyfromhomealone · 23/06/2018 00:53

where in this thread have I mentioned linen and towels?????

OP posts:
ikeepaforkinmypurse · 23/06/2018 00:57

OP, you are getting silly now, sorry.

A day bed is a BED, it doesn't mean it can only be used during the day Grin
If one of the guests decided to sleep on a sofa, he would be perfectly entitled to do just that too!

People book based on the number of beds, and they are free to organise themselves as they please. If you don't want them to use the studio, lock it and don't advertise it.

FangAchePartDeux · 23/06/2018 00:59

Come on OP, YAB pretty U. Maybe one of the adults was snoring and keeping everyone up so went there... Or maybe the kid wanted an adventure for the night. Or maybe they weren't couples and wanted separate rooms.

If you don't want anyone to sleep on the daybed maybe you should put a sign up or not have it there at all!

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 23/06/2018 00:59

It's supersop60 who made a comment about their own guests using towels and linen.

catinasplashofsunshine · 23/06/2018 01:08

bird do the guests have any way of knowing that the studio apartment included in their holiday let is not for sleeping in but for preparing lunch in?

If you pay for a holiday let it's pretty usual to use all available and paid for aspects...

Complaining that a paid for bed was used and revealed not to be fit for use as a bed because you envisaged it being used to prepare lunch is a bit left of center...

Joboy · 23/06/2018 01:08

Going say don't it any kind of bed in studio apartment . Then no one will think it is a bed room .

Deadringer · 23/06/2018 01:08

It is understandable to be pissed off about the broken bed, and yes they could have taken out the rubbish, but there is no way that the rubbish in the picture is two weeks worth, not for 8 adults plus a child. It's probably a couple of days worth.

BoomBoomsCousin · 23/06/2018 01:27

Leaving food in the fridge is pretty rank. Not sure about the rubbish in general, was it clear what they were supposed to do? It doesn't look much in the photo, but I understand you aren't able to show the full extent, so I might well be horrified too if I saw it.

I understand why you're annoyed about the broken daybed but, to be honest, it doesn't really look sturdy enough for a holiday apartment. Light or occasional use doesn't really mean anything in a situation like that because you have people going week after week for what is, to them, a special occasion. You need something that is sturdy and obvious about how to convert.

You can't expect everyone you rent to to be of average competence or average size/gentleness/etc.. Some of them are going to be harder work and some of them are going to be no trouble at all.

nocoolnamesleft · 23/06/2018 01:28

I would expect 4 couples and one 9 year old to use 5 bedrooms. It seems that they did.

Punta · 23/06/2018 06:11

Someone mentioned earlier about kids jumping on bed - I know kids get excited on holiday, but would you let your children jump on the beds in a holiday let? That’s still someone else’s house, after all. (The OP who said this, I’m not suggesting you do). Is the general consensus that they have paid for the house, so they’ll treat it as their own, or they have paid for the house, but they’re still in someone else’s home and they'll treat it as such?

Disclaimer - I rent out my house in Spain and I make it clear that I am renting out my home (all personal items put away) but it has all the extras you might not get in some holidays lets. That’s one of the reasons I get bookings, and repeat ones too.

BarbaraofSevillle · 23/06/2018 06:25

Maybe if the villa is somewhere like the Canary Islands, Ikea is more expensive than it is in mainland UK or Europe?

But I agree that the bed must have been treated pretty poorly to have ended up in that state. Was the 9 YO jumping up and down on it perhaps?

Ikea might be able to just supply new slats to replace the broken ones, or they often do different bases, so you might be able to buy a different, more sturdy base. Despite what people keep saying, most Ikea furniture is perfectly sturdy and durable, if assembled correctly.

Don't see a problem with food in the fridge, like a PP, I assume that the cleaners might take it. They should have taken the rubbish out though.

OP do you tell your guests what to do with rubbish? I've rented in Spain/Canaries a few times and there are often communal bins out on the street somewhere, but the information folder for the property usually says something like - the bins are at the end of the street outside X restaurant.

Stained furniture is annoying, but like PPs have said, you need to accept that people will spill things and have easily washable covers, possibly with a stain resistant coating. White may look nice, but it's hard work to keep clean so not what you want in a holiday let.

FASH84 · 23/06/2018 06:27

We have an IKEA Hemnes day bed in our home office/occasional guest room (we have another main guest room) it was less than £400 including two mattresses and it is sturdy and comfortable, I'm not sure why you'd pay so much for a day bed. The food in the fridge is lazy, cushion stains to be expected. How on earth did they break a pool tile and rip out socket wires?

echt · 23/06/2018 06:36

Looking at this slats, any kid jumping on them would break them in an instant. Certainly this happened with DD's Hemnes daybed.

When looking for a new bed to furnish a guest/homestay's room, I pulled up the mattress of every display bed, and most of them had those rubbishy pine slats. I eventually found one with proper planks, though not nearly so good as the Warren Evans bed I bought 30 years ago in the UK.

gamerchick · 23/06/2018 06:37

not a flimsy IKEA joby which breaks if you weigh over 6 stone, have sex, or aren't extremely careful about how you sit up

Heh this is true. Grin

OP the worst of the stuff you haven't posted. What you've shown doesn't suggest it's as bad as you're saying. There is not 2 weeks worth of rubbish for starters for that amount of people. White cushions is asking for trouble.

TheOnlyAletheia · 23/06/2018 06:53

I’d get used to it OP. We have 3 luxury holiday lets and while 95% of users are fine (a few broken glasses/plates) the remaining 5% are a nightmare; trashed beds, fake tan that can’t be removed over all the linen and towels, vomit in the hot tub, shower screens being dismantled, soft furnishings stolen, food left on work surfaces to rot, dog shit and fag butts all over the gardens, doors being pulled off, I could go on...

Those people are sometimes the ones that ring 15 times during the week as well to sort out non existent problems. I’m afraid that it is just part of running a business but it does make you lose your faith in humanity!!!

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