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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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
20
Puzzledandpissedoff · 23/06/2018 09:54

Only on mn would renters leave a villa in a disgusting state, and the owner is blamed

Yep Hmm A PP suggested that the idea of "care and respect" was dying, and looking at some of these replies I'd say they were right

And did someone really suggest instructions should have been left for how to turn a tap the right way? Words fail me ...

PickwickThePlockingDodo · 23/06/2018 10:01

So where are the photos of the broken tiles, stained cushions and pulled out wires, OP?
Agree that a broken slat and bagged up rubbish is really not that bad.

Mia184 · 23/06/2018 10:04

at 700 euros from Ikea I would not have said cheap

700 Euros? Shock It only costs 337€ including 2 mattresses at Ikea Germany www.ikea.com/de/de/catalog/products/S79129948/ Is Ikea in Spain that much more expensive?

Mia184 · 23/06/2018 10:07

I just noticed that the daybed in my link is not exactly the same as the one shown here. But I cannot imagine that the price is that much different.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 23/06/2018 10:10

We once thought a property had been ransacked, it was that bad. I had to mail the owner immediately to tell/show her before I cleaned. She was gutted as it was someone they knew

Sadly that sometimes happens. A friend loaned her French second home to her nephew and his partner - knowing what some of his friends were like, she made it very clear that it was strictly for them only. They were loud in their gratitude and insisted they understood completely

Of course you know where this is going ... the partner didn't even go, and instead he took a load of mates and trashed the place

Puzzledandpissedoff · 23/06/2018 10:13

Oh, and apparently that ^^ was her fault too ... she "should have known what lads are like" (despite the agreement it wouldn't BE lads) and was making so much from other rentals that she shouldn't have cared

winnieofwhitby · 23/06/2018 10:13

We make good guests. Dh insists on cleaning the place top to bottom and we usually end up leaving the place in a better condition than we got there 🙄

Gin96 · 23/06/2018 10:13

Some people are scum. I leave a holiday as much as I can as I find it. Awful my heart breaks for you. We were thinking of buying a holiday let but I think they are to much hassle

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 23/06/2018 10:14

Only on mn would renters leave a villa in a disgusting state, and the owner is blamed.

don't twist the thread around. Everyone here agrees that in an ideal world, everyone should respect the property but point out that realistically a business owner will know it's won't happen. You can't complain about make-up or lotions on towels or bed linen for example.

I am one of those who don't clean their holiday let - I keep it clean and tidy when I am there (usually get a cleaner mid-stay to be honest), but cleaning at the end of the stay is part of the cost. It doesn't mean we don't respect the property.

What was pointed out was that the bed was wrong, and the OP being unreasonable about expecting guests not to use one of the beds as a .. bed. If the slates are flimsy, the guest got pissed off and left it on the side to show the problem.

The OP is expecting too much, and quoting a too high price. You need to prove: the cost of that bed and the year you bought it for a start, and that the guests really are responsible.

LucyFox · 23/06/2018 10:18

Little bit of drip feed here which hasn’t helped, but the main question that needs to be answered is What state did they leave the main villa in?
Was all the damage in the apartment?

ChocolatePanda · 23/06/2018 10:20

Day bed looks pretty flimsy to me. I reckon the slat's popped out and they've deliberately left the bed on its side so you don't just put the mattress back and let someone else get a shock when they sit on it.

I don't understand what you mean about wires pulled out of sockets. Do you just mean they've unplugged stuff? I've often unplugged stuff while on holiday because I want to plug my phone charger in next to the bed. Or maybe you've got the wires running along the place like in the photo of the studio and someone just snagged it on a chair or dragged a suitcase across them and that's all it took to pull them out.

Food left in the fridge is just lazy and rude (unless unopened, in which case maybe they thought they were leaving it for you to use rather than throw out wastefully). Don't really see a problem with the rubbish left, unless you specified how the rubbish should be dealt with.

I agree with PP who said leave detailed instructions. I hate staying at places that don't detail what they want you to do with rubbish bags or drying dishes. Much prefer places that specify to put rubbish in bin that's by the back door, leave slept in beds unmade and leave used towels on floor. Makes it easy to know what's expected of us.

Strongmummy · 23/06/2018 10:21

Honestly OP, that bed is far too flimsy for a holiday let. They were probably very annoyed that it broke and they had to sleep on it on holiday! I’d imagine they put it on its side to show you it couldn’t be used. We had one like that from Ikea and it broke one day in the same way you describe. It goes without saying that white cushions are completely inappropriate. The out of date food and rubbish isn’t great, but no big deal in my view. I think you should consider the furniture you use in your holiday let.

AnotherDayAnotherName745 · 23/06/2018 10:22

I always take rubbish out, but Tbh, for that aspect, you need to be a bit thicker skinned and not take it personally. They are paying to stay there and have fun, not being lent your beloved 2nd home as a favour; as such, you can't really expect them to leave it pristine, that's why you have cleaners.
You also mentioned that the metal legs split on the day bed; it's almost certainly a fault in the item - it's most unusual for metal to break like that, and hard to see how the renter's could have done that without the legs being faulty.

OneStepSideways · 23/06/2018 10:23

It looks like a very flimsy bed TBH. It's easy to break slats like that by accident eg if a heavy person sits on it or you have sex on it.
The bagged up rubbish isn't ideal but presumably the cleaners would remove it? We once left bagged up rubbish in a holiday let, as the nearest wheelie bin was a walk away and we were rushing to catch our flight.
We never strip beds or mop floors!

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 23/06/2018 10:24

And did someone really suggest instructions should have been left for how to turn a tap the right way? Words fail me ...

if it's not obvious, then yes, clearly instructions should have been left. You can reasonably expect people to use bog-standards taps, but there are many that are not that obvious.

Even the simple system of a left tap for temperature, and right tap for water power can confuse some people.

People are on holiday! They spend a fortune, they don't want to go through instructions manuals and bother with small details. A clear welcome book with everything detailed in it is the most basic thing. If you work with the public, you should also realise that some people are thick as a plank, so you give an idiot's guide.

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 23/06/2018 10:25

In my opinion, it doesn’t matter what the cost of the bed is, what matters is that the property was not respected.

I’m amazed that people quibble about stripping a bed and putting the rubbish out. We’ve recently returned from a holiday let in this country, where absolutely everything was provided and I used the cleaning products there to make sure the place was clean and tidy before we left. It took about half an hour.

I know that it would be cleaned again for the next let, but I think it’s disrespectful to leave somewhere other than how you would like to find it.

NomNomNomNom · 23/06/2018 10:30

I think it’s disrespectful to leave somewhere other than how you would like to find it.

I never leave holiday lets in a disgusting mess but I wouldn't do a full clean. The price of cleaners is usually included in the rental so why would I clean myself too? I would leave it as I would expect to find it if I was a cleaner cleaning a holiday let.

Beansonapost · 23/06/2018 10:31

The questions is:

Did you charge them a cleaning fee?

Most people will not do anything,because you've charged them for it already... so why should they?

Bed looks cheap.

ChocolatePanda · 23/06/2018 10:32

I know that it would be cleaned again for the next let, but I think it’s disrespectful to leave somewhere other than how you would like to find it.

Seriously? I like places to have clean floors and bathrooms when I get there. But if the cleaning is included in the cost then I won't sweep or mop before I leave - that's included in the cost. I will wash dishes, wipe up spills, and return any moves furniture to its original location. Because that's stuff I don't think should be considered the cleaner's job. But doing the actual cleaning - no way!

Bombardier25966 · 23/06/2018 10:33

Aside from the (alleged) damage caused there is a bigger issue here. OP thinks they're going to be able to keep the deposit, but I'd put money on the guests challenging it and winning, either through the agency or through their bank.

Sorry OP, you need to stop thinking of this as your home and treat it as a business. You need to provide furniture (or not) that is suitable for frequent use. An old IKEA bed (that's not even listed on their website anymore) is not suitable.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 23/06/2018 10:34

You can reasonably expect people to use bog-standards taps, but there are many that are not that obvious

Well, yes - but you really don't need a Phd to gently manoeuvre a tap to find the right way. I'm so useless with anything "mechanical" that it's ridiculous, but I've dealt with worse than that in homes all over the world and have somehow coped

And if people are that stupid, what makes you think they'd bother to read even the simplest instructions?

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 23/06/2018 10:34

You don't change your linen and clean your room and the bathroom in a hotel ,why on earth would you do it in a holiday let?

If the place is dirt cheap, I understand that you are asked to do things to keep the cost down but when you pay a reasonable amount, then it's included.

Posters are being harsh on the OP because some of the complaints sound completely unreasonable, so the rest is not being taken too seriously either. The bed looks more faulty than having been damaged by a careless guest.

Frequency · 23/06/2018 10:38

We leave food in the fridge when we've been on holiday. Not old rotten food but anything still fresh or unopened that we don't want to or can't take home. We've always assumed the cleaners would take it for themselves rather than seeing perfectly fine food thrown out. We don't leave things a single sausage or a slice of bacon but if we have a full pack of in date sausages or a mostly full bottle of milk, we leave it in the fridge for the cleaners to have.

Is that not the done thing? It seems wasteful binning decent food.

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 23/06/2018 10:38

but you really don't need a Phd to gently manoeuvre a tap to find the right way.

first of all, I am not standing into a shower playing with the taps for 10 minutes getting splashed with freezing and boiling water until I find the right setting and I would be pretty pissed off if there was no instruction if the system wasn't obvious.
If people don't read them, then it's their problem.

I manage if I am staying with friends, but when I pay a huge amount for a short holiday rental, I don't want to "manage"! I want clear instructions and I just ignore the ones I don't need when I glance through the welcome pack.

People don't know, so they ask, that sounds a perfectly reasonable thing to do, that's what I teach my kids to do.

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 23/06/2018 10:43

Can't believe some people are saying it doesn't look bad FFS!