Rules when renting a holiday place - bonkers or completely normal?

[DragonMamma]

We are renting a large property for over New Year (for a total of 3 nights). There are 10 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. We rent houses regularly and have done for many years. This 3 night break is costing just under £3.5k so it’s not exactly cheap.

We’ve just received the list of do’s and don’ts from the owner and it reads like nothing we’ve ever come across before. It’s like they are reluctantly giving us use of the place and barking instructions at us.

Some examples below copied and pasted from their 7 page (!) instruction manual.

*YOU ARE EXPECTED TO LEAVE THE PROPERTY IN A SIMILAR STATE OF CLEANLINESS AS YOU FOUND IT, IF THE PROPERTY IS NOT SO, YOU WILL BE CHARGED AN EXCESS CLEANING CHARGE.
Including all floors to be hovered or swept, bathrooms and toilets cleaned, kitchen to be cleaned, all washing up done and put away.

Hot water will be on in the morning from 7am until 10am, briefly at lunchtime and again from 5pm until 10pm. Options for extra heating and hot water are available please see our website. These must be booked in advance.

NEVER LEAVE THE WOODBURNER UNATTENDED. IN INTERESTS OF SAFETY UNLESS YOU ARE EXPERIENCED USING WOODBURNERS WE SUGGEST THAT YOU DO NOT USE IT.

Swimming pool - Shallow end depth of approx. 1metre, deep end depth approx. 1.9 metre. STRICTLY NO JUMPING, DIVING OR OTHER BOISTEROUS BEHAVIOUR*

AIBU to think that if you’re charging over a thousand pound a night and absolutely insisting on a 10am check out (OR face yet another additional charge) then you simply cannot expect the occupants to clean 9 bathrooms and do all of the general cleaning. There’s also a strict list of what cleaning products are to be used where.

We always leave properties in a decent state - we will set the dishwater off after breakfast, give the bathroom a quick wipe so it’s not excessively dirty. We’ll bag all the rubbish up etc and make sure it’s tidy and do whatever else we have time for before leaving (strip the beds etc.). But this reads like they want us to clean it to a professional standard all before 10am!

AIBU to think this is a bonkers and that it’s not the responsibility of the occupants to do the cleaning for you? And to also have to book extra hot water in advance?

How on earth are we supposed to know when we are going to want hot water? What happens if we go swimming after lunch, do we have to sit and wait for it to come back on at 5pm? They have take a £500 security deposit and based on the list of things we may get charged for is endless and it’s really put us off going 😞

Like others, I’ve rented big houses with groups of friends and perhaps it’s been unusual but I’ve never seen spot checks mentioned.

The website is now down.

I'm sure they're glad you're not taking nitrous oxide with you

@Clymene hmm interesting that the website is down now, do you think the post has been spotted by the owners? What for this to disappear!

*wait not what

Well the mentions of nitrous oxide clearly shows you the type of guest they usually get (and are, in fact, expecting).

They wouldn't do a spot check I shouldn't imagine. Not in a million years.

I started insisting on deposit a series of broken glass patio doors/broken dishwasher/CD player. Nobody has broken a patio door or anything else since, strangely.

Yes @Zaphodsotherhead. On another website, it says you can't take your DJ equipment, so I'm guessing they have experienced the pain of big messy house parties.

But after you've all been swimming, you'll all be wanting showers at the same time

How are you all finding it. I found C&C but not a property with RV as the initials. I really want to see this place

@spingly thanks. Had just found it, although interestingly, I have got on their own website.

@Toomuchgoingon and mine is still saying unavailable how very odd!

"Last Minute cancellation so up to five nights from the 29th of December 2019 reduced to £5995"

Have you cancelled OP?

Are you all sure that's the right house?

Well that looks lovely! Of course they have regulations, they have to, by law.

I can't stress enough how hard it is to get a licence to do this now.

It used to be owners direct etc, this doesn't happen any more.

This sleeps 27?

@BillieEilish yeah OP said it had 10 bedrooms, so makes sense I think?

The owners website did mention nitrous oxides four times (when I could get on it), so I think so.

The country cottages listing actually suggests that it's ideal for hen parties.

That is an odd bit of advertising in the context.

The linked site shows the fire lit, making it false advertising surely to advise against using it...
It says ten ensuite bedrooms and the OP says 9 bathrooms so it might not be the same house.

Maybe I'm wrong! Sorry 😐

@spingly maybe ask MN to take the link down just in case it's the wrong house! If it's a different owner it could even be a legal issue if they loose business and don't in fact have the unreasonable t&c mentioned.

I'd find out what the extra cleaning charge is in advance.

I don't go on holiday to have to hoover and mop etc. I've never had to do more than a basic wipe over, or clean up spills, at the many numerous accommodations we've stayed at. Some we've just automatically paid a cleaning charge we've known about, some it's included in the fee. I'd not choose anywhere I was expected to have to do a full clean at the end of the holiday!

A lot of those rules are not the norm in my experience and should have been set out before them taking your deposit.

@MrsMillerbecameababy done, thanks.

Well to be honest, it looks ripe for a NYE party, if it sleeps that many, and yes, springly makes sense!

They shouldn't advertise hen parties IMHO!!!

I haven’t seen the link but the one my sis rented is the one @DragonMamma has/had booked. In retrospect it was very much aimed at hen/stag parties hence the onerous list of rules, but it left a bad taste with us, especially as the facilities were so rubbish - the sofas etc looked as if they’d come from a tip, the dishwasher had been loaded but as it didn’t work everything in it was dirty so we had to immediately start washing up in order to have a cup of tea (brewed in the one small teapot). It really was just a place to get wasted in, and I would have much preferred a Travel Lodge/Premier Inn. And the owner did make an unannounced spot check, letting herself in without knocking.

As I’ve just renovated a house as a holiday let it certainly was an excellent lesson in “how not to do it”.

Did they have an obsession with nitrous oxide though, Molecule? Eh?!