I've been a VRBO renter for 15+ years so I can sense a problematic host almost immediately....so I document, take photos/videos and keep proof of EVERYTHING. The house itself is very cute, well furnished with BEAUTIFUL porch and backyard elements. This host, however, was inhospitable, rude, deceptive, manipulative, and admitted to spying on us (from next door). Furthermore, contractors, furniture delivery men, and landscapers were present in the backyard 4 out of the 7 days of our stay...sometimes showing up unannounced!! It felt like we were non-paying guests of the host....like our presence financed but inconvenienced the completion of the host's backyard. One day in particular contractors were present from morning until evening with power tools, drilling, moving our possessions, rendering the backyard completely unavailable. The host's response, verbatim: "Thank you for the feedback Stephanie! I will make sure to add to the description that services to maintain the property and keep the integrity of the pictures on the site are on going from week to week." This work was not maintenance, it was construction, it was obtrusive, and we were not given the option to opt out. We had zero privacy.
Full transparency: due to unforseen circumstances and having a newborn, we checked out 2 hours late (12 Noon). As we were packing the car, the host showed up, blocked our car in the driveway, and confronted us, acusing us of intentionally misrepresenting our party because we had 3 adults and 1 newborn instead of the 4 adults we initially noted (we were unable to get a sitter). The host implied that this difference (adult vs newborn) was problematic, she found out through spying on us from next door and seeing us around the island with a baby. Why would we need to hide having a newborn?? He doesn't even walk. During this confrontation the host said she would not charge us extra and overlook the baby if we gave her a positive review. Who charges extra for a newborn?! I believe she knew how foul it was to have ongoing construction during a guest's stay and tried to use our baby as leverage to get a good review and in doing so admitted to spying on us. Tote Inappropes! . I hope the host finishes the work on her backyard before the next guest and outsources guest relations.