# Holiday rentals



## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

If in your holiday rental you find the following:
Washing machine ancient and noisy , doesn't spin, needs screwdriver to open the door
No fan in bedroom
No window or extractor fan in bathroom, so everything is constantly damp
Drawers missing in chest of drawers plus 2 difficult to open and close
Reja door unable to be locked from inside, so you have to perform an awkward manoevre to open and shut it
Cockroaches
Grubby sticky upholstery 
No room in wardrobe as used to store garden chairs. Washing rack etc
Do you have cause to complain?
I asked for a bedroom fan, didnt mention the other things and was told I had the rental at a cheap price. The response was:
Open the windows
Think of her electricity bill if I have the fan on all the time!
Anyway noone else has complained!
Hate to think of the response if I tell her all the other things
By the way, she has a lovely house and drives a top of the range Mercedes!


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Ask for the complaints book or mention that you will be notifying the authorities. Also ask to see her licence.

There is a very basic law which states what the minimum requirements are now and she's certainly not meeting them.

I'm a holiday-let landlord yet I still say - "shop her!"


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Also you could look at leaving reviews on sites like tripadvisor in addition to the above, people do pay attention to them.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

extranjero said:


> If in your holiday rental you find the following:
> Washing machine ancient and noisy , doesn't spin, needs screwdriver to open the door
> No fan in bedroom
> No window or extractor fan in bathroom, so everything is constantly damp
> ...


Yes, you have cause to complain. I would mention the other things to her. It could be that she doesn't know. As for the fan, my apartment is furnished but didn't come with one, so I bought one. I have AC, though. There were lots of things wrong with my apartment when I moved in that I hadn't noticed on signing the lease - broken doorbell, broken intercom, broken lock for window and patio door, broken window blinds, dripping water heater, broken kitchen shelf, broken shower thingie holder thingie (and a few more things that I can't think of off hand). But the landlord fixed everything and right away. I think he was unaware that all these things were wrong because they were never reported by previous tenants. 

Just because she dismissed your request for a fan, it doesn't mean you can't buy one and it doesn't mean she doesn't care about all the other problems you're having. Until you tell her, you won't know for sure, right?


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## Leper (May 12, 2010)

extranjero said:


> If in your holiday rental you find the following:
> Washing machine ancient and noisy , doesn't spin, needs screwdriver to open the door
> No fan in bedroom
> No window or extractor fan in bathroom, so everything is constantly damp
> ...


I rent out our apartment from time to time. When a prospect contacts me I inform him that I need to speak with his wife/partner. On holidays it is the lady who is the decision maker, not yer man who is just looking for a bar-stool and a good pint in proximity to SKY Sports television.

The female of the species asks all the right questions:- Is there airconditioning, a modern washing machine, television, cooker, toaster, microwave, showers, roof terrace, barbeque, patio furniture, comfortable beds, garden, swimming pool, kiddies pool, childrens play areas, towels, linen, walking distance to beach, supermarket, shops, restaurants, local bus service, markets, cuisine, singing pubs, safety issues, etc.

Filling out Complaint Forms later is a waste of time.

I reckon the male of the species booked the dive you are talking about blindly and probably deserved anything that was foisted on him. And the landlord/landlady can look forward to updating the Mercedes as a result!


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

AllHeart said:


> Yes, you have cause to complain. I would mention the other things to her. It could be that she doesn't know. As for the fan, my apartment is furnished but didn't come with one, so I bought one. I have AC, though. There were lots of things wrong with my apartment when I moved in that I hadn't noticed on signing the lease - broken doorbell, broken intercom, broken lock for window and patio door, broken window blinds, dripping water heater, broken kitchen shelf, broken shower thingie holder thingie (and a few more things that I can't think of off hand). But the landlord fixed everything and right away. I think he was unaware that all these things were wrong because they were never reported by previous tenants.
> 
> Just because she dismissed your request for a fan, it doesn't mean you can't buy one and it doesn't mean she doesn't care about all the other problems you're having. Until you tell her, you won't know for sure, right?


She must know- she took us round 3 days before, but how could i know the washing machine didn't spin?
In addition sat on the outside ancient plastic chair. Discoloured and briitle by years of sun, and It cracked.( no. I'm not that overweight)
All i wanted was a little place to stay till we fly back to the UK.
Yes I can put up with a lot.
I didn't want luxury, but a fan, and a washing machine which works, isn't too much to ask, is it?
If I rock the boat now I mifgt be homeless!
She was unpleasant enough about the fan, so god knows whatShe'd be like about the rest!


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

extranjero said:


> She must know- she took us round 3 days before, but how could i know the washing machine didn't spin?
> In addition sat on the outside ancient plastic chair. Discoloured and briitle by years of sun, and It cracked.( no. I'm not that overweight)
> All i wanted was a little place to stay till we fly back to the UK.
> Yes I can put up with a lot.
> ...


If your logic is that she knows because she took you around 3 days before, then the same logic would dictate that you should have known about all these things too, since you were there, right? 

I don't see why you would be homeless by asking her to fix these things. It depends on how you approach the situation. If you're courteous and matter of fact, I don't see a problem. If she's not willing to fix these things, then that gives you more ammunition in your scathing review of the property when you leave, because you can say that you reported these problems and her reaction was not only not to fix the problems but to (enter her appalling reaction here).

But there are some things on your list that I don't see where you may be in a position to complain, such as the fan. If she didn't advertise a fan, she doesn't have to provide one. The cockroaches is another one. Thankfully, people on the forum warned me about cockroaches before moving to Spain. I have them, and so do my neighbours. It's just part of living in Spain. Another is room in the wardrobe - just take out the lawn chairs and other things out, and put them elsewhere. And if your place is cheap, as she says it is, you may not even be able to complain about grubby, sticky upholstery. But that's my take on your situation, which may be completely different than what your reality is. It's hard to gauge a situation from a few lines a person has written. Anyway, I hope that helps. If not, at least I tried, right?


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

AllHeart said:


> If your logic is that she knows because she took you around 3 days before, then the same logic would dictate that you should have known about all these things too, since you were there, right?
> 
> I don't see why you would be homeless by asking her to fix these things. It depends on how you approach the situation. If you're courteous and matter of fact, I don't see a problem. If she's not willing to fix these things, then that gives you more ammunition in your scathing review of the property when you leave, because you can say that you reported these problems and her reaction was not only not to fix the problems but to (enter her appalling reaction here).
> 
> But there are some things on your list that I don't see where you may be in a position to complain, such as the fan. If she didn't advertise a fan, she doesn't have to provide one. The cockroaches is another one. Thankfully, people on the forum warned me about cockroaches before moving to Spain. I have them, and so do my neighbours. It's just part of living in Spain. Another is room in the wardrobe - just take out the lawn chairs and other things out, and put them elsewhere. And if your place is cheap, as she says it is, you may not even be able to complain about grubby, sticky upholstery. But that's my take on your situation, which may be completely different than what your reality is. It's hard to gauge a situation from a few lines a person has written. Anyway, I hope that helps. If not, at least I tried, right?


No Allheart, you are not right
The owner is the one who cleans up after each stay, so you would think cleaning the shower would reveal that it does not work.
When she showed me round, I did not try the washing machine out. No one would do that, surely
She did tell me the door has to be opened using a screwdriver, but not that it didn't spin. She said it was a good little machine, except for the door problem.
I imagine this has been the case for some time, such was the whistling clanking noise it made.
I did not try out the shower either, it just came away in my hand
The place wasn't advertised it was by word of mouth.
In a country such as Spain, whilst I do not expect air conditioning as standard , I certainly do take it as read that there is a fan in the bed room, even if it is just a little one.
I hate the idea that because a place is cheap I should expect low standards.
However cheap, it must be fit for purpose.
A decent shower, washing machine which works is basic, not luxury.
Cleanliness costs little .
Yes I should be able to complain about grubby upholstrery.
Cockroaches/ in 14 years in my own villa, I never saw one cockroach.
Touch wood, after plenty of bleach down the drain holes I havent seen any since.
The dank, airless bathrom here probably encourages them.
The only reason I have not gone full throttle on complaining is because We don't want to find ourselves out on the street with our suitcases.
I'll endure it till Friday, and leave a polite but strongly worded assessment of her property.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

extranjero said:


> No Allheart, you are not right
> The owner is the one who cleans up after each stay, so you would think cleaning the shower would reveal that it does not work.
> When she showed me round, I did not try the washing machine out. No one would do that, surely
> She did tell me the door has to be opened using a screwdriver, but not that it didn't spin. She said it was a good little machine, except for the door problem.
> ...


If you're pissed off, don't take it out on me. You asked if you have a right to complain, I said yes. I said to complain to the landlady. But I disagree that ALL your complaints are valid. It does you no good in complaining about it afterwards. Now you have to suffer through your stay there. 

It's a business. If you're not satisfied, complain. Period. So it's ridiculous to think you'll be homeless by putting for your concerns. 

And it's a worldwide phenomenon that you get what you pay for. So if you paid bottom dollar, you get bottom dollar. 

To my way of thinking, there is nothing polite at all about writing up a review without having first discussed your concerns. That's underhanded IMO. Sorry if my suggestions pissed you off so much; I'll leave you alone now.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

AllHeart said:


> If you're pissed off, don't take it out on me. You asked if you have a right to complain, I said yes. I said to complain to the landlady. But I disagree that ALL your complaints are valid. It does you no good in complaining about it afterwards. Now you have to suffer through your stay there.
> 
> It's a business. If you're not satisfied, complain. Period. So it's ridiculous to think you'll be homeless by putting for your concerns.
> 
> ...


They didn't piss me off
I just hate the idea that because it's cheap it should be rubbish
Basic is fine but things should be clean and working
If she was so offhand about supplying a simple fan, I hate to think what she'd be like about other things, so yes I could be put out on the street, the money for the remainder of my stay reimbursed.
Underhand to leave a polite, informative note which might actually make her see how things appear to her clients ? I don't think so. 
Renting that place out, penny pinching, thinking any old crap will do- Now THAT'S underhand!


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

extranjero said:


> They didn't piss me off
> I just hate the idea that because it's cheap it should be rubbish
> Basic is fine but things should be clean and working
> If she was so offhand about supplying a simple fan, I hate to think what she'd be like about other things, so yes I could be put out on the street, the money for the remainder of my stay reimbursed.
> ...


You sound like you're pissed at me, but if you say you're not, I guess I misread you. 

When you said you'd write a note, I thought you meant a doing a review of her place, not a note to her personally. I don't think it's fair to write reviews on a place without first trying to resolve the problem with a person. 

As I said, I don't know what's going on as clearly as you do. I've never met you, nor the landlady, and I've never seen the place. So I'm of course in the dark as to what's actually going on. But I agree there are problems that need to be resolved. You have the following choices:

1. Shut up and say nothing - ever. 

2. Say something to the landlady now.

3. Call in the authorities to report her - now or after you leave.

4. Write a scathing review for the public to see after you leave.

5. Write her a private note on leaving.

The way I see it, the only option that gives you any hope for resolving the problem now so that this week can be pleasant is #2. But if you really think she's going to throw you out, then of course you just have to suck it up and shut up. Then you can do #3-5 if you choose later. Or #1. But none of those are going to change your stay.

Of course there is a #6 option - request a refund and go to Airbnb or a hotel.


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