Mountain R&R, Derek Rowley, owner Rents properties through its website, and VRBO. Fraudulent misrepresentation of rental property Banner Elk North Carolina

Warning: Do not fall for the hype and rent Red Fox Lodge in Beech Mountain from Mountain R&R or VRBO. It is a fraudulent rip-off. We are in the process of reporting them to the North Carolina Attorney General’s office for misrepresentation and fraud of available amenities. None of the following deficiencies were told to us until after they had all our money. We rented and stayed in this house January 2018.

Following is our experience:

1. None of the fireplaces are functional...they have been deemed unsafe for use, and will need to be entirely rebuilt to be safe.

2. Renters will not be given a gas key to operate the fire pit...and since there is no dry firewood, it is totally unusable.

3. The basement bunk beds and surrounding area are entirely unusable as it is so cold in the basement that no one can be there comfortably. Further, there is still a functional webcam monitored by the owner, surveying the basement and bunk bed area from the locked wine cellar, a serious infringement of the renter’s privacy.

4. The HVAC system is not balanced, is undersized, and the house is poorly insulated, thus the heating is entirely inadequate throughout the house.

5. The sliding doors in the living room will not close, and cannot be properly locked, so cold air blows in, and the house cannot be secured.

6. The front door security code is not changed with each renter, further compromising security.

7. The stairs to the 2nd floor are entirely unsafe; marked by blue tape on the stairs put there by rental staff to warn residents not to step on them. In addition the half log steps are splitting horizontally, tipping forward, thus falling down the stairs is a very real hazard. I suffered a hematoma on both lower legs falling down the stairs, with all the lights on. Mountain R&R said ‘she wouldn’t have fallen if the lights were on’...an absolute lie. All lights provided on the stairs were on when I fell. 

8. None of these deficiencies were made apparent to us by Mountain R&R until AFTER we had made our final payment, and subsequently read the January 5, 2018, negative review on the VRBO site. We asked about the deficiencies at that time, and were told they had been remedied, which was not true. The unsafe stairs, continuing HVAC, fireplace, and fire pit deficiencies, the web cam in the basement, and the inability to properly secure the house, were not divulged to us until we arrived for our rental period on January 21, 2018.

DO. NOT. RENT. FROM MOUNTAIN R&R. Red Fox Lodge...which they rent for the owners through VRBO...is unsafe, unsecured, and lacking basic amenities which should be fully functional, especially at this price point. Further, the home continues to be falsely advertised by Mountain R&R on this website and VRBO. There are many lovely homes at Beech...that have all the features advertised...can be heated, locked and secured...and have safe stairs. Rent and enjoy one of them.