Osage Beach Lands End Condo Poor vacation, kept my deposit,vacation spoiled Osage Beach Missouri

We purchased this unit brand new 3 years ago, and after renting for 3 years around the year, we have only had to keep 2 parties' security deposits. This party was one of them. Upon telling her that we were not returning her deposit, we supplied her w/not only the information from additional charges we incurred, but the list of complaints from the cleaning service as well as the condominium association complaint and bill. Therefore, she was fully aware of the reason for keeping her $300 security deposit, although she was still unreasonable and irate.

First of all, to address some of her comments ...
1. The unit's heat was NOT turned off, but down to 55-degrees, like I do at home when I am leaving the house in wintertime.

2. The condo association requires vacation home owners to turn off water and water heater when left vacant for days at a time. We did, and in the instructions, we tell the renters when they arrive to immediately turn on the breakers, water, and icemaker.

3. The weekly rate was very cheap -- $599 (not $700 like the renter stated in her complaint) -- and for a holiday week (12/24-12/31/2006) at that! This condo is a large, new, upscale condominium that is rented out at $300/night during the summer season, so $599 for a 3 bedroom/3 full bath 1735 sq. ft new condo, completely furnished is a real deal, even in the winter time.

4. The original cleaning fee charged was the normal cleaning rate of $80 (not the $160 charge she said). That is the minimum amount our cleaning service charges to come out and clean a 3BR/3BA unit, whether 2 people stay or 13. She had a party of at least 2 families consisting of 8 adults and 2 children. We normally charge large parties (7 or more guests) $100 for cleaning.

5. Our cleaning services does NOT supply our towels. We supply our own thick, nice white towels - over 30 bath towels, 50 washcloths, and 30 hand towels in our unit, plus kitchen washcloths and towels. We do not require our guests to wash their towels and linens. However, in the summer, when we have lots of back-to-back reservations, we do ask large parties who have soiled every towel in the place, to wash and dry a few loads as they pack, so that the cleaning service can get in and out w/in the 4-hour window. For this particular party, in the wintertime, they were not required to wash linens nor towels -- and they didn't.

6. We also supply 2 sets of sheets for every bed (in case someone has an accident and needs to change sheets in the middle of the night) and 2 pillows for each guest. We do ask guests to strip the beds and put all towels in hampers provided for in each bathroom, and put bed linens on floor of laundry room. This is a courtesy for our cleaning service who clean for as few as 2 guests up to 13 guests. We do NOT want them to strip beds that have not been used, wasting their time and my money, nor do we want couches folded-up with soiled sheets for the next guest. After this party left and our cleaning service arrived, all fold-out chair/couches (3) were not only strip (nor were the beds), they were still opened w/cushions lying all about the living room.

7. The front door was left unlocked! It was a good thing that the cleaning service came in that day and not later, like they sometimes do in the slower months, or we could have had our place robbed or vandalized.

8. The patio door was left wide open -- in winter time of December!!!

9. There were dishes left all over the unit. (We ask that all dirty dishes be brought to the kitchen). The cleaning service manager was called in, and he stated that it looked like they did no attempt to clean/pick-up after themselves the entire time of their weeklong stay.

10. He said it took over 1/2 hour just to scrub out the microwave which had numerous spills that were baked on.

11. There was a dirty diaper left lying on the floor in the master bedroom.

12. We ask that each party takes out trash daily in order to keep the unit clean and sanitary (keeping down bugs in the summer, rodents in the winter -- for which the unit is also professionally sprayed on a regular basis by our association). Not only does it state to take out trash daily in our contract, it is also stated in the unit. Not only was the main trash not taken out, all of the bedroom and bathroom wastepaper baskets were full and overflowing w/kleenex, dirty diapers, etc.

13. We do NOT supply cribs, baby beds, etc. and make no implication that we do. They are too difficult to keep clean from one guest to another and can be a liability risk. We ask guests to provide their own.

14. The children received BB guns for Christmas with which they shot off in our parking lot! Can you imagine the liability if they had hurt someone! They finally quit (rather moved to someone else's area) after someone complained to the association about it and they came out. When I asked the renters, they said they only did it for a few minutes. However, I was charged by the association for several hours of cleaning up BB's in the parking lots and rocks.

15. We supply each bathroom w/hand soap and some facial tissue and bathroom tissue. We tell large parties that they will probably have to purchase more.

16. We went to great length -- and expense -- to protect our pillows and mattresses from germs as much as possible. Each mattress has a plastic protector on it and all pillows have pillow zippered protectors as well as pillowcases, with extra pillowcases available in the master bedroom closet. The beds also have extra blankets and mattress pads to make the beds even more comfortable (and so that you don't have to lay the sheet directly on the plastic protector -- which my husband hates!)

17. As for the Christmas tree, we only had 2 parties staying over the month of December. The first party cancelled due to being snowed-in in Oklahoma (for which we refunded 100% of their reservation amount). Due to the nasty weather that year, we asked if they needed it decorated, planning on making a trip sometime before they arrived to our condo to decorate. They said it would not be necessary. Later, during their stay, when I called to check in on them, they expressed that they just put lights on a huge tree in our living room, putting their presents around it and used that as their Christmas tree. They were not upset at all at that point.

Not only did we think that this party totally disrespected our unit, but our cleaning service and other condo owners with whom we discussed this ordeal. It is true we rent out our unit, and the income from the rentals do help with the payments, but what does this have to do with disrespecting people's property. This is our home -- our vacation home.

We rent usually to families and have had many return guests, totally happy with the condo, view, location and its amenities as well as how we handle our guests.

We choose to NOT return this parties' deposit because, as you have read, they ran up several additional, substantial bills for us and did NOT even attempt to leave our unit in satisfactory condition -- as stated in the signed contract of the condition on which the deposit would be returned.

We also now have a complaint in our file with our condo association! The above items were only a partial complaint list of what the cleaning service left me (and what I provided to this party). They are fully aware of why they did not receive their $300 security deposit back, and shouldn't have expected it as well. I do NOT want to ever rent to this party again, and hope that other renters do not have the same experience with them as we did.

The woman who signed the contract is trying her best to bash our rental on the internet. She has written numerous complaints on many website, sometimes more than one complaint per site under different names/email addresses. We are, however, not frightened by her lies and will continue to rent our condo whenever we are not using it. We have had great success with our rental guests (Thank you!) and last year alone rented to 29 different parties who were quite happy with our accommodations, pricing, location, etc., and hope that the next years prove to be just as successful!

Thank you.

Dan and Suzanne Romano, owners
http://www.cyberrentals.com/122122

We purchased this unit brand new 3 years ago, and after renting for 3 years around the year, we have only had to keep 2 parties' security deposits. This party was one of them. Upon telling her that we were not returning her deposit, we supplied her w/not only the information from additional charges we incurred, but the list of complaints from the cleaning service as well as the condominium association complaint and bill. Therefore, she was fully aware of the reason for keeping her $300 security deposit, although she was still unreasonable and irate.

First of all, to address some of her comments ...
1. The unit's heat was NOT turned off, but down to 55-degrees, like I do at home when I am leaving the house in wintertime.

2. The condo association requires vacation home owners to turn off water and water heater when left vacant for days at a time. We did, and in the instructions, we tell the renters when they arrive to immediately turn on the breakers, water, and icemaker.

3. The weekly rate was very cheap -- $599 (not $700 like the renter stated in her complaint) -- and for a holiday week (12/24-12/31/2006) at that! This condo is a large, new, upscale condominium that is rented out at $300/night during the summer season, so $599 for a 3 bedroom/3 full bath 1735 sq. ft new condo, completely furnished is a real deal, even in the winter time.

4. The original cleaning fee charged was the normal cleaning rate of $80 (not the $160 charge she said). That is the minimum amount our cleaning service charges to come out and clean a 3BR/3BA unit, whether 2 people stay or 13. She had a party of at least 2 families consisting of 8 adults and 2 children. We normally charge large parties (7 or more guests) $100 for cleaning.

5. Our cleaning services does NOT supply our towels. We supply our own thick, nice white towels - over 30 bath towels, 50 washcloths, and 30 hand towels in our unit, plus kitchen washcloths and towels. We do not require our guests to wash their towels and linens. However, in the summer, when we have lots of back-to-back reservations, we do ask large parties who have soiled every towel in the place, to wash and dry a few loads as they pack, so that the cleaning service can get in and out w/in the 4-hour window. For this particular party, in the wintertime, they were not required to wash linens nor towels -- and they didn't.

6. We also supply 2 sets of sheets for every bed (in case someone has an accident and needs to change sheets in the middle of the night) and 2 pillows for each guest. We do ask guests to strip the beds and put all towels in hampers provided for in each bathroom, and put bed linens on floor of laundry room. This is a courtesy for our cleaning service who clean for as few as 2 guests up to 13 guests. We do NOT want them to strip beds that have not been used, wasting their time and my money, nor do we want couches folded-up with soiled sheets for the next guest. After this party left and our cleaning service arrived, all fold-out chair/couches (3) were not only strip (nor were the beds), they were still opened w/cushions lying all about the living room.

7. The front door was left unlocked! It was a good thing that the cleaning service came in that day and not later, like they sometimes do in the slower months, or we could have had our place robbed or vandalized.

8. The patio door was left wide open -- in winter time of December!!!

9. There were dishes left all over the unit. (We ask that all dirty dishes be brought to the kitchen). The cleaning service manager was called in, and he stated that it looked like they did no attempt to clean/pick-up after themselves the entire time of their weeklong stay.

10. He said it took over 1/2 hour just to scrub out the microwave which had numerous spills that were baked on.

11. There was a dirty diaper left lying on the floor in the master bedroom.

12. We ask that each party takes out trash daily in order to keep the unit clean and sanitary (keeping down bugs in the summer, rodents in the winter -- for which the unit is also professionally sprayed on a regular basis by our association). Not only does it state to take out trash daily in our contract, it is also stated in the unit. Not only was the main trash not taken out, all of the bedroom and bathroom wastepaper baskets were full and overflowing w/kleenex, dirty diapers, etc.

13. We do NOT supply cribs, baby beds, etc. and make no implication that we do. They are too difficult to keep clean from one guest to another and can be a liability risk. We ask guests to provide their own.

14. The children received BB guns for Christmas with which they shot off in our parking lot! Can you imagine the liability if they had hurt someone! They finally quit (rather moved to someone else's area) after someone complained to the association about it and they came out. When I asked the renters, they said they only did it for a few minutes. However, I was charged by the association for several hours of cleaning up BB's in the parking lots and rocks.

15. We supply each bathroom w/hand soap and some facial tissue and bathroom tissue. We tell large parties that they will probably have to purchase more.

16. We went to great length -- and expense -- to protect our pillows and mattresses from germs as much as possible. Each mattress has a plastic protector on it and all pillows have pillow zippered protectors as well as pillowcases, with extra pillowcases available in the master bedroom closet. The beds also have extra blankets and mattress pads to make the beds even more comfortable (and so that you don't have to lay the sheet directly on the plastic protector -- which my husband hates!)

17. As for the Christmas tree, we only had 2 parties staying over the month of December. The first party cancelled due to being snowed-in in Oklahoma (for which we refunded 100% of their reservation amount). Due to the nasty weather that year, we asked if they needed it decorated, planning on making a trip sometime before they arrived to our condo to decorate. They said it would not be necessary. Later, during their stay, when I called to check in on them, they expressed that they just put lights on a huge tree in our living room, putting their presents around it and used that as their Christmas tree. They were not upset at all at that point.

Not only did we think that this party totally disrespected our unit, but our cleaning service and other condo owners with whom we discussed this ordeal. It is true we rent out our unit, and the income from the rentals do help with the payments, but what does this have to do with disrespecting people's property. This is our home -- our vacation home.

We rent usually to families and have had many return guests, totally happy with the condo, view, location and its amenities as well as how we handle our guests.

We choose to NOT return this parties' deposit because, as you have read, they ran up several additional, substantial bills for us and did NOT even attempt to leave our unit in satisfactory condition -- as stated in the signed contract of the condition on which the deposit would be returned.

We also now have a complaint in our file with our condo association! The above items were only a partial complaint list of what the cleaning service left me (and what I provided to this party). They are fully aware of why they did not receive their $300 security deposit back, and shouldn't have expected it as well. I do NOT want to ever rent to this party again, and hope that other renters do not have the same experience with them as we did.

The woman who signed the contract is trying her best to bash our rental on the internet. She has written numerous complaints on many website, sometimes more than one complaint per site under different names/email addresses. We are, however, not frightened by her lies and will continue to rent our condo whenever we are not using it. We have had great success with our rental guests (Thank you!) and last year alone rented to 29 different parties who were quite happy with our accommodations, pricing, location, etc., and hope that the next years prove to be just as successful!

Thank you.

Dan and Suzanne Romano, owners
http://www.cyberrentals.com/122122