Housepitality - Franklinton Manor - Spacious

Before we arrived we were told there were two external cameras on the house so we needed to give names and a count of how many people would be staying during our stay. We arrived for a conference on Thursday evening and upon arrival did not see a camera, possibly where one may have been, just a cord hanging from the porch. We did a once over and found a lot of damage to the property. We took many pictures and sent to the host informing them of the broken fence and gate in the back ( a selling point for us to bring our dogs). There was also a lot of trash littered around the back yard. We also found what seemed to be terrible stains on the sheets and covers of the beds. We sent numerous pictures of a light that had fallen out of the ceiling in the kitchen, and a broken closet area in one of the bedrooms. We were in a rush to get in and get down to the convention we had come in town for. We did not realize the cleanliness was really lacking. Hair on the floor, half smoked Cigar in the windowsill of the bathroom. After further research there were reviews that the fence had been broken a month before hand. All in all it was not the experience I wanted to have with my young daughter and my parents as well. If you are in town with a group of friends, this could be the place for you. If you are in town with family, you will want to skip this property. The area was fairly nice and the proximity to our work meetings etc. was convenient. With a little TLC and a cleaning company that executes, this could be a great place to stay.

HORRIBLE

Short summary... this place was a scam. The good reviews are complete lies. The house was FILTHY, we left immediately, and they refused to offer reasonable solutions or refund us our money. For more details, here is the long version. We booked for Mon-Thurs. On Mon we arrived at 8pm after traveling all day. I have a newborn and a 3yr old, who's bedtime is 8:30pm. Upon arrival the house was HOT and smelled of stale smokey air. The entry rug was so grimy and stained that the white areas on it were actually brown. The fans in the whole house were caked in dust, so we couldn't even turn those on to cool off. Upstairs there wasn't a vent in the master bedroom. We also found that the towels left on the beds for us to use were WET! It was also apparent that no one had vacuumed since there were food crumbs in the living room rug and a popsicle laying in the floor of a bedroom. There was a door with sticky residue running all down it. Every piece of furniture in the living room was filthy and stained too. There were cobwebs on the walls. It was very evident that the house had not been cleaned. We were only in the house for about 20 minutes and my sons eye was swelling and turning red from all of the dust. Since I needed to get my kids to bed, it was getting dark, we were in a rough area- we packed back up in the car and went to a hotel. By the time we got the car unloaded, showered (bc we felt gross after being in the house), and got the kids to bed it was almost 11pm, so we went to sleep. I messaged the property managers first thing in the morning and told them of the disgusting condition and requested a refund. They began by offering a cleaning of the home or moving us to another house, which was unreasonable since I already found other accommodations. We went back and forth on this all day Tuesday. By Wednesday they finally mentioned that we could get our money back if we cancelled and someone else booked it (this is also unreasonable though since someone would have had to book it the same day). However, by this time there wasn't even an option for me to do that in the app. Throughout all the back and forth they also mentioned that they could give me a courtesy $45 if I didn't leave any misleading reviews, and after 2 weeks their final offer was $70. This was ridiculous and insulting since I paid almost $500! Overall they said that since I didn't call the night of, they couldn't do much about it. DO NOT FALL INTO THIS TRAP!

Upon arrival, we still had not gotten any check in instructions. Had to call VRBO customer service to get in. The only positive thing I can say was it was spacious and had a washer and dryer dishwasher, and the bathrooms appeared clean. It REEKED of smoke, and the kitchen & eat in were dirty (we had to wipe everything down with Lysol wipes we brought). There was a coffee pot full of burnt sludge coffee) & they did not have any kitchen towels, garbage bags or a place to take out the trash. The listing said sleeps 8 and well stocked- yet there was less than a full roll of toilet paper In each bathroom and maybe 4-5 bath towels. The only only adequate supply of anything was dishes, and dishwasher soap . The furniture was grossly stained, so I found a closet full of sheets that I washed and put over each piece to feel comfortable during our stay. Bring your own pillows! Although there was plenty of them, they were also dirty & very lumpy. The backyard had a broken gate and was open to the alley. The deck was not usable as it was extremely dirty, no lights and no chairs. The backyard yard was mud & overgrown weeds, trash & broken chairs. Neighborhood (at least this street) was trashy (literally trash everywhere on the sidewalks- not a very safe neighborhood, and definitely not family friendly. This property is meant for a weekend of partying- would NOT Recommend for a family stay Or anyone with any kind of allergies. The property management company was quick to respond to our complaints and offered to come over and do a treatment for the smoke smell, however, it would have been a major disruption in our stay because we would of had to vacate for several hours, So I turned them down. They also offered a late noon checkout and two discounted nights, which originally I thought was a good idea, but after the overall experience we were eager to leave early am, and I would never stay at that property or in that area again.

The owner was very responsive to everyquestion or request I had. The home was beautiful and in a nice neighborhood. It was clean and accommodating. I enjoyed my stay and I would stay again on my next visit.

Nice property! Would suggest a backyard light for nighttime, hot pads for removing things from the oven, a TV in the bedroom(s), books for reading, and repair the walls & the Foosball table.