Let’s begin with how beautiful the house, yard, and neighborhood was! I enjoyed my 16 day family vacation, but 2 weeks later it was ruined with a terrible memory of how nasty and rude the Sanford couple were to me. Now my family vacation will be left with the memory of having been robbed for not only my $500 security deposit but also a $70 electric bill, and the nasty comments and attitude I received from them. I was told by Sabrina there was nothing to be discussed and to “suck it up”, a $500 loss after paying $2000 for rent, and being told my security deposit was being kept due to the fact my kids left 2 small toys in the pool which were not noticed when we left because they were in the SKIMMER BASKET(no damage done to the pool or property at all) AND also claimed the house smelt of marijuana smoke. No way possible did the house smell of smoke because never in a million years would I allow smoking in a house with my 1 year old daughter and 3 year old son. The $70 electric bill was due to me having no choice but to turn on the electric pool heater because I told them from day one the solar heater was not working, and they insisted it was. Two days before my vacation was over they decided on sending someone to finally fix the solar heater, so I was forced to pay for this electric pool heater because of them not acknowledging the fact of the solar heater not working from the first day of my check in. Moral of the story is I was robbed by such nasty people and I sincerely hope that the property owner gets to know the REAL side of the people managing his home.
Comment from Sanford Realty:
Yes, it is a beautiful home and therefore well worth the rent that was paid for a 16-day stay. Unfortunately, there is nothing to discuss when a case is as clear cut, and it is sad if stating facts is viewed by some as being rude. All the damage was spelled out in detail in an email with pictures attached.
If a house is left reeking of tell-tale smoke, found very dirty inside, and the pool presents oily and opaque due to a skimmer that was totally obstructed by toys on the day new guests are expected to arrive, it means that a lot of work has to be done in a very short amount of time. The homeowner and other guests know the "real side" of Sanford Realty, and in the 10+ years of managing this home, we have not seen such a mess just yet. It was pure luck that none of the pool toys got sucked into the pipes which would have caused tremendous damage and cost, and yes, we ask all our guests to remember removing pool toys when pool time is over to avoid problems like this. It was bad enough and embarrassing for us that the pool had to be heavily treated with chemicals on three consecutive days, rendering the new guests unable to use it. Sanford Realty did reimburse the renters for their inconvenience utilizing part of the previous guest’s deposit which is set aside for potential damages.
A special and pricey treatment for smoke removal had to be performed and extended cleaning was necessary to make the home presentable for the next incoming renters. The money for electricity usage that was collected reflects the exact amount that was electronically read using the data provided by the local power company. The pool heater was off since this time of year with 90+ degrees F any pool in SW Florida is warm enough and does not require any heat source other than the sun that is shining bright all day. NO electricity was used by the pool heater at this time of year.
