Had three weeks in Ireland Sep and Oct '08. Great time. Only one problem the entire time. Rented a cottage in Donegal with an absentee owner who lives in UK. Cottage was great but after we returned home the owner sent me an invoice for $140.00 for extra cleaning. He said that his cleaning lady told him the place was a mess with stopped up plumbing and dirty laundry etc. I know for certain that the four of us spent four hours cleaning the day we left. Nothing was amiss and the place was spotless. However, email is not a way to absolve differences. I told him he and his cleaning lady were mistaken and that I would not pay. He said I would never stay at his place again. I told him he was correct, I would not stay there again. Has anyone else had this problem?, or is this an isolated incident. I will never rent again from an absentee owner or caretaker.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
It would seem that the owner has a dishonest cleaning lady. Too bad you didn't think to take pictures of the cottage after you had cleaned up.
Posted by
OP
Brandon, Florida, USA
22 posts
Yes, but who thinks of these things. In hindsight, we had no method of contacting the owner, cleaning lady, or other person regarding any aspects of the cottage, other than email, which sometimes would take a week for him to answer. I guess experience is the best teacher. That is why I love this forum.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, United States
864 posts
Well I've rented cottages/houses that had sorta stopped up plumbing when we arrived (quickly fixed) but not the reverse. Been renting cottages for years with not one complaint from me. I will however, take a coule quick snaps the next time "just in case". Besides the pictures can go into my photo book on the trip. This truly does sound like a fishy cleaning lady. This unless your idea of clean is what my college son considers neat and tidy!
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Pop a newspaper in that snap so you can prove the date....how sad to have a what was probably a fantastic trip end on this negative note. Pam
Posted by
OP
Brandon, Florida, USA
22 posts
I appreciate the comments. I am familiar with college sons and their sense of cleanliness Marie. My wife and I have been in healthcare most of our lives so do have a sense of what is clean. What amazes me is that we even went so far as to make the beds with fresh linens and even vacuumed the fireplace. They should be so lucky to have tenants like us. But I think you are correct that it is likely a cleaning lady's method of obtaining a few extra euros for her efforts. I am glad there was no security deposit on the property. I am sure he would have kept it. I think the key is to have an owner or cleaning lady on the spot when you leave so they can verify the condition. The request for additional funds did not dampen our attitude towards our other hosts and our overall experience in Ireland. It was the greatest vacation we have ever experienced. And we had just finished a 9 day cruise to Alaska two weeks prior to leaving for Ireland.