“Smelly (dogs), dirty and clearly lacking investment from the, frankly, extortionate weekly rental.”
Too many things are broken or in need of replacement to be acceptable.
Firstly, let me say this property is in a great location, yards from the beach, and is clearly ideal for dog owners, which we are not.
That said, there is nothing to recommend this property.
First impression seems good. You are hit by the overpowering scent of the air freshener in the hall, intended, I imagine, to confuse your sense of smell, so that once upstairs you do not, initially, notice the smell of dogs. Not until you sit on one of the settees, whereupon you are left in no doubt that previous occupants have allowed their dogs to climb all over them. The settees themselves were covered in a layer of sand, as well as in the channel between the cushions, and clearly had not been vacuumed since the last dog owner had been in occupation. There was also dog hairs over the settees and some other substance, which I don’t want to describe, that had not been cleaned off.
The utility room on the ground floor smelt of dogs and from the dog bowls, towels, poo scooper and other dog bits on the work surface is presumably where dog owners are supposed to deal with their dirty dogs. There is a fridge freezer in this room which is presumably meant to store food (on a different floor to the kitchen). There is an old counter top freezer no longer in use just left on the counter.
DIRTY, well where to start (apart from the aforementioned settees). There were crumbs, plasters and a used kebab stick on the floor in the kitchen area, plus a used dog bowl under one of the chairs (this should have been removed to the utility room) and the area properly cleaned.
My wife tried to vacuum some of the mess but the machine smelt of dogs and made the overall smell worse so this was abandoned.
The extractor over the hob was, frankly, disgusting. Both of the filters and the top surface in need of a clean. This meant that we decided not to cook anything on the hob, not wanting to switch it on. As a result we spent a lot of time (and money) eating out which we had not intended to do.
The backs of the doors don’t look like they have been cleaned in years. Nor do the skirting boards around the property. The dark brown wood shows up the dust and dirt.
The three Velux windows are in desperate need of a good clean on the outside. It is impossible to see out through either one in the kitchen area.
Before I get to lack of investment, I would mention that there is no DVD player despite description and photos. There is, however, a small selection of DVDs, if only you could watch them. The TV does not connect to the internet so viewing options are limited to Freeview.
Lack of investment, where to start!
The bin in the kitchen has a broken lid which looked like it had been broken for some time. Not very hygienic
The shower screen in the ensuite is off its runners at the bottom and is, imo, the wrong way around. There are no “grab handles” in the bathroom or the ensuite which could be a problem for anyone taking a shower or with mobility issues. Even without mobility issues it is not easy getting in or out of the en-suite shower which is raised six inches off the floor.
Broken Velux window in kitchen that does not close with the result that damp is forming on the frame.
Settees that have seen better days (the leather is breaking up).
Windows (not just the velux) that don’t open.
Lose light switch in the hallway, some might consider this dangerous.
Garden furniture on the balcony that is not fit for purpose and needs replacing. There are two new plastic chairs, but this house can accommodate 6 people. The table (which would not accommodate 6 people) is broken and like the wooden chairs has seen better days and desperately needs replacing. It would not be impossible to get a splinter from the broken table surface.
The shower screen over bath has lose seal which kept falling off.
There are notices warning of “very hot water” but the one on the kitchen does not to tell you that the kitchen taps are the wrong way around (hot on the right not left as it should be).
Some of these issues were reported to Northumbria Coastal Cottages, who rung us on the first Monday to check that we were happy (which we were not) and who presumably manage the property for the absentee owner. NOTHING was then done and we heard no more from them. If a cleaner came he/she did NOT vacuum the settees nor were any of the maintenance issues fixed.
Finally, there are several NOTES around the property, one of which requests limiting the use of electricity. I would suggest this could be achieved by having a washing line and a working, adequate airer which would negate the need to use the tumble dryer,
We have used Sykes many times and have never encountered a property like this. Our experience here will make us think carefully about using them
