Vrbo - wwyd?

[ahisma]

We have a rental scheduled in the DC area over our spring break (first week of April). It runs from Saturday to Saturday.

Today, I got an email from the owner letting me know that the house is on the market and that, starting the Thursday of our trip the house needs to be open for a realtor's preview (full walkthrough). I'm not sure what she means, perhaps on-demand showings? She asks for some times when we'll be out touring, such as noon-5, when we wouldn't be there.

I'm a bit taken aback as we weren't planning to schedule to that degree. yes, It's obviously possible, but it's a PITA to commit to being gone for large chunks of time. The entire reason that we do a VRBO is so that we have a home base while DS2 naps - otherwise he's a bear. We generally do unscheduled vacations and just go with the flow. Particularly at the end of the trip, we need downtime so he can recharge.

I'm feeling kind of stuck. How would you respond?

[ecofem]

I would request a significant reduction in the rental fee.

[jgm]

I would try to negotiate a significant discount for your inconvenience.

[Tondi G]

Wow ... I'm not sure how I would respond. That is pretty ballsy of them to rent you the house and then contact you about allowing realtors to come in and view the house with all of your belongings in the home. I'm sure they would like the home to be "staged" for showings .... what if you don't want to be neat and tidy while you are away and would rather wait and do all the dishes and cleaning at the end of your trip? Like you said, your DS may need to nap, between 12 and 5 is right around when napping would be taking place. The biggest bummer is that they waited until now to let you know ... if you had more time you might have been able to try to find another rental so you wouldn't have to deal with all of this. I think I would be requesting that you be credited for a night or 2 for the inconvenience.

[hillview]

I would see if there is a good plan B out there. If there is I would go back to the original VRBO person and tell her that showing the house during your rental time was not part of the agreement and doesn't work for your family while on vacation and see what she says.

[TwinFoxes]

Wow. That is some nerve. I would ask for a discount, and I have to admit, I'm not sure how hard I'd try to be out of the house. Take your home off the rental market if you're trying to sell.

[TwinFoxes]

I would see if there is a good plan B out there. If there is I would go back to the original VRBO person and tell her that showing the house during your rental time was not part of the agreement and doesn't work for your family while on vacation and see what she says.

:yeahthat: Sorry to post twice in a row, but I'm just flabbergasted that the owner wasn't apologizing for the inconvenience and ASKING you rather than telling you. She should have offered you compensation to begin with.

[minnie-zb]

I would think a realtor preview is where the listing agent invites all of the agents in the area to come view the property and will sometimes serve food to entice.

I would ask when the house will go live on MLS and when they anticipate people will start doing viewings of the house. I would also ask when the lockbox will be active (they can limit the hours it can be opened). The real estate market in DC is very hot right now and I would think the house will have a lot of folks wanting to view. There are bidding wars taking place again.

If it is one day when this will be occurring and there won't be any other viewings during your stay I would try to make it work *if* the owner is willing to give you a discount. But yes, I think it is pretty nervy of the owner.

[wellyes]

Wow. Not OK.

I would simply say that your current plans are to someone in the house at all times, and that since there will be a napping child during that timeframe, walk throughs are not possible. See where it goes from there. I would not, absolutely not, schedule a day of my vacation around the owner's real estate goals.

[KrisM]

Wow, that's nuts.

I'd probably offer to leave a day early and tell her to have the walk through on Saturday. And, I'd want a refund for 1 night plus a discount on the other nights.

[crl]

Wow. Not OK.

I would simply say that your current plans are to someone in the house at all times, and that since there will be a napping child during that timeframe, walk throughs are not possible. See where it goes from there. I would not, absolutely not, schedule a day of my vacation around the owner's real estate goals.

:yeahthat: And I would start looking for alternatives and, if you can find something else, I would be prepared to request a full refund and switch places if this owner is insistent. What does your rental agreement say?

Catherine

[liz]

Why can't the owner wait 2 days until you are checked out??

I think the owner is asking way too much of you as a renter. That is incredibly inconvenient.

eta, I would look for an alternative and see if she is willing to give back your deposit, or I would email her back stating that it will not be possible to be out of the apartment for any specified amount of time. Sounds like she is looking for a large block of time to have the apartment free. No way.

[Momit]

I would see if there is a good plan B out there. If there is I would go back to the original VRBO person and tell her that showing the house during your rental time was not part of the agreement and doesn't work for your family while on vacation and see what she says.

:yeahthat: The owner should not have agreed to take a renter the week she's putting her home on the market. What the heck?!

There may not be too many options available since it's only a few weeks away, but I would look hard for another place to rent. If you stay at this place, I would expect to receive those days (Thurs-Sat) at a significantly reduced charge. Like almost free.

[Octobermommy]

Do you have any other housing options? If so, you can just say that that wont work for your family & will have to cancel with no penalties, of course.

I know my family is not neat on vacation so I can't even imagine they would want people in when they can't control how tidy the house is. I think they need to wait until Sunday for their open house.

[janine]

Yea that's pretty obnoxious to ask - was she really apologetic about ir matter of fact?

I would say either this voids the contract (ie is this a rental or a favor?) or you can ask for a discount and maybe that's something you'd prefer - depends what you find more appealing. I have seen owners give full time tenants breaks in rent to show the place (ie to offset the inconvenience, keeping it tidy etc.).

[ahisma]

No other options that are remotely budget friendly - it's spring time in DC and the combination of school breaks and the cherry blossom season have everything filled up.

We booked this in August and things were filling up then. If we don't stay there, we'll literally have to cancel the trip, which would be a HUGE bummer.

I emailed her back and asked for some clarity regarding her request, pushed back explaining that our youngest naps and we planned significant downtime at the apartment, and asked if it is possible to postpone the showings until after the agreed upon rental period.

Thanks for all of the feedback. I found the request to be really off-putting but wondered if I was being unreasonable.

[ahisma]

Yea that's pretty obnoxious to ask - was she really apologetic about ir matter of fact?

Pretty matter of fact. She said that she'd make sure that our privacy was respected - but I read that as meaning "we won't let people go through your things". She flat out asked for chunks of time (suggested noon - 5) that we'd be out touring. I get that some people vacation like that, we used to. With young kids - no way.

[Nemesia]

No other options that are remotely budget friendly - it's spring time in DC and the combination of school breaks and the cherry blossom season have everything filled up.

We booked this in August and things were filling up then. If we don't stay there, we'll literally have to cancel the trip, which would be a HUGE bummer.

I emailed her back and asked for some clarity regarding her request, pushed back explaining that our youngest naps and we planned significant downtime at the apartment, and asked if it is possible to postpone the showings until after the agreed upon rental period.

Thanks for all of the feedback. I found the request to be really off-putting but wondered if I was being unreasonable.


I do not think you are being unreasonable.

[Mamabear4]

Wow, I'd be really upset.
From the perspective of the homeowner: no way would I want the realtor preview (i.e. showcase event for the other realtors who will potentially finding my buyer) to depend in the cleanliness and care of a renter who'd been in my home for 5 days by that point. (Not speaking about you and your family personally, I would say this about any renter)
From the perspective of the renter (you): 1. I'm on vacation and although I would do everything to make sure the home was in order when I LEFT it, I would not want to have to do anything out of the ordinary prior to a realtor visit. 2. If i am paying for the rental (i.e. not friends being nice giving me access to their home), i would not want to be inconvenienced/forced to vacate the premises during my stay. i get irritated when I've been out all day when staying at a hotel and have to use the restroom and see the housekeeping folks still in my room when i return (and they only take 15 min!). 3. I wouldn't want all my personal belongings around when the house is being shown. If you out your own house on the market, you can use. Safe, storage, etc. for items that you don't want seen. What are you supposed to do on vacation, take your iPad, all valuables, etc with you for the day?
I'd be really annoyed!!! And frankly, I think I'd just say no. (In my head I would - I really hate confrontation, so I'd probably make DH do it in real life).

[BunnyBee]

Whuck? That's a crazy request. Does she expect you to clean first too? I hope this doesn't mess up your vacation. The owner can pretty much do whatever she wants, and if she's selling it immediately, she won't care about her feedback.

[lhafer]

Seriously, these people can't wait for 1 week to put their house on the market? I would be super pissed.

[StantonHyde]

We are in DC the week after Easter and are staying at a Residence Inn. Check around--the one near the Pentagon had better rates I believe.

[bigpassport]

I would ask her for more specifics. Maybe its just a matter of communicating your needs and her communicating her needs to come to a resolution. If the realtor preview is, say, a one hour thing on one day, I think it would be nice of you to accommodate her and ask for a small discount for your inconvenience. If it's anything more than that, it's not ok. I think you should look for somewhere else to stay and tell her you're cancelling. Review the rental agreement to see if you have an easy out. If not, you might be able to do a dispute through your cc company. Keep notes of every single xonversation and email. As a vrbo owner myself, I sympathize with the owner trying to sell it. But if she can't accommodate the renter's schedule, she shouldn't be renting it while showing it.

[bisous]

That is SO not cool. I'm so sorry. Especially since you don't have other options. Hopefully you get a nice discount and the actual time commitment is not very great so it doesn't inconvenience you terribly. I hope you come to an adequate solution.

[MotownMom]

I would ask her for more specifics. Maybe its just a matter of communicating your needs and her communicating her needs to come to a resolution. If the realtor preview is, say, a one hour thing on one day, I think it would be nice of you to accommodate her and ask for a small discount for your inconvenience. If it's anything more than that, it's not ok. I think you should look for somewhere else to stay and tell her you're cancelling. Review the rental agreement to see if you have an easy out. If not, you might be able to do a dispute through your cc company. Keep notes of every single xonversation and email. As a vrbo owner myself, I sympathize with the owner trying to sell it. But if she can't accommodate the renter's schedule, she shouldn't be renting it while showing it.

Sorry, but I totally disagree. Even if it is "a one hour thing", how much time for prep/clean-up?

The OP is on a long-planned family vacation and should not have to be roped into the owner's personal business nor be responsible for maintaining a "show ready" home while paying to rent! Nervy of the owner to say the least.

[123LuckyMom]

Honestly, I would tell her no. You rented the apartment assuming you would have full use of it, and you shouldn't have to change (or schedule) your vacation plans around her poor timing. If she wants to show her apartment, she shouldn't be renting it during that time, or she should be renting it at a discounted price with the renter's full knowledge that there will need to be showings during their stay. I would tell her that you have no schedule for your vacation because you have a small child, that you chose to rent so as to have the flexibility of an apartment rather than a hotel room where housekeeping might disturb naps, that you will not be able to give her chunks of time for showings, and that, even if you could, you do not want people in the apartment with your belongings while you are not there. Tell her she will need to wait to show the apartment until after your stay. You do run the risk that she will refund your money and tell you to take a hike, but I doubt it.

[squimp]

Realtor previews here are an all day thing, and are. pretty important. I would not want to leave it to someone on vacation to ensure my house is in realtor ready condition. I would try to impress upon her that it is not a good idea, from her perspective in addition to yours.

[bigpassport]

Sorry, but I totally disagree. Even if it is "a one hour thing", how much time for prep/clean-up?

The OP is on a long-planned family vacation and should not have to be roped into the owner's personal business nor be responsible for maintaining a "show ready" home while paying to rent! Nervy of the owner to say the least.

Sorry, OP, I missed your follow up posts re: no other options and big chunk of time. That's not acceptable and, no, you are not being unreasonable. Like another poster said, she can wait a few days to list it.

[ChristinaLucia]

That's crazy she would even want to do that with a vacation renter in there. And so not fair to you and your family. Especially so close to the rental. That is crazy. Can you see her calendar on VRBO? Is it full for the weeks after yours? I would be irate if someone was doing showings on a property I was staying at without my prior consent.

[jacksmomtobe]

I would tell the owner that these disruptions will not work for your vacation because you have a small child. It is a huge imposition for you to have to deal with someone coming to the house while you are on vacation. Not only the time you would have to be out of the house but also that you would have to tidy up and would have to worry about your belongings. I have rented houses before where the house is on the market and they have a showing clause but the owner has always tried their best to show the home after a renter has left rather than mid stay. Unless you want a discount I would say that unfortunately this does not work for you.

[scrooks]

Ahisma- someone at work was telling me about their trip to dc last week and it made me think of your situation! I was wondering how this all turned out?