"It’s giving ✨HMO✨"

This is my review of one of the properties belonging to the ‘portfolio’ of The Gem House (Canterbury).

I was not the lead booker of this property but felt compelled to write a review…

✨The scent on entering the property, well - imagine old towel left in washing machine to grow mildew vibes (which consequently was what we found - on the bottom floor mind you 🤔)

✨ Old cotton ‘knobbled’ bedding, with one pillow each 😍 Said pillow was like sleeping on a pancake

✨ Very unusual style of wallpaper - Poor Giovanni Versace would turn in his grave - if I can add photos I certainly will 😂

✨ I had a hot shower, my husband succumbed to something similar to the ice bucket challenge 🙅🏻‍♀️

✨ General decor very run down, lights flicker on and off in the hallway, there’s so much more which I can’t bare to recollect.

✨ THE HOT TUB 😂 The poor Lay Z spa has seen better days, if you’re after a hot tub bring a bucket and a bath bomb xx

Do yourself a favour and book a travelodge or a premier inn. This was the worst nights sleep I’ve ever had 🤣 On the plus side the company was amazing 🤣

PS not sure how I feel about CCTV directly facing guests - especially when we have children running around?

"The host was very helpful"

The host was very helpful. We loved the house very spacious and well designed.
We were also very close to the center with lots of free parking spaces. Thanks for receiving us. We would be there again as it gets hotter :)

"I have stayed here a few times and the…"

I have stayed here a few times and the property has always been clean and tidy. Beautiful and stylish decor which makes the property cosy and inviting. The kitchen is fully equipped with the necessary utensils for your stay and the hot tub is a nice addition to use in the summer months.

The hosts are always lovely and have always been quick to respond to my queries.

Overall this is a great property and has all of the amenities necessary for your stay.

"Beautiful house !"

Stayed in a lovely spacious house very close to Canterbury Town centre for a week.
Very clean with beautiful extra touches that made a difference.
Had a real luxury feel !
Hosts were very informative too.
Will deginately book again for the summer time.

Arranged to book again next month

"Not the luxury stay you expected …"

This place is far from the luxury stay the owners advertise!
It’s dark dingy and tiny inside both houses YES both houses that are next door to each other if you’re looking for something that is advertised as a 20 person property then stay away from this place!
The first house leads to a living room that is tiny followed by a small kitchen then a separate shower and loo at the back of the house. The garden is also tiny. My family booked this for a weekend break for my dad’s 70th. The website says that there's room for 10 people to eat at a table but no table was available and certainly no room for one! Thank goodness for the local pub that managed to fit us in for a meal.
The second house was worse than the first and opened straight to steep stairs followed by a very small room only big enough for a small sofa and no furniture other than a coffee table.
THIS IS NOT A 20 PERSON PROPERTY!
The owners advertise air beds but you will have to pump them up yourselves.
Everyone kept hitting their heads on the light fitting thing that hung from the ceiling in the main house. I got stuck in the loo because the door kept sticking and the cleaner left the water running in the hot tub that flooded the garden

This place is obviously old student housing and is not in a nice area of town with drug users walking around clearly off their faces asking me for cigarettes.

"Scam"

Scam. They take people’s money for two weeks worth of living.. but take the money for 8 weeks worth of rent. Settling with a partial refund. Disgusting properties. Also - allowing people to come into the property with the key to collect parcels!!
Someone let themselves into my property… WITH THE KEY… to pick up the parcel they left.
Will take this further to legal proceedings but DO NOT STAY THERE

"The people working at this company are…"

Not entirely happy with the property as it does not have a ground floor garden or a big living room to chill together when in a big group . A suggestion would be to convert the one off massive bathroom into 2 small ones .

"Horrendous!!"

Horrendous!!! Host's hadn't even let us know exactly where the property was etc until I contacted them via phone on the day. We initially thought we'd been scammed.
The 1st impressions were not good. Front door looked horrendous with weeds outside. Next to a similar looking property. There was a general waste bin outside and a local Londis shop
Entering the property was extremely dark & smelt of damp dog & artificial fresheners.
The bedrooms were not too bad (just don't look too closely) lots of attention to detail missing. Ie only 1 bedside lamp. Inadequate clothes storage. No bins in rooms.
There was no guest information of any kind!!!
Dirty poorly decorated areas such as the lounge hall kitchen toilet & shower room. Under the sofa there were glow sticks dirty plates lights not working exposed wires serious trip hazards kitchen was disgusting everything was dirty. Sugar canister was filled with coffee grounds & other unidentified debris. Light fittings were shoved in kitchen cupboards. Garden well outdoor space no lighting couldn't fully open back door which you had to be careful because if you shut it you couldn't get back in. Weeds everywhere no lighting appalling hot tub. Cold on arrival. Told to drain it as "cleaners" had made a mistake we start but the garden started flooding.
No one came to check pH levels in hot tub during our stay
We contacted the host 4 times during our stay. Only the phone all was responded too where they didn't really seem sure what to do about hot tub other than blame it on their cleaners.
They decorate the other areas dark hoping No one will notice the appalling standard. Pictures over fire safety signs. I would say this was a HMO or student lodgings. 1 small shower room (don't expect to have anywhere to hang a towel)toilet also tiny worst wallpapering I've ever seen. Dirty too. Again nowhere for a hand towel. Broken window fittings & door was difficult to open & shut.
Hosts have denied any communication from us & gave us a different email to prove that we had indeed sent complaints. There was a blue tiled bathroom advertised it didn't exist we are asked to prove it was on the advert.
They take no responsibility for anything!!!!!
I sent several photos & have plenty more.
House of horrors.
Very deceiving.
Alarm bells really started to ring when we kept seeing glitter everywhere & the house next door had a massive group of people partying.
They own this property too.
If you don't care about the standard or hygiene just want somewhere trash & crash then this is for you. Its a party house.
If your looking for a luxury break as they describe its anything but!!!!
Worst break ever.
We have asked for a refund but the6 refuse based on their claim that VRBO had a comms problem. They also claimed they could of fixed everything whilst we were there that would of been impossible.
Totally irresponsible hosts thinking their more than they are just money grabbers.
From other reviews I've seen on here they are aware of issues as I've also complained about yet they've done nothing.
All sites that they advertise through need to take this company off their books & black list them.

"Crap is an understatement"

The reviews are true. This is like a student accommodation for a ridiculous price. The house is on a student/council estate.

The hot tub is filthy, the house is dirty and not cleaned. The photo's don't match at all. We have asked them to come and clean it but have been fobbed off with lies.

"To say there are cleaning issues would be a huge understatement"

October 2021, · Family trip

This review is written 4th October 2021
Prior to this I have never had issues with an air bnb stay and my Hosts have always given me excellent reviews.

I have requested a refund for my stay in this property
So this is what I wish to share ......

Stay 1st Oct – 3rd Oct 4 adults and 2 children

On our arrival we reported several issues to our host.

It was arranged for a cleaner to call the next day to help resolve the problems but at the time I did state a quick fix was not going to be enough. The house was in need of a deep clean when guests are not in residence.
Everyone was very apologetic and we received a bottle of Prosecco and some Roses chocolates.

We felt letting guests stay at this Airbnb property when it was so far from a standard required was wrong. Some wear and tear to a rented property is acceptable but this was way beyond.

Pro’s
Heating
Hot water
Clean bedding
Clean towels

Con’s
Bathroom –
Shower cubicle dirty
Bath stained
Chains to plugs broken
Plugs grubby
No cleaning products (apart from toilet cleaner)
Toilet brush fell to pieces when attempt to use it.

Kitchen
Sink and drainer dirty
Dishwasher filthy (and we found out it wasn’t working when the cleaner was at the house)
Ironing board cover was stained and dirty. I was going to use a towel to cover it while I ironed BUT it turns out it was also broken!
No cleaning products, including washing up liquid (despite dishwasher not fit for purpose)
Oven filthy – went to use it but too dirty. Hood also dirty and greasy
Despite house being let to 6 guests, there was only 2 teaspoons and the only sharp knife had a blade approximately 20cm long and difficult to use to peel fruit etc.
We could not eat breakfast together as there were insufficient chairs for 6 guests.

In general
Skirting boards, doors, windowsills, electric plugs etc. were either grimy or dusty …sometimes both. I moved the bedside lamp slightly and the surface beneath was dirty.

Windows – some opened and closed.
The large window in the Master bedroom would not open (fire exit?)
Several closed but the handles would not lay flat. From outside the property it would be obvious to anyone that the windows were not secure and it would be easy to force entry.

There was a Hot Tub in the garden but having experienced the grime in the house we were concerned it may be a health hazard.

Roller blind cords – I question the safety of the roller blinds. I believe safety standards require the fitment of a child safety device so that chains are secure and are no danger to children or pets. NONE had the chain attached to them. The devices were not fit for purpose!
I pointed out the dangers to our grandchildren and told them not to touch
Prior to these regulations, there were several child deaths a year.

When my husband opened the bedside cabinet drawer, a previous guest had left clothing and a Veet pack! The cleaner removed them on the Saturday.

I could go on but where do I stop? Bare/no light bulbs, dodgy electric socket in Master bedroom, smelly external bin outside window (I believe collection day had only been a few days prior to our stay) ........

Our stay was far from pleasant. I had to report problems and we had to allow the cleaner (member of their admin staff) to enter the property during our stay. We couldn't have a shower until the cleaner has cleaned it. This was at 12.00 and we were due at a 40th party at 14.00.
I reiterate the problems needed more than a couple of hours.

In these COVID times, hundreds of hotels, holiday properties and B&B’s are taking extra care and attention to cleanliness to ensure the safety of their guests.

The property failed to meet even the pre Covid standards. We do not believe there was any consideration given to our safety and care.

At the time of writing this our HOSTS do not feel they have any obligation to refund, stating
We do state in the listing that you are staying in a air bnb (someone’s home) so there may be some maintenance issues which can occur, we do clean to covid standard however we appreciate that some things are not to your standard.

and also

During your stay after we got the cleaner in we didn’t have any complaints, so we would take this as feedback and no refund will be given.

My response is:
We spoke at length to the cleaner at the time.
I also gave the host notification of other problems but since they did not reply and because the problems were so many, I ceased to contact them since I intended to write a report on my return home.

Looking back, I believe I was naive in the way I handled this matter. When I reported all the problems I thought the host would be mortified and offer a refund! They have in fact turned down my request calling me an "Awful guest" implying my standards are too high!
Should they reconsider and and arrange a refund, I would be happy to donate it to Great Ormond Street.
It was never about the money.....