This review has nothing to do with the quality of a property rented through NEVR, and everything to…read moredo with management of the property, which is entitled and unprofessional.
I booked "Bay Dream" in Eastham, MA Pre-Covid with a check in time of 3pm and check out time of 10am. I did not purchase cancellation insurance as I fully intended to use the property. The $9000 fee for the 1-week rental was split into 2 payments, $4500 paid upfront and $4500 to be paid 60 days in advance of the stay.
In early June I received an email that the second payment was due. As the pandemic had intensified, my wife called New England Vacation Rentals ("NEVR"), who manages the property, to see what their Covid cancellation policies were. As all reputable rental companies recognized, this was an unusual time, and most were working with their clients to cancel properties due to the pandemic. NEVR's offices were closed, and a message on the service directed us to send an email to them, which we did. By this time Massachusetts policies were that guests had to self-quarantine for 14 days, which was not possible in a 7-night stay.
After 3 days we still hadn't heard from NEVR, so we emailed again. We got a reply, stating that the self-quarantine rules were "not enforceable" and that our only option to cancel was to forfeit our $4500 deposit. As this was not an option for us, we pressed on and paid the remaining $4500.
Guidance around travel to Massachusetts and this property continued to change. The check-in time was changed from 3pm to 4pm, presumably to give the cleaning crew an extra hour to clean. The check out time was also moved up from 10am to 9am for the same reasons. Massachusetts also required a Covid test for people traveling from certain states, so we had to get tested the day before we traveled.
All this is fine, and understandable under the circumstances we're all in. What transpired next is not.
We arrived at the property at 3:40pm to find the house cleaned and vacant. As no one was there, any reasonable renter would assume it would be permissible to enter. 5 minutes later, the owner of the property knocked on the door, identifying herself and claiming "you're early." This was strange, but I briefly chatted with the owner and then moved on to unpacking and stocking up for the week.
At check-out, we were asked to email NEVR when we had vacated the house. I did this at exactly 9am, again to accommodate for extra cleaning. Following NEVR's check out guidelines, we removed all food, trash, bagged the linens, set out the trash cans for pickup -- everything per their guidelines. We packed up the car with all luggage, locked the doors and went for one last walk at low tide, to celebrate the week. When we returned from the walk the owner was there, again, to state that check out was at 9am. We told her we were out. The cleaners weren't there, just the owner.
2 hours later, an email from NEVR was forwarded to me from the owner, who stated they did not want to rent to me again. "The house was left a mess, heavily used, they checked in early, checked out late. No need to take issue with them. Just don't want them as guests again." NEVR replied to the owner " No worries...we put him on the DO NOT RENT list" with a little smiley emoji at the end.
Why they would send this to me is inexplicably unprofessional. When I questioned this, they hid behind the owner's wishes, stating that it was the owner's wishes, and not recognizing the callousness of forwarding the email, which caused my wife and I unnecessary stress and anxiety.
While the check-in/out times were changed, without compensation to me, I acquiesced, only to receive blowback from both the owner and NEVR. They didn't use the extra time to do additional cleaning, they just wanted us out earlier. As for leaving the house 'a mess,' this is nonsense. We not only followed their guidelines, we exceeded them. As an owner of vacation rental properties in California, I am acutely aware of what a mess a tenant can leave. I have 25 years of messes. We did not leave a mess.
Perhaps this owner shouldn't be renting their property at all. She seems to have issues letting go. What's worse is that throughout discussions with NEVR, they offered no apology. It is clear that NEVR views the relationship with their homeowners as the "customer," while renters are the "product." This is exactly the opposite of what it should be. No renter wants to deal with an owner at all.
We have been renting properties on the cape for almost 30 years. This was our 12th trip. We have stayed in many houses, and used many management companies. Until this trip, we have had zero issues. None. The sad part about this is it has nothing to do with the property. It's a beautiful place. This is all about the interaction with the owner and NEVR. How unfortunate.
