My family and I rented both sides of 259 Ocean Blvd W for a family reunion, to the tune of almost $5000 for a week. When we arrived we found a neglected, filthy property. Most of the light bulbs were burnt out (which my step father spent a morning replacing), the light in one of the bathrooms didn't work at all, my 65 year old mother felt she had to scrub the kitchen floors on her hands and knees because they were filthy. The doorknobs to the outside doors were so corroded they barely functioned. We had young children with us who were forced to knock on the doors to enter and exit because they could not turn the knobs. The spigot on the outdoor shower was rusted and broken in half, leaving us to wonder if we would end up with tetanus while we were trying to rinse the sand off of our feet. One night while my family was relaxing in the living room, we saw several huge cockroaches climbing the walls and going in and out of the kitchen cupboards. We saw the cockroaches many more times in many places while we were staying there.
When I called to speak with someone about the substandard conditions in the house, they asked, "Well, did you alert us to any of this while you were there?" As I tried to finish my explanation and alert them to the problems with the property, I was rudely cut off mid-sentence with a, "Yeah, well, thanks for calling." I was not asking for anything other than their attention so that future renters would not encounter the same conditions.
I was told that Holden Beach Properties had no knowledge of the problems with this house, but the issues have clearly been developing for years. This kind of filth and neglect is not something that happens overnight. There is a journal in the house that people can share their experiences at the beach and going back several years the complaints about the roaches and general neglect to the house have been made. I have attached many pictures of the problems.
It's clear to me this property management company does not pay attention to the properties they are responsible for, since they are in clear violation of the North Carolina Vacation Rental Act. Holden Beach Properties had zero intention of hearing me, or doing anything to fix the property. They will continue to collect thousands of dollars for a week in a roach motel. My family has been vacationing at Holden Beach for over 25 years and we have rented dozens of houses, and have never seen anything like this property. If you are thinking of renting a house on the beach, I suggest you do so anywhere else. read more