We rented a two bedroom condo on Olympia Fields (79834 Olympia Fields) in PGA West from Luxury Leasing from approximately Jan. 21 to March 1, 2024. The charge for the condo exceeded $10,000. This was the fifth time we had rented a condo in PGA West, but the first time we had rented from Luxury Leasing. Our previous four years were very positive experiences. Our experience with Luxury Leasing was a disaster.
First, the positive: the view from this condo towards the back pond and vegetation is beautiful.
Now the negatives. Our condo was literally overrun with bugs, including large cockroaches, during our entire stay. The first weekend we killed between 15 and 20 bugs, including cockroaches. We killed multiple bugs, including cockroaches, almost every day during the 40 days we were there. Cockroaches would greet us on the bedroom and kitchen floors when we turned the lights on in the morning. My wife opened a bathroom drawer to find a cockroach sitting on top of her toothbrush. Spiders crawled out from gaps under the kitchen counter where people sit and eat.
To do our part to address this issue, we kept the kitchen clean, we left no dirty dishes anywhere, we left no food out, and we bagged all food in the cabinets. Additionally, at our expense, we paid to have a cleaning company clean the home thoroughly twice during our less than 6 week stay. Still the insect infestation persisted.
Perhaps contributing to the condo being overrun with bugs, there are holes in one or more of the window/slidiing door screens and at least one of the sliding door screens doesn't close tightly, leaving a gap more than adequate for bugs to enter.
We brought this insect problem to Luxury Leasing's attention numerous times. In response to our complaints and requests for assistance, they sent someone to spray the inside of the condo. It had little to no effect after a day or two. We continued to complain and a week or so before we departed they sent the spraying company back. Again, little to no relief.
One of the individuals who came and sprayed said he didn't believe the unit was treated for insects on an ongoing basis, which is required to control insects and likely caused or contributed to the problem.
Cockroaches are not just a nuisance; they enter a condo or home in part through sewer lines and toilets, carrying serious pathogens that cause disease. In any event, suffice it to say that this problem alone ruined our vacation.
The problems with Luxury Leasing and this condo didn't stop with the bugs.
There were urine and other stains on the mattress pad in the bedroom. There were blood stains and other spots of unknown origin on the sheets. We washed all the linens but the stains did not wash away. When the cleaners came that we paid for (who were recommended by Luxury Leasing), the cleaning woman told us when they see such issues in a condo, they tell the owner, but if the owner doesn't do anything about it, Luxury Leasing can't do anything else. Well, one thing that Luxury Leasing could do is disclose to its prospective clients that "hey, your condo isn't a 'luxury condo,' it is overrun with insects and there are urine, blood and other stains on the linens." When we paid for a second cleaning and after bringing the urine-stained mattress pad to the cleaner's attention, the cleaners replaced the urine-stained pad; however, we spent the remainder of our rental time sleeping on the other stained linens.
To add insult to injury, on March 12, 2024, Luxury Leasing notified us that they were withholding $200 of our pet deposit to clean the carpets. I called and spoke with a woman in their office. I told her that the carpets were dirty when we arrived. Indeed, on Jan. 22, immediately after we arrived, we notified Luxury Leasing in writing that "the carpet, particularly on the landing at the top of the stairs, has numerous spots." We did this so Luxury Leasing wouldn't do what they ended up doing, look for an excuse to use our pet deposit to clean the carpet. The woman in the office told me on the phone that the contract clearly says a portion of the pet deposit WILL be used every time to clean the carpet. I told her I didn't think that was the case and she should read the contract. When she did during our call she admitted that I was right, but that there was nothing she could do. We intend to pursue whatever legal actions are necessary to recover what we are owed. read more