Like others, we had. very disappointing experience with Phillips Real Estate. The pros: When we complained about the absolutely unacceptable rental we were put in, they moved us to another, better rental. In person, the realtors were friendly. The cons: We looked at photos of dozens of rentals online. We were looking for a small rental to sleep 2 that would accommodate our small dog. After multiple conversations with people at Phillips, we decided to rent Mohegan Cottage. When we arrived, what we found was a lovely view and a "cottage" that was mostly clean but otherwise really unsuitable for anyone other than college students. There were literally holes in the walls, bare outlets, cords ripped out of walls, broken fixtures, and rust everywhere. The "master bedroom" was separated from the main living space by a folding door with no wall. The screen door out to the deck had rips with giant pieces of duct tape over them. The mattress was hard as a rock. The insides of the cabinets were sticky with grime. (See attached photos) We called immediately and were told, "Yes, it's rustic." The next morning, we called and said it was really unacceptable. They offered to find us another place but said that any place that accepted dogs was going to be in this condition (not true), that any place at that price with a water view would be in that condition (also not true - we checked other realtors' sites), and that the owners knew it was really bad and weren't making repairs because they were going to be tearing it down in a few months. They then showed us another house. This one was nicely furnished and comfortable. It did not have a view, but that was OK. They told us there was a farm with chickens on one side and construction on the other. When I asked if other renters had complained about any noise, they wouldn't give me a direct answer. We decided to move to the new house because the first one wasn't livable. However, we soon found that at least three roosters crowed every morning starting at 4:00 a.m. The farm also seemed to have an ongoing altercation, with people yelling at and threatening each other. Again, the Phillips people seemed surprised, and again, we found information online that described at least the altercation issue in detail. Overall, we had a very nice vacation, although we didn't get enough sleep! But the experience with Phillips was concerning, mostly because they were so non-forthcoming with accurate information about the rentals. read more

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This has to be the worst rental experience in our 30 years of vacationing on Block Island. The house was a wreck, dirty, unusable and broken furniture, the front of the refrigerator is literally rusting off, dishes in the dishwasher, laundry in the dryer and left over food all over the kitchen. The layers of dust were so thick, I actually took pictures of them. And there was a $160 "cleaning" fee with the rental. When I called to discuss, I was told that there were pictures on the website. The only saving grace was that it was a short stay this time. Will avoid at all cost. If anyone wants pictures, I will be happy to send. read more

Jennifer Phillips and Phillips real estate are flat out incompetent scam artists. My troubles with Jennifer Phillips started when trying to secure a simple two night rental of a home in Block Island. I inquired about a home and after numerous back and forth with her I could tell she was a poor business woman. I should have stopped all dealings with her immediately. She then proceeded to book me for a home that was not even avaliable. Next, after wasting about a week of my time going back-and-forth trying to find another home that fit my needs for a June weekend rental she requested that I pay the 50% deposit and she'd send the rental contract for the home. As requested, I sent Jennifer the deposit for the home. About a week later Jennifer emails me asking what the deposit check was for since she could not figure out how the amount I sent her could possibly be for the 50% and had no record of our previous conversations. I forwarded her the email chain and finally got confirmation that I would actually have a rental home ready for my requested dates. The day came when I was scheduled to arrive at the rental home. When I showed up at Phillips real estate Jennifer told me my balance was going to be $1,300 (the fee for both nights and a 300.00 security deposit paid in cash) I told her this could not possibly be right since since I already sent in a 50% security deposit. She neglected to enter the security deposit in her system thus again wasting more of my time and increasing my blood pressure. I questioned her about the additional $300 deposit as I've never heard of a business that charges a deposit twice then deducts cleaning services out of it and mails you a check 20 days later minus cleaning expenses. However, all I wanted to do was leave the presence of this woman so I paid her the 300 dollars cash. Upon leaving my rental I personally cleaned the home and made sure it was in the same condition as when we found it since at this point I had zero trust in Jennifer Phillips and knew my deposit was as good as gone otherwise. As of this writing its been 30+ days since my visit to the rental home provided by Phillips real estate. I have emailed Jennifer numerous times asking her where my deposit is because (surprise, surprise) I never got it back. She stated that she sent it to an address that she had on file. The address she sent it to was incomplete with the wrong street name and no apartment number. I remember checking the address that Jennifer had on file just before I left her office upon returning the house key because I knew I'd be having more issues with her. It amazes me how one person can make so many mistakes and waste so much time. I would not trust Jennifer Phillips with more then two cents, never mind put her in charge of finding you a home or vacation rental. read more

I have been working with Phillips Real Estate for over 10 years, and I feel that this company is the only way to go if you need to rent or buy property on Block Island. I trust the group; they are always accessible and rent out to people who have treated our house with respect.I've been more than pleased!!! read more

Please understand Chamber of Commerce that as renters we cannot complain as we would like. We don't know what RE agents are friendly. We don't know if our complaint will effect our renting from other agents. I too, was totally scammed by her practice of charging for cleaning that was not needed. I understood my contract, not to mention our numerous conversations. I'm an educated person. She lied, then she batted her eyes and said I was misunderstanding. No. I understand fully. She is a scammer. As someone who enjoys the island, I cannot risk others not renting to me. So I eat humble pie and give her money not earned. Filing a formal complaint on such a small island is risky in my opinion. read more

Had a perfect July 4th weekend at Dunn's Cottage through PRE. Booking was smooth, and had no issue with the security deposit. Our group of 10 loved how secluded the house was on a perfect hill with an amazing view of the ocean. House was completely renovated, and everything worked great. Hope we get to come back soon. read more

The Block Island Chamber of Commerce does not have any complaints on file for Phillips Real Estate or any of the other Real Estate agencies on Block Island as of this date (2/19/14). Most of the agencies have similar policies regarding reservations, deposits, damage deposits and refunds. When you reserve a vacation home on the island, and we hope you will, be sure to discuss these policies with your rental agent and clarify and questions you may have ahead of time. Be sure to read your contract once you receive it. Be sure to make a ferry reservation for your car if you plan to bring one. If you have questions about renting a house, a hotel or inn for a stay on the island, please call us (800) 383-2474 or check our website at www.blockislandchamber.com It is unfortunate when people have a misunderstanding or when mistakes are made. We know that Phillips Real Estate is a well respected agency, and we know that Jennifer Phillips is a professional agent. read more

We rented a house for a weeks vacation, Nice house and adequately clean but bathrooms needed to be cleaned and fire detectors not working. We cleaned up very well before we left but realtor refusing to refund cleaning deposit. I would advise looking elsewhere or not bothering to clean since they will not refund the payment. Such a sad end to a nice family vacation. We will NOT use this realty company again. read more

Don't Trust Jennifer Phillips!!!! - She is so unprofessional and a rip off - DO NOT GIVE $$$$ IN ADVANCE - Nothing but shady snakes in the grass. They said they accidentally overbooked then give us the shaft, not return calls or money. Try to find her in the office - she's hiding from the pissed off customers that she left without rentals! UN-TRUSTWORTHY on every level. read more