ParkHopperFan
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2013
We have had many surprises (disappointments) with our Windsor Hills rentals.
For example, for one large house, we paid for pool heat but didn't not find out until we arrived that the heat would only be on for 4 hours per day. The time was set before our arrival, so by the time we'd get home from the parks late at night, the hot tub was cold. The system heated the water in the attached spa and dumped it into the pool to raise the pool temp. When the heat was off, the cold water from the pool circulated through the hot tub which made it useless 20 hours per day. Ask how the pool heat works.
All the houses we rented that had pool tables had broken pool cues. The cues were missing the tips that hold the chalk. We learned to bring our own cue or we checked them as soon as we arrived and bought glue and tips at Walmart.
One house had the alarm hooked up to the door to the pool area, so whenever it was opened, the burglar alarm sounded. The mgmt co said it was for safety to prevent kids from sneeking out and could not be disarmed. This was very annoying and disruptive.
One house was unoccupied before our arrival so the ac was not running. It was over 90 degrees on the upper level and took two days to cool off enough so we could sleep.
Wait until you arrive before buying supplies. Some homes were well stocked.
The fan in the kitchen of one was so under powered that we set off the fire alarm while cooking prime rib. The management company was a bit clueless on how to turn it off. They said fire alarms could not be reset at the house. They did it remotely, but it took them a while to figure out how to do it. Imagine Christmas dinner with the fire alarm screeching for 15 minutes.
Learn from our mistakes.
The house we stay at regularly has the alarm attached to the sliders that lead out to the pool area. There are buttons next to the door to press before opening the door to prevent the alarm from sounding. It was explained that it's a safety feature to prevent the little ones from getting outside unnoticed. As long as you press the button before opening the door it won't sound. We appreciated the extra safety feature for our kids.
I guess the best way to avoid the pitfalls you found would be to ask how available the management company is when booking so you know what to expect if you have problems..