Mary Brewer’s vacation rental in Branson, Mo., is a mess, filled with bugs and dog urine. Can she get a refund for her bad vacation rental?
Question
My husband and I checked into a rental home in Branson, Mo., that we booked through Booking.com, for our seventh anniversary. It was a complete nightmare!
The whole place smelled of dog odor, there was dog poop in the unit and a grass pee pad that smelled of dog urine.
There were dog pee stains throughout the unit and the carpet looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. There was dust all over and bugs in the bathtub.
The couch had a spot of pee, still wet.
When we booked the unit, it never said it was dog friendly or I would have never rented it, because I have a pet allergy. We packed up our stuff and left to find a different place in the area to stay.
I’ve been going back and forth with Booking.com and Vacasa, the company through which I rented it, for the last three days, and they refuse to refund our stay. A local manager of the Vacasa rental unit claims there’s nothing wrong with the property because they sent someone to clean up the mess. I disagree. I took photos and video of the place before we left for proof. Please help me get my money back from these scam artists! — Mary Brewer, Weldon Spring, Mo.
Answer
No one should have to stay in the bad vacation rental unit you described.
The home should have been clean when you checked in. Typically, when you check in and the unit isn’t clean — that happens sometimes — the rental management company will send someone over to remedy the situation. But I believe there are cases in which a rental unit is unsalvageable. Examples of that include finding black mold, or a fire hazard or rodents — or the powerful stench of animal urine
Yes, Vacasa could have cleaned the carpet and the bathtub, but if you have a dog allergy, there’s no way it would have been enough. And as you note, neither Vacasa nor Booking.com ever indicated that the rental home was pet friendly — which, for someone with an animal allergy, means “DO NOT RENT.”
Ultimately, Booking.com is responsible for the quality of the unit. The company listed the home on its site, and your accommodations were not as described. I can see from your paper trail that you tried to resolve this through Vacasa and Booking.com, but neither company was stepping up to give you a refund.
If you don’t like your vacation rental, can you get a refund?
A dirty vacation rental can quickly turn your dream trip into a dark nightmare. But can you just walk out of a rental if it’s not to your liking? Under most consumer protection laws, you’re entitled to accommodations that’s clean and fit the description of the listing. (Related: Can you leave if your vacation rental is unsafe?)
Here’s what to do:
Take pictures of the damage. As soon as you notice problems, take photos and videos. Here’s a pro tip: Get close to the dirty sink or urine stains and get a really good picture. No proof, no compensation.
Contact the host or property manager immediately. Generally, you can’t just walk out of a property unless your life is in danger. You’ll need to give the property a chance to make things right, and this is the first step.
Don’t unpack and don’t get too comfortable. If the property is unlivable, using it might weaken your case for a full refund.
Get the booking platform involved. If you’ve booked through Airbnb or Vrbo and the host isn’t responsive, contact the platform’s customer service department.
So when do you leave? Only when you’ve exhausted all avenues and the apartment is still in shambles. Don’t stand for it. Just don’t.
My advice? Be calm and reasonable. A few dust bunnies don’t merit a full refund, but a place that’s trashed and unlivable — yeah, you shouldn’t have to stay there. Don’t be afraid to stand up for your consumer rights, but always approach the situation calmly and document everything.
How do you resolve this bad vacation rental problem?
A brief, polite appeal to one of the Booking.com executives, along with the photos and videos of the rental, might have fixed this problem for you. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the Booking.com customer service managers on this site.
You got in touch with my advocacy team. I contacted Booking.com on your behalf. A Booking.com representative noted that the property reserved had a review score of 5.7 out of 10, which is low — the implication being that you should have known this wouldn’t be the Ritz. It’s a vacation rental in Branson.
“That being said, after investigating this case, Booking.com can completely understand that the cleanliness of the stay did not meet the customer’s expectations,” the representative added. “We have reached out to the property on behalf of the guest and issued a full refund.”
