Lovely Iowa City Townhome ~ 3 Mi to Dtwn!

Reviews

• Deceptive, shabby, hidden charges doubled the bill.

  1/5

  The photos were taken with a wide angle lens so everything looked bigger than reality. Claimed to be "recently remodeled" but the carpets were worn and the only visible "remodel" was new appliances. The shower curtain was moldy. Dining table was a fairly small high-top with four stools. Impossible for parents to dine with the four guests (their children and grandchildren). The "host" was a person from the cleaning service, not the owner. Never even knew who the owner was. Roofers appeared unannounced and spent a day hammering on the roof.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

  Manager's Response:

  Owner's response: "George, we want all of our guests to rest easy when they stay with us, and we're sorry that you experienced some issues during your trip.
  
  - The photos in the listing were professionally taken and show are accurate, showing what you will get when you rent our property
  - We have made updates to the home and remodeled it, this was not just the appliances
  - We will have the cleaners take a look at the shower curtain, but we have never had any mold issues
  - There is a picture of the dining table in the listing, it is clear there is only one high-top with 4 stools.
  - We're sorry you didn't have room for your children and grandchildren, the description is very accurate and if you needed more room there were other options with more room
  - The manager is very responsive and reliable, this is a business and, we prefer to be behind the scene
  
  We truly go above and beyond for our guests, and are confident that future guests will have excellent stays! We will continue to strive for those 5-star experiences we know we can deliver."

• Good Potential, Some Issues

  4/5

  This townhouse has a lot of great potential. It’s in a nice, quiet neighborhood with a large park behind it. It features a balcony, a front stoop, two good-sized bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms, a well-stocked kitchen, and a comfortable living room and dining area. Unfortunately , it also has some issues. The toilet in the main bathroom was broken and ran constantly. Someone tried to DYI it with incorrect parts. It was so loud, we just had to turn off the water to it and not use it. The cleaners did a poor job in some important areas of the home. They also left the dishwasher completely full, so after hours of driving with a very ill wife and unpacking the SUV, I had to unload a full dishwasher. Also, thanks to an issue that was 1/2 my fault, I was locked out of the home for an hour or two. They worked hard to get a locksmith there as quickly as possible, which was a plus. I was going to sit on the front stoop while waiting for the locksmith, but the only chair was a broken plastic chair. There was also no furniture on the balcony so we weren’t really able to enjoy it. Overall, this is a nice house with lots of potential, but it definitely needs some TLC.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo

• Good with some Issues

  4/5

  The place has a lot of great potential. It’s in a nice, quiet area conveniently located close the hospital and to downtown. There is a nice, big park with a walking trail right behind the house.

  The house has very comfortable furniture, a balcony, a garage and a front stoop. It also features two good sized bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms, and a kitchen pretty well stocked with dishes, utensils, etc. The home is also very quiet… we never heard road noise, neighbors, etc.

  Unfortunately, the house did have some cons. The toilet in the main bathroom ran nonstop, and was exceptionally noisy throughout the entire house. Someone tried to DYI it using string and mismatched parts which did not work at all. It was noisy enough that after messing with it for awhile and realizing it wasn’t going to work, we just shut the water off to the toilet for the remainder of the trip and used the one on the bottom level.

  Secondly, the cleaners did not clean parts of the house well, including one very gross part that I’ll save for a private message to the owner. The dishwasher was also left full, so after many hours of driving with a very ill wife, the first thing I had to do after uploading everything was empty a dishwasher.

  Lastly, I got locked out of the house for an hour or two which was 1/2 my fault. I locked the door to the garage at night and in the morning, the locked door opened from the inside and I closed it behind me. Unfortunately, even though it opened from the inside of the house, it was indeed locked so I couldn’t access the house from the garage which I discovered after being in the hospital all day with my wife.

  I went around to the front, but the code would not unlock the door. A locksmith eventually arrived got me in the house and he discovered that the front door dead bolt had been locked… this time, not by me. He told me that doors with a keypad should not have a working deadbolt. On the positive side, they worked hard to get a locksmith to me as quickly as possible.

  I was also a little disappointed that, although there was a balcony and a front stoop, there was no furniture on the balcony. I decided to wait for the locksmith on the front stoop where there was a single plastic chair. As I went to sit on it, I realized it was badly broken and would have collapsed had I sat on it. Some working outdoor furniture would have been great.

  So overall, the house was nice and has a lot of potential. It does definitely need some TLC, though.

• Pleasant stay

  5/5

  Well stocked. Clean and tidy. Easy access. Good location. Nice view.

  *This review was originally posted on Vrbo