This is an interesting property located in a very nice part of Oakland/Berkley. Everything started out fine and we had pleasant conversations with the property manager about the check in process and where the extra towels were located. However, we had 2 huge disappointments. First, the gate swings open to enter the property after punching in a code on a key pad. However, when leaving the property the gate only opens when approached by a car. When we called the property manager to ask how to get out we were told to punch the same code into the key pad located inside the gate. It didn't work. When we advised the property manager the code didn't work she promised to send someone over to correct it. That person never arrived to our knowledge and the key pad never functioned. So, if you wanted to take a walk in the neighborhood you couldn't do it. It is also a safety hazard if you need to leave in an emergency and don't have a car with you - like us. No. 2 - the televisions didn't work in the bedrooms. We contacted the property manager about it and asked whether there were instructions somewhere. We received no response. For the price of this property it's not unreasonable to expect these two issues to have been promptly attended to by the manager.
Finally, any potential customers need to be aware that the property sits in the side of a very steep hill. There are two ways to get to the front door. First, is a steep wooden stairway which requires walking over 50+ steps from the bottom to the top. Second is essentially a 30 degree ramp from the drive way to the front door rising 40 - 50 ft. Neither way is easy if you are carrying heavy luggage, have small children with you or have mobility issues. This was not disclosed in the listing. A former customer did mention it in a review but again it's a safety hazard and potential customers need to have full knowledge of this aspect before making a decision to rent the property.
To sum up, this was our first experience in using a short term rental company and we were disappointed. We'll be reluctant to use VRBO or any similar company again.
