Michael M.
Unresponsive owner Point East3801,unit 225, S Atlantic, New Smyrna Fl
My wife and I rented a New Smyrna Beach, FL property in early 2025. While the location and amenities were satisfactory, I regret to say that I would not rent from this owner again due to two significant shortcomings. Also, Florida Rentals was non-responsive. Florida Rentals refused to post my review. I conclude that all negative reviews are not posted, thus, misleading renters. The condo was advertised as having beachfront access. Upon arrival, we discovered that both the private and adjacent public beach accesses were out of service due to a prior storm. The owner did not disclose this crucial information about beach access in the listing advertising the property’s availability, although beach access directions were provided in the welcome package. Secondly, our lease included access to a gym located in another building owned by the same proprietor. Gym access was a decisive factor in choosing this unit. Despite several attempts, I could not access the gym. The owner gave explanations and suggestions, but never provided the gym access key. By the end of our stay, the owner accused us of losing the key, which we never received. Notably, the welcome instructions for the gym did not mention a key. A general observation is that the listing greatly exaggerated the property's condition. It was not as pristine as described. My family has been involved in real estate for decades, so I have a credible perspective in these matters. Accessing cable services was a daily frustration, as we found nine remote controls. Not one would turn on the television, and the batteries were dead. We foraged through all the batteries and found two that worked. The owner mentioned spare batteries in the cupboard, but there were none, prompting us to purchase them. Furthermore, the method for accessing cable TV involved a cumbersome set of instructions, leading me to contact Spectrum Cable three times. Additionally, my wife was frightened by an extremely aggressive dog owned by a resident in a nearby another unit on the same floor. The owner’s ambivalence left me with the impression that the owner had not visited the property for some time. For instance, sea wall construction on the building south of Point East had been ongoing for months, yet the owner seemed unaware. The clocks were an hour off due to the semi-annual time change not being adjusted. Throughout our stay, the owner did not resolve any of the issues we raised and became dismissive when pressed.