Beautiful Central Ocean City Charm

An important note: This review was not left by the renter, Edward K, but rather was left by Leo McElroy of Ambler, PA. Our property has a strict age policy of needing to be 25 to rent. Mr. McElroy, who is not 25, was able to persuade Edward K to rent the property under his name for Memorial Day Weekend under the guise of a “Family Reunion for 14 people,” when in-reality, it was for nothing but for a huge party weekend – the exact reason we have a strict age policy. Although we discovered the bait and switch immediately after check-in on Thursday, we attempted in good faith to work with the group. We reminded them of the house rules, and we were also repeatedly assured Edward K would be present the entire weekend. The group was also aware that we intended to keep a close eye on the house. The group agreed up front that if there were any issues, they would be leaving with no refunds. Between Thursday afternoon and Saturday evening, the number of people at the property was continually increasing. The group was warned a few times that if we needed to come back for any reason, they were be required to leave. The group present agreed. On Saturday night, thankfully we received word from a family friend that a notification went out about an open-house party at our premises which prompted our attention. By the time we arrived, over 30 people were in the house, and sparing most of the details, the house was trashed. Most importantly, no one on the rental agreement was on the premises, and in-fact when Edward K was reached, he has no idea what was happening on the property. We were able to get a hold of Edward K, and with his permission, everyone was asked to leave the property. When Mr. McElroy and his friends refused, and some guests threatened violence, the police were called. Even after the police arrived, matters escalated resulting in one person being arrested for vandalism, which supported our decision to not let them stay until morning. After re-taking possession of the premises, it took over 30-man hours to clean the home (this was the first renter of the year, so the house was spotless prior to this rental), over 45 bags of trash and abandoned items (including drug paraphernalia) was collected and disposed of. All beach tags and beach chairs were stolen, dishes were broken and two of the three screen doors were completely broken. Mr. McElroy called VRBO and attempted to get a refund on behalf of Edward K. Edward K contacted VRBO and advised VRBO to not issue a refund, advised Mr. McElroy to cease and desist his actions, and Edward K fully supported the decision to have everyone removed from the home, and continues to support us. Mr. McElroy created the email account used for this booking and is the only one that has access to the on-line portal. Given that he has been shut down from every angle he has taken, his only other option was to try and force a refund by leaving a poor review, which will not work. Edward K has asked VRBO to remove this review. The property manager, Missy, did absolutely everything she could to work with this group despite the fraudulent manner the group rented the home. In hindsight, I am sure she regrets that decision now, but nothing that transpired over the weekend reflect upon her. Missy manages all her client’s properties with the highest level of class and service. Whether it is this home, or another managed by Missy, renters should have no reservations, and in-fact full confidence that she provides top shelf service. Mitch (homeowner)