Dune Allen Realty Vacation Rentals — Local services in Santa Rosa Beach

Beware! We stayed in this property (Gorby Cottage in Santa Rosa Beach) the first week of April, 2021. The following are my comments:

Overpriced as compared to other properties nearby.

Awkward arrangement. Structure split in two sections. Kitchen area in one building and bedrooms in separate building connected by a closed in porch area.

Furniture way too large for size of room in Kitchen area. The table is not useable where it is placed. You can barely walk in the place it is so crowded with outdated furniture. Furniture cushions all smell musty and needs updating.

Whole Building has a musty odor throughout. When it rained the water just poured off the roof like a waterfall. Whole place was in need of major repairs and updates.

Cleaning was not done very well. Lots of hair (probably pet hair) around the room edges. I couldn’t stand it and got the sweeper out and cleaned it up myself. Lots of dirt around the edges where the baseboard meets the floors. Outside of building and and landscaping needs major attention. I am not sure where they spend the $400 cleaning fee but it sure wasn’t spent wisely. My wife and I use to own a cleaning business and we understand what it takes to clean a building correctly. This building was a mess from the bottom up from months maybe years of neglect and just doing a spruce up of the major areas between visits does not constitute a clean. Believe me, this building is in need of a deep detail clean!

Ant problem spoiled our dry goods that were sitting out on shelf. The clothes dryer did not work. I should have called that in but was so disgusted with the place I felt like what’s the use.

Awkward and dangerous stairway to a loft. Loft railing is dangerously low, not sure it would pass building codes.

Burned out lights throughout and clunky cabinets throughout, especially in the bathroom... it looks like it fell of the truck before it was installed.

House next door looks to be abandoned. It is run down and in need of major repairs. No sign of life next door for the week we were there. Again, not welcoming and not what you would expect of a neighborhood where people are spending top dollar renting a vacation home.

Bathroom did not have an exhaust fan. As a result the ceiling is covered in mildew and mold. That seems like a code violation but it did have a window in the shower ... if you could get it to open.

Sidewalk entry into building is unsightly. Mold and mildew all over concrete and exterior walls of building and sidewalk as you walk up to the entrance door. Not a welcoming entrance for a place that you have rented for a relaxing family vacation ... and paid good money for!

Entry to building is not secure. The only lock for the entrance is a cheap screen door lock. I was not comfortable leaving my $2000 AKC puppy there when we went out. The widows in this enclosed porch area were clear plastic. There is evidence that one of the lower panes had been broken out near the front door I assume by an over anxious dog, and repaired with what looks like Saran Wrap.

Overall very disappointed with this rental. The whole building needs an overhaul. Not sure why Dune Allen would want to represent such a property that is in such poor condition.

I saw a review that said it was privately owned and been in the family for years ... I bet you the owners wouldn’t want to stay in a place like this for their vacation. Someone called it cozy ... it is definitely small and crowded with worn out furniture and appliances but it is certainly not cozy. I am sorry for being so frank but I wanted to let you know what to expect if you rent this property. None of the reviews I looked at mentioned any of this. Maybe it just got worn out over time. Just be aware of what you are renting. It is not what it appears to be in...

I spent a week in March at the Lakeside escape house and for the most part had a great week. The house was beautiful, great location and even better friends to spend the week with.

However, I would not trust this company with my money again. Arriving to the house on Saturday, we noticed there was no wifi, and as we arrived at our check in time of 5pm, the office had already closed so we would have to wait until Monday morning to call about the WiFi, no biggy we weren’t there for the WiFi. After I called on Monday, I talked to a representative about the WiFi who had claimed it was a downed internet line and it was affecting 6 of their properties, they said that at the latest the problem would be fixed Friday(Our group was leaving Saturday morning) and that they would try to expedite the process as much as possible. Because there was no WiFi a lot of us that had some remote work were not able to do it and it made the movie room and TVs in the house totally useless. Again, no biggy we weren’t there for the WiFi and things happen.

This is where things get fishy, the technician came to the house to fix the WiFi on Friday. He said he had no idea where the “down internet line” story came from, that the problem was just a hardware problem, lose wires and broken modem, and that there had been three separate technicians called to the house before we arrived. Leading us to believe there was a known problem that they did not address and lied to us, to create their “third party problem” narrative so there would be no refunds.

I called after talking to the technician and questioned the company’s integrity, which they assured me they had not lied and they would send proof of a contractors description, that he did blame the problem on a downed line. I gave them a full business day to send the proof and when I had called again and told them who I was and what I was looking for they put me on hold and sent me to voicemail, I left a voicemail and never got a response.

I would love to update this post and say that the company was great, because from the beginning they seemed very accommodating, but until they verify that there was no lies being formed I will not trust this company again.

UPDATE TO REPLY*

An assumption is not a fact. Over the phone it was not “we assume it is a downed line due to construction” it was “there is a downed line due to construction which is affecting yours as well as other properties” the differences in those remarks are in itself deceiving. If you do not know what the problem is, anything but saying that, is a lie.

Must I emphasize my second to last paragraph that you seemed to have skipped over? I was told that there would be a memo sent to me, proof that a contractor had said it was a downed line, but when it was never received I was ignored and hung up on?

I “assume” after talking to the contractor who stated there was known problems before we got there, is that they knew the WiFi in the house was down before we got there. Then, instantly used a classic excuse so that it wasn’t their problem.

This company does not take honesty and integrity as highly as they claim, just look at their...

We rented Allen’s Dune during mid September. A great place, in a great location, that was outfitted very well with most we needed. The four bedroom with four separate bathrooms layout was great for the four family couples in our party. The wonderful covered beachside porch was outfitted with quality chairs and tables to accommodate early morning coffee and outdoor meals. The kitchen was nicely outfitted to handle all cooking and servicing requirements. Some things that need attention to improve the rental are: a drip from the a/c ceiling vent in the left front bedroom was annoying, five TV remotes in a bowl on the living room coffee table with no instructions was intimidating to us old folks, many doors that squeaked loudly when opened or closed, no lid for the plastic kitchen garbage can meant exposed garbage to view and smell all the time, and only one dish towel...com’n man. These minor things were brought to the attention of Dune Allen Realty Rentals after leaving. The check in time was a problem. All info and advertisement on the rental does say that check in “starts” at 4:00 pm. however, only the contract states that it could be as late as 7:00 pm. When we arrived shortly after 4:00 pm expecting to check in, we were told the rental wasn’t ready, and that we’d get a text when it was. Additionally, it was rather smuggly brought to my attention that the contract states check in could be as late as 7:00 pm. I guess shame on us for not reading the contract, but it seemed deceptive that the as late as 7:00 pm check in wasn’t mentioned in all preliminary advertisements on the rental. We had four couples coming in from three states, all driving more than five hours, so a not unreasonable check in time of earlier than 7:00 pm would have been nice. I asked the ladies at the office for the address of the rental so all could plug it into their GPS, and we could drop off a couple cars and, making the best of not being able to check in by going out for dinner. To my surprise, they refused to give me the address, and of course citing COVID, and said that if we went to the rental to park a couple cars, we would endanger and intimidate the cleaning and inspection staff and delay the time of check in even further. Keep in mind that this is a rental that I had paid thousands of $$$ up front on...and couldn't get the address until just before I checked in. We were offered to come to the rental office, which was near the rental, to gather until check in. I guess we weren’t dangerous or intimidating to the folks working there. I did get a text about 6:00 pm giving me the address and code for the rental. We had a great week at the beach in a great rental and looking forward to doing it again as we have for over 25 years. The minor issues should be addressed and corrected with ease by the “inspection” folks. I expressed my sour grapes over the check in process, and again shame on me for not reading the contract, but I feel that the folks at Dune Allen Realty Vacation Rentals need to reevaluate their customer relations effort and check in...