Customer ReviewsforSurf or Sound Realty

The house we rented , house 860, was a mess from top to bottom. The one bedroom smelled like cat piss, and when I called they said they would come shampoo it but I said no because I didn't want stranger in the house while on vacation, it should have been done before we arrived. There was a floor patch between the dinning room and kitchen that you couldn't walk on because it was very soft. My son was sleeping on the top bunk and the bed fell in, luckily he wasn't hurt. The light didn't work in the master bedroom. There were numerous wall patches that the paint didn't match. There were roughly 10 nails sticking up on the decking walking into the main entrance that I caught my sock on and ripped it. Inside the pool many wall tiles were missing. I spoke with Travis Bush who is the property manager and although he seemed concerned and apologized told me he would look into this matter. I received an email stating it is there policy to not offer any compensation or refund. This is completely unacceptable considering we spent over $**** to rent his house. I would tell anyone considering renting from them to not do it unless you want similar problems. I told Travis I was going to file a complaint and he never even reached out to me. Obviously they don't care because they already got your money.

Please know that we are always eager to address any concern as soon as it is brought to our attention. While oversights by our housekeeping teams are generally very rare, our offers to return to shampoo the affected carpet and complete any cleaning shortfalls were refused by this guest. Our maintenance team attended to the slightly raised nail heads on the deck in a timely and efficient manner. We stand by our excellent reputation for taking great care of our guests as evidenced by our guests providing 25X more 5-star ****** reviews than our next closest competitor over the last 12 months. We appreciate the opportunity to share this guest’s suggestions for renovations and improvements with the owner of this home.

Surf or Sound misrepresents the house we rented. The property manager is not doing his job. Safety Issues: Upon arrival bedroom level AC broken. Portable AC units were provided. 2 AC units not working necessitating some family members to relocate. Extension cords running from portable ac unit from bedroom, through hallway to bathroom outlet to address inadequate home’s electrical service Dryer vent broken/melted rendering dryer unusable Smoke detectors unwired and outdated Fire extinguisher not visible, stored in a bottom cabinet next to oven Broken railing on upper deck Broken door latch on upper level bedroom to deck. Door pops open continuously Filthy ac vents blowing directly onto beds Spongy decking on upper deck Hose running across entry staircase from outdoor shower to a poorly maintained pond No entry staircase lighting, necessitating the usage of cellphone flashlights to safely climb stairs to entry door Fuse box inaccessible. Property manager does not know where it is either. Broken outdoor furniture: picnic table, rocker Other outdoor furniture on “last legs” Electrical outlets not working Extension cord from a bidet, over mirror to an outlet Deck rug has mold growing under it Cleanliness substandard. In defense of housekeeping, it is more than challenging to clean a very poorly cared for house. Poorly equipped kitchen, including chipped dishes Screened in porch ( touted in house description) has multiple broken screens and a storm door Tubs and sinks obviously the same age of house (37 yrs old or so). They are irreversibly stained. New stairway rug filthy I have rented at least 11 homes within the three block area of Nova, N. Kinnekeet and Pamlico Ct. I have NEVER encountered such a poorly cared for, substandard rental. Any repairs made were due to my persistence with realtor. Surf or Sound requested I put this experience in writing with pictures to them so they could discuss with all stakeholders. Their response has been dismissive.

Everyone here sympathizes with any guest who feels their vacation rental has fallen short of their expectations. Please know oversights by our housekeeping and maintenance teams are rare, and we are always eager to remedy any concern as soon as it is brought to our attention. In this instance, our teams promptly addressed the issues reported during the stay, in as an efficient manner as possible. Of course, HVAC malfunctions are unpredictable, and interim portable AC units are an unfortunate necessity during these moments. The permanent replacement units had arrived during this stay and were awaiting installation by our partner service provider. As mentioned, we appreciate the opportunity to share the guest’s observations and suggestions for renovations and improvements with the owner of this home. We pride ourselves on providing the very best vacation experience for every guest.

Upon entering, there was an OVERPOWERING MUSTY SMELL and bowing wall-paneling, likely due to moisture damage. We discovered what we believe to have been CHOCOLATE SAUCE ON THE RAILING of the bunk bed. There were stains on 3 of the bedspreads - 1 w RED STAINING THAT LOOKED LIKE BLOOD, 2 w/ YELLOW STAINS. The source of the smell likely stemmed from what appeared to be BLACK MOLD around the master bathroom AC vent, along with several other vents and in a closet. After one night, my husband and daughter's allergies were triggered. My husband, who struggles with chronic sinus infections, knew we could not risk staying in the home. Travis claimed that what we saw as black mold was actually "ghosting" (when dirt and grime from the moist air is trapped on the walls) and HEAVILY MINIMIZED our health concerns. He stated that "I WISH I COULD SAY THAT ALL HOMES DON'T HAVE A MUSTIER SMELL." BASED ON THIS ADMISSION, WE QUESTION THE QUALITY OF ALL SS HOMES. Travis's explanation discounts the images we captured & does not explain the smell or the allergic reactions, which cleared up after we left the house. That master bath has no fan, which is a likely contributer to mold problems. Travis claimed, per the lease we must allow them to remediate before requesting a refund. The lease's remediation policy applies to broken appliances and amenities. However, Section 22 of the lease specifically stated that this remediation policy applies to "NONESSENTIAL ITEMS." WE BELIEVE THAT OUR FAMILY'S HEALTH IS ESSENTIAL, AND BEING IN A HOME FREE OF MOLD IS NOT AN "AMENITY," especially given our underlying health concerns. We also knew that mold remediation would be extensive and potentially hazardous. PROPER MOLD CLEANUP WOULD REQUIRE EXPOSURE TO HARSH CHEMICALS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IRRITANTS THAT COULD PUT OUR CHILDREN'S HEALTH AT RISK. We had to do what was best for our young children.

Please know that everyone here sympathizes with any guest who feels their vacation has been disrupted in any way. While oversights by our housekeeping teams are very rare, we are always eager to remedy any concern as soon as it is brought to our attention. In this case, we offered to send a team over right away for any additional cleaning concerns and to provide new linens and bedspreads, both of which the guest refused. Most importantly, we respectfully find fault with many of the other assertions made by the guest. There was (and is) no mold in this home. From time to time, particularly when a previous guest has opened windows or left open exterior doors while the air conditioning is running, humid sea breezes can create condensation on cold, metal HVAC vent covers. The thin layer of water quickly traps any dust in the air sometimes giving a discolored appearance to the vent cover. Some observers mistake this discoloration for mold. The guest also mentions a bathroom which does not have an exhaust fan. The building code does not require such a fan in bathrooms containing a window. Our goal is to provide the best possible vacation experience for every guest. We believe we did everything we could to achieve this goal. We are dismayed to have these guests leave after one night feeling otherwise.

Rented $****** home for vacation. House was dirty. Bathroom smelled like urine. Called office. They sent cleaning crew. Told us there were raccoons living in the ceiling and they had reported it prior to us coming. Feces and urine coming through ceiling. Doors were missing doorknobs. Some doors couldn’t be locked. Shower wouldn’t drain. Lights with no lightbulbs. Spent our vacation calling for repairs etc. Owners- we did your job. 5 out of 7 days we had to deal with maintenance, cleaning crew and pest control

Please know oversights by our housekeeping and maintenance teams are rare, and we are always eager to remedy any concern as soon as it is brought to our attention. Everyone here sympathizes with any guest who feels their vacation has been disrupted in any way, and there were extremely unusual circumstances during this stay. Our teams promptly addressed the issues reported during the stay in as an efficient manner as possible. Some of the concerns conveyed here were only shared after these guests had departed. Please know the experience described by these guests is not at all typical and we pride ourselves on providing the very best vacation experience for every guest, especially when unexpected challenges arise.

RENTERS BEWARE! I would give zero stars if I could. My husband, a law enforcement officer, was mandated to work, and we unfortunately had to cancel our vacation. I was told by Surf or Sound that they would have no problem re-renting the home since it was a prime July week, and that we'd receive our refund minus a $*** rebooking fee. Without telling me and with no warning, they re-rented the property at a SIGNIFICANTLY lower rate, and only refunded me the amount of the reduced rent! I only discovered this scheme when after hounding them for weeks, they finally sent us a check via snail mail for much less than what we had paid! Had I known that they were going to cheat us out of hundreds of dollars, I would have kept our reservation and asked other family or friends if they wanted to go with us in lieu of my husband. We would have gladly made something work had I known that Surf or Sound was going to keep the money that should have been refunded to us. Now that they have part of our rent in addition to the money they received from the sublease, they refuse to respond to my calls or emails. If this company is capable of this kind of shady, deceptive behavior, I'd be willing to bet that they have other questionable policies as well.

Please know we sympathize with anyone whose vacation plans change unexpectedly. The Cancellation Policy is clearly posted on our website and was sent via an email that was opened by this guest. The policy states, "We reserve the right to adjust the rental rate for the sublease at our discretion. Any discounts in the rental rate will reduce your refund." This policy is generally similar across all property management companies.

We rented a 9 bedroom house from Surf or Sound Realty and upon being notified at 537pm the house was clean, inspected and ready to be occupied we found all lies and misleading information. The house was not clean. The master bedroom on floor 2 was totally disassembled, totally. Two toilet bowls were leaking on the floor. No hot water till 6am Sunday morning, the disconnects were pulled in the mechanical room. Counter tops were in need of cleaning and EVERYTHING needed wiping down. 3 very large bags of trash were in the front yard till the day we left. 4 of the 5 trash cans for household trash were full of bed linins, curtains and other house items. Light bulb in all rooms were burnt out and none were repaired while we were there. Complains were taken to the main office in Avon Monday morning to Mr. *********** and no additional repairs reported except the broken toilet seat were taken care of till Friday when we were checking out! Don't use Surf or Sound Realty as this is just a small list of contract breach by Surf or Sound Realty.

Please know that miscommunications and errors are generally very rare for our housekeeping teams. We are always eager to remedy any concern as soon as it is brought to our attention. Our Operations team responded immediately and stayed at the house late into the evening address the leaseholder’s concerns. These guests were offered financial compensation for their inconvenience with our sincere apologies.

Wendy, with Surf or Sound Realty, has been a wonderful delight to work with in arranging my family beach trip for this year 2024. I wasn’t expecting to be going this early in the year, but this home was available and we said: “Let’s do it.” And Wendy was right there and helped me work out all the details. Yay! Thanks so much. Surf or Sound Realty has been our best go to Realty to find the perfect house each year for us. The homes are clean, furnished, and wonderful. Give them a try. You won’t be disappointed. *****

We are so grateful for your wonderful compliments and this amazing 5-star review, Nancy! We will be sure to share your kind words with Wendy! Thank you for this heartfelt endorsement. Your recommendation means the world to us!

BED BUG INFESTATION! Please do not use this company or rent their homes! Our family visited ***** for spring break 2024 and rented home #*** ******* **** 48 hours into our stay, one of the children woke up covered head to toe in bites. We immediately called Surf or Sound, who sent Outer ***** **** *******, who found a bed bug infestation in 3 out of the 5 bedrooms. They highly recommended we leave the home. I contacted Surf or Sound and spoke to Orville, property manager, who stated "bed bugs happen" and there is nothing he can do and that we "aren't the only people who have bed bugs right now". He offered our family of 10, 2 air mattresses to put on the floor in the living room to sleep on for the next 5 days and that they "will have the bugs cleaned up in a few days!" So, his answer was, stay in the infested home, on 2 air mattresses for 10 people, no clothes, no linen, 1 bathroom to share while they "bombed" the home!! I asked Orville if this seemed appropriate to him and asked him if he would stay in a bed bug infested home on air mattresses and his reply was "no". He also stated that he wasn't willing to put us into another home because our family is "a risk" and we may have brought the bed bugs! Even though the professionals stated that the bugs were there for over a year, and nobody had bites until we arrived to this unkept home. We came to the Outer Banks "not a risk" and were made a risk because of Surf or Sound's dirty home and lack of inspection before guests arrive. This was a problem they created and abandoned our family in result of their negligence. Orville also recommended we call ******** ****** or ****** to book one of their homes since he was unwilling to put our family in another one of their rentals! Orville refused to give us his manager's name and contact information. He refused to give us the inspection he claimed was done prior to our arrival. He claims this is all private property and he would not be giving it to us. Disgusting

Please know that everyone here has great sympathy for the disruption and disappointment that can be experienced in the wake of this kind of discovery. Please also know that we disagree with many of the statements made in this review. While we offer a variety of options, this family chose to accept our offer of a full refund. There was no knowledge of any issues prior to this stay, and the entire property was promptly treated.