SAV Stays 5 Bedroom Large Family home Birstall, Leicester

The property itself is actually very spacious and attractive, and it works well for a large family. The bedrooms are comfortable, the beds are good, and there is plenty of storage. However, there were several maintenance issues such as missing or non-working bulbs in lamps around the house, which suggests the property is not being fully checked between bookings.

We booked this property for a weekend stay due to its great location and space for a large family. Unfortunately, the experience was very stressful from the start. After a 3-hour journey, we arrived at the agreed time to find the lock difficult to open, and when we got inside, the property had not been cleaned at all from the previous guests. This was despite informing the team of our arrival time. We were only notified of a delay last minute, with no cleaners present. I had to repeatedly call and message for updates. An alternative property was offered 20 minutes away, but we had chosen this location specifically for convenience, so we requested urgent cleaning instead. We were travelling with an elderly family member with asthma in very poor weather, so waiting outside was not an option. When the cleaner arrived, she stated the job was not scheduled and appeared reluctant to clean, making us feel uncomfortable. We had to leave for several hours and only returned around 7:30pm while cleaning was still finishing, meaning we couldn’t properly settle in after a long journey. During the stay, several issues continued: heating took a long time to work, WiFi details were incorrect, the downstairs shower was blocked and flooded, and the freezer had food left from previous guests. There was also a persistent unpleasant smell in both bathrooms, and the toilet seat in the main bathroom was loose and not properly fixed. Additionally, some lights were not working, suggesting poor maintenance checks. After checkout,two members of our group, including my father, developed multiple itchy bite marks. Given the condition of the property on arrival, this raised serious concerns about possible hygiene issues such as bed bugs. We also had an uncomfortable interaction with neighbours regarding parking,despite parking considerately and checking restrictions in advance. This should be clearly communicated to guests. After all the issues, a late checkout was only offered at extra cost