Smart Home Rentals Reviews

I would have rated no stars if it was an option! My friends and I booked a four bedroom property last November for 3 nights starting today. I messaged through Booking.com for the check in details on Monday, Tuesday and yesterday and left voicemails too, I had no response at all. I took it up with Booking.com who have arranged a refund but my friends and I who all had our cases packed have been seriously let down!! I am very surprised that Booking.com still advertise for this awful company as it now looks like we were not alone. I do believe that we have swerved a bullet by the sound of it! Avoid at all costs!!!

Description: 2 bed apartment with balcony, parking and 3 mins walk to beach in Bournemouth near Alum Chine Beach. DO NOT have any business with Smart Holiday Rentals. We booked 2 properties in Bournemouth from 9th August- 16th August 2025 with them. We sent several messages to them a few days before 9th August to ask for key collection info. They did not reply to our messages. The phone number listed on booking.com website is not valid. We called booking.com customer service and was told we had to wait until after check in time and to call them again to make the complaint and request a refund. So, after the check in time we still had no contact from the property company. We called booking.com again and we were told we had to wait for another 45 minutes before they can process our refund. At this point, Saturday afternoon 5pm, 11 of us including 2 elderlies, 2 young children and a baby were hungry and tired looking for somewhere to stay, at least for the night. (In the height of summer when all suitable accommodation will already have been rented). Guess what? The property its still available on booking.com for next week 16th August - 23rd August!! We booked through booking.com which we had used many years without any issues. This is the first time something like this has happened. I can not believe the company was allowed to be advertised on booking.com with a fake phone number and an email address that they never respond from (even to booking.com).

Pathetic company. Never rent anything out from them. They gave us a room with a broken bed and had the audacity to charge us for the broken bed deducting 50 pounds from our refundable deposit. Do not trust these vipers and avoid them. They are on Airbnb as well. Please avoid them there too

Absolutely shocking customer service and threw our lost property in the bin without notice or apology. Property was grubby and could hear EVERYTHING through the walls. On the day we left the property I contacted the company to advise some items had been left behind. I was assured I would be contacted when they were found. After a week of waiting I had to chase this and was told the items had indeed been found including my 6 yr old daughter’s unopened birthday Lush products and medication (although I had not been informed as such and I’m not confident I would have been at all) and they would get back to me as to when I could collect them. I had to chase this again the following day as no one got back to me, and was eventually told where and when I could collect them. Upon arrival one item was returned safely (charging wire) but we were then given a carrier bag full of someone else’s lost property! I refused this and was advised they would contact the cleaner to get the correct items. 3 days later after having to chase this again and waiting an additional 3 days for a response to my chasing, I was told that the items had been put in the bin as they were broken. I called the office confused and frustrated as to why they had taken it upon themselves to discard our items after 2 weeks of me attempting to have them returned. I was shocked at how the staff dealt with this complaint, being told “there are bigger issues going on in the world” and I shouldn’t be making such a big deal out of it as the items could not have been used and easily replaced (by me). I explained that they could in fact be used but regardless is was not their choice to make and I would have chosen to have them returned whatever condition they were in. I was also told that their policy was to put lost property in the bin anyway if it had not been collected within 2 weeks and that the situation was my own fault because I was the one who left it. I reminded them that I contacted them many times within this two week period and now the story doesn’t add up, did you bin them because they were damaged or because you have let this issue carry on for 2 weeks due to your poor communication? No apology, all blame on me and no compensation or offer to replace the items. I asked to speak a manager and was advised no one was available but they would get a message to them to contact me. Again no response so I had to chase this. The staff then advised they had spoken to their manager who “refused to deal with the matter further” but didn’t think it necessary to communicate this with us. The staff were rude, sarcastic and utterly unprofessional. I have never experienced worse customer service in my entire life, and we now have a very upset birthday girl as the items were limited edition to her favourite character. The property itself was grubby. The skirting boards and rugs looked as though they had not been cleaned in quite some time, both dusty and dirty. There were drink spill stains all over the walls next to the bed. There was food/stains rubbed into the fabric of the dining chairs. The roller blind to the patio door was broken and the door incredibly stiff to lock/unlock. We were told to park in a space directly to the side of the building only to be told off by another occupant for doing so. The walls were so thin I could actually hear the neighbour blowing their nose and showering in the bathroom every morning as though they were in the room with us. I appreciate this is a flat but I think that’s excessive! I would advise not to have any dealings with this company.

Booked three nights at agoda.com after talking to property owner of Ingledene House and Smart Rentals(manages the property-the lady i spoke after booking online to check confirmation was lovely but i did not know how worse the manages the property -which i got to know later on)and found that i have been forcefully 'exited from property access' at 10pm while trying to enter to room after a return from dinner on day 2(in middle of the night and its scary where i have had no idea how to go when my luggages/electronics were inside) and the door code being changed! They(person who i ringed after seeing emergency number which is of Smart Home Rentals staff with phone number ending 559859) told 'it is booked only for one night hence i wont let you in' -when contacted emergency number. After convincing with evidences sent over whatsapp(image attached),i got in to property (but it was not confirmed yet until next day morning at 8am-see image attached) -see my items being placed inside suitcase and found couple of items missing! I raised a complaint with booking.com via agoda (original site where i booked) but they assured to take action in 24 hours but it is 48 hours passed and no action or compensation being made. Whatever i have lost aren't recovered. But talking to the person(smart home rentals staff number ending 559859) next day,she conveyed that she can check with cleaner to bring them back but it never happened. Agoda (website where i booked)customer support was rude in response (telling me 'mad' about situation) and they told it is booking.com (their partner) being intimated about three night stay when insisted. But the lady who manages this property (smart home rentals) keep on sticking to the point as it is one night stay and hence it was unsettling to stay in property until the next day. Room: No sugar/milk for day 1 (they kept later after day 2 during cleaning), room is very hot, shower water comes extremely slow and they did not keep wifi info anywhere! (They did mention to find pwd in some place but the place doesn't exist). TV is there for the photo purpose to show but it never worked or configured. The second floor lights are off and it is your mere luck if you manage to walk on stairs at night with mobile phone torch! I lost couple of items when they entered to room without my knowledge but not sure what else being taken from me in the luggage. Room heaters never worked when temperature gone down. Shower door never close in full hence result in water leak to floor. Bed is so small and never know how they discovered such small to accomodate two adults. Insects (spiders) on the roof. Communication with Smart Home rentals was pathetic-when asking about any cleaning on particular day,she did not respond at all. Joke: She even went on to ask how did you get on to the property on first day? :) When i sent email with instructions being received,its sort of Smart Home Rentals having no clue or coordination between the staffs. Especially a rude attitude from her when i spent three times the money then the hotel deserved is something unacceptable. If your property listed under Smart Home Rentals,it is guaranteed to go two star rated property rather than five. Example: Ingledene House,Bournemouth

I was booked in for a virtual viewing for over a week, only to be forgotten and not be given any contact by the agent I had spoken to previously. After calling to ask what happened to the viewing, I was given clearly bull**** excuses as to what happened with it, and they could not offer me another date for a viewing. I feel bad for the landlord who is using them as their agent, no wonder the property hasn't been let for well over a year! Will steer clear from this (supposed) company, and advise anyone else to do so.

I was letting out my holiday flat through Smart Home Rentals (now renamed as Smart Holiday Rentals) for 18 months between 2021 and 2022. I received months of incorrect invoices or invoices not paid at all, and a number of occasions where monies were deducted from my account for services I had not authorised and in some instances, had not even received. Whilst I was paying a premium for a ‘fully managed’ service, I found I was having to very closely manage SHR myself to ensure we were being paid appropriately. Not what I signed up for!! I finally threw in the towel when I discovered that our property had been let at bargain basement prices throughout the 2022 season, significantly below the rates we’d agreed with SHR. I asked for our keys to be returned, and found SHR sent them second class, untracked via Royal Mail. Completely irresponsible and careless. The keys have now been lost, and SHR refuse to take any responsibility or cover cost of getting our locks replaced. Given SHR struggled with the basics of pricing, payment and customer service (holiday home owners are their customers too), I would urge caution to anyone considering using them. I have raised all of these issues with SHR but have sadly been met with indifference.

Really enjoyed our short stay in Lightwater, Surrey. Lovely little property in a very nice and quiet area. We were very well looked after by the office team on the admin side of things. Swift deposit return, seamless check in/out. We will recommend and use again!

NOT COVID CLEAN I wish I was able to able to add photos to illustrate what I am saying. The property on Studland Road, Bournemouth, did not remotely feel Covid safe. It was not remotely clean, and basic essentials loo roll, shower gel etc were missing. Bathroom sink was full of water, and we were unable to use during our stay. Paint was peeling on a door, and there was rust on radiators, window sills. They failed to tell us when the apartment was ready as agreed, and also sent a workmen over at 8AM without notice on our checkout morning. I called the agency, and I have provided photos of everything with feedback as we were so unhappy with our stay. All I have received back from them is a defensive and rude email that doesn’t address any of the problems in the flat. I am now more disgusted with the agencies attitude and rudeness than the actual property, which was also dreadful. Do not use this agency.

SmartHomes are completely incompetent as a letting agent. For a short term holiday rental the tenant was left waiting for over 3 hours after due time to enter with no communication from agent. Property was not as described and was in really poor location. You cannot trust this agent.

Very sad to be leaving the area, we will certainly miss Bournemouth. Hope to be back sometime soon. We are incredibly thankful to Smart Homes for making our move go smoothly what could have been a very stressful experience! We will also miss our little cottage! Thanks for Lilli's hamper, she enjoyed the treats, her little blanket will always remind us of the great time we had. Once again, thanks for all your help and hope you enjoyed the chocolates! Rita, Jeff, Marco and Lilli xx

I highly recommend not to deal with Smart Home rentals. Customer Service is poor! Stayed in a property 6 Sandbourne road, the amount of money being charged to what was on offer is beyond a joke! I complained after staying at this property and for some reason Smart Home Rentals thought there was no issues at all, and said they checked the property before I arrived. They clearly lied. They failed to see: Bedroom on floor one - the smell was unbearable to sleep in and this was the mattress - which smelt very bad- unacceptable Carpets throughout the house very stained and a bad smell running through the house , stains on ceiling.. I could go on. Then for some reason its taken over one month for them to contact the landlord and provide a response, which again was beyond a joke.

I thought I would spend the time to thank this lovely team (Smart Home Rentals) for the wonderful service they provide to guests. They are so prompt to and so caring. with 24 hrs of our arrival we received a courtesy call to ensure we were alright if all was in order, we had a small request and this was promptly dealt with. Just wanted to say thank you for making our stay so amazing and pleasant. Loved it! and highly recommended.

Easy company to deal with, great service with kind and courteous staff.