I totally love this company! My family and I have use them for years. We have never had a problem with them and there properties are beautiful.
I cannot recommend Blue Heron to anyone. Their website is terribly out of date, with many properties no longer managed by BH. Lou Sr. is just horrible to deal with. If you email him, he replies tersely and rarely answers your question, so you need to send several messages to get a semi-coherent or helpful response.Finally, even though they refer to their properties to luxury rentals, in an email message, Lou Sr. told me I had booked a budget rental and thats why they didnt provide paper goods or dishwasher soap. Hmmm....Stay clear of this place and rent from a business such as Airbnb or VRBO. BH seems to be a part time hobby for Lou.Oh, and they only take credit cards if youre willing to pay an 2.5% service charge. That means your deposit will be returned to you via check, and Lou takes his sweet time getting that to you. I sent numerous follow up emails, only to learn that they generally take a month to return the deposit to you. If I had been told that in my first inquiry to Lou, I wouldnt have needed to keep following up with him, only to receive rude and unhelpful replies I havent got around to it or it has not been done yet.
While quick and responsive to book the rental for 3 weeks there was no responsiveness to significant concerns. First, every inch of carpeting in this home was covered in pet hair which clearly had accumulated over time. I am allergic to pet hair an immediately noticed my reaction, however assumed it was an allergy to something outdoors. The air conditioning was not working, and having been a landlord myself, I knew to first check the air filter ---- which was covered with so much pet hair it restricted air flow. Not having a spare, and moreover it being the management companies responsibility, I called and 3 days later Lou returned a call and came out. Suffering from the heat and having shut off the A/C we had the doors open. Lou came in on his own after a knock and immediately said condescendingly air conditioning will not work with the doors open. I walked him to the thermostat to show him we had no choice but to turn it off and he said well it has to be on to work. At this point I realized I was talking to a human who had no regard for others nor their potential intelligence. At which point I showed him the dog hair on the filter and said it would be wise to change it, to see if that was the first issue. Then I stated that their pet free policy was not upheld and that I had been reacting to the home through the stay which at that point was nearly 5 days into a 3 week stay. I told him I called repeatedly the various numbers in the management book that was on the kitchen table and he pulled it from me and said, well thats outdated, you should have come to the office. How am I to go to the office when I cant even get a call through to verify that someone is there? He proceeded to vacuum the filter, turned on the air and it began to work. The following day I called and asked to be transferred to another property. No call back. I replied to the email that they used to communicated with me to gain the initial booking. ---- no reply. I called a few more times over the next few days --- no reply. This is the worst possible property management company ive ever rented from. Not responsive and when they are, they treat you as if you are ignorant. Beware. It is easy for the company to respond apologetically AFTER you have stayed. But it is another to respond WHILE the issues are present and you have requested assistance at the time of their occurrence!
The worst rental experience of my life. In my opinion:Half of the garage and closets were in use for the owners property. I repeatedly asked for the boat to be removed from the garage to no avail. Every closet and cabinet was 20-50% full of old stained pillows, cat toys/supplies, or dried out spices. Everything in the place appears to have come from a garage sale.Circuit breakers popped repeatedly. There was not clear access to the breakers so I either crawled into and over the boat to reset them or waited for a member of the Blue Heron team named Lou Alfieri to reset them.Lou Alfieri could not grasp the rules of a Landlord and Tenant relationship. I would send an email and Lou would show up un-announced, a day or two later to try to reset a breaker, or restart a broken fan.On Aug 4, 2020 Lou let himself into the garage and knocked on the laundry room door. Who wouldnt be surprised by this intrusion? Lou was advised to call ahead and schedule a date and time for repairs. On Aug 28 Lou again entered the property without calling, texting, or emailing ahead. As I stood in my pajamas, he was again asked and told not to enter the closed garage without prior arrangements. By this time Lou has been made aware of the breakers popping, lanai fan not working, fish canal light tripping, ants infesting the dock, sea wall, lanai, kitchen, and bathrooms, and one of the advertised bicycles not working. This property is not in very good shape and Lous behavior is unacceptable if not criminal. I say this as it has come to my attention that the breakers have been reset. This means, that while I ran errands with my husband, Lou was probably in the garage, just feet away from my grandchildren.I would not, under any circumstance, recommend blue heron llc.
Easy booking and good service when you need it
Have rented from Lou and Rita several times. The homes are beautiful and well appointed. Lou and Rita always very responsive to inquiries and helpful in recommendations to find the perfect place . Have never had an issue while at one of their homes, but I’m confident they’d be just as responsive!
We have rented from Blue Heron for our last two vacation and again this year. I would highly recommend them to anyone. They are very professional and the homes are well kept and stock with everything you need. (Except food and personal care products. )