My £10,000 staycation nightmare: I booked a 4-week family break in an idyllic coastal town but was met with migraine-inducing noise, a sofa smelling of animal urine and a leaky shower

The coastal towns of Walberswick and Southwold, separated by the Blyth River, miraculously seem untouched by time.

Divided by reclaimed salt marshes and flower-laden meadows, they offer a rare pastoral beauty.

One can almost imagine John Constable at his easel, sketching the ancient sailing boats and fishermen’s crofts that line Southwold’s harbor.

The letting agency Suffolk Secrets dominates the holiday market here. It appears to have much the same hold over rental properties as Adnams has over the pubs, with their wonderful hop-laden ales.

When, earlier this year, our family decided on a staycation, we planned to stay for four weeks somewhere with our extended family — and Suffolk Secrets worked for us. Like millions of others, we wanted to stay at home this year and enjoy the British summer.

Quietude is what we wanted, too, so that — in between cycling, hiking, and swimming — we could relax and work, untroubled by the noises of the city. That wish turned out to be a chimera.

Suffolk Secrets came up with a well-appointed, newish home in Walberswick, just a short bike ride across a picturesque bridge from Southwold.

My daughter, Jessica, even took the precaution during a weekend break in the area to check out the property. It seemed ideal. We paid £10,000 to stay for four weeks.

There was, alas, a neglected detail on the particulars which was obvious to my wife, Tricia, and me as soon as we arrived to open up the property at the start of August. The entrance to the lane where we are staying was lined with red-and-white cones and there was a notice of a construction site.

Our arrival was at the weekend and the only sound to be heard was the excited wailing of herring gulls. But all that changed on a Monday morning — and every weekday since.

We have been forced to spend our vacation with the rumbling of heavy bulldozers, diggers, and lorries moving backward and forwards, emitting high-pitched safety warnings.

This migraine-inducing nuisance has been accompanied by the shouts of workmen and deafening mechanical hammering.

The large construction site, where foundations are being dug for two multi-million-pound luxury homes, is adjacent to our back garden and separated from it by a fragile fence. There is no escaping the noise unless we venture out.

Now, I know my experience won’t be unique. Holiday nightmares often happen when we’re abroad, but the question is: what happens when you’re stuck at home? Whose fault is it, and how do we prove it?

In the kitchen, we found a letter from developers East Green Homes dated June 5, 2023. It informed the ‘Resident’ that they are the builders ‘for the demolition of the existing and construction of two new family homes’.

At no time between June and the start date of our reservation did anyone from Suffolk Secrets, or the property’s owner, think to inform us of the impending construction and the disturbance it might cause us.

On his arrival 24 hours after us, our son-in-law Dan, as the lead renter, rang Suffolk Secrets to register our disquiet. Our request was for a similar home of equal quality and size away from the noise and dust (the agents had declined to take my call because I was not the lead renter).

Our mood as tenants was not helped by a wonky TV service, a sofa smelling of animal urine, a leaky shower, a malfunctioning hot water system, and an infestation of pesky wasps (outside — so the agents can’t be blamed for that).

Eventually, after several polite but fraught calls, my son-in-law was able to talk to an executive of Suffolk Secrets who was not just feigning to listen and who promised some action.

This person’s defense of the failure to inform us was that it was a matter for the owner — we, of course, had no idea who that was — not the agency. They would, however, contact the owner.

It turned out the owner had known there would be building works but seemed ignorant of the date. This was despite the letter from East Green Homes sitting at the house, informing them his work would start ‘shortly’.

On a further call, we were told there was no possibility of a relocation, and the owner was prepared to offer a 20 percent discount on the approximately £10,000 rental. We have accepted this.

As useful as a repayment will be, it in no way compensates for a disturbed holiday and the way it interferes with how members of the family can make vital calls and complete work assignments.

What is most disgraceful is the way that the letting agent, Suffolk Secrets — our contract is with them, after all — immediately sought to slough off responsibility to the anonymous owner with whom we have had no direct contact.

The attitude of the agents was high-handed, only just polite, and very much in the noble English tradition of ‘not our job, guv’. This has been in sharp contrast to the friendly and kind reception we have received from other residents and in local cafes and shops.

Neither the letting agents nor the owner has any direct control over the construction work being undertaken next door.

But to me, it seems they do have a duty to inform tenants of prospective works, given that the building firm itself had let neighbors know about these two months earlier.

Had we known, there is no way we would have rented the property.

There are often complaints about disappointing Airbnb rentals. At least with those, however, there is a 24-hour service that allows complaints to be dealt with in a timely fashion — and a clever feedback/review and points system.

In the case of Suffolk Secrets, one might as well be talking to the dunes.

A spokesman from Suffolk Secrets says: ‘We understand that previous guests have enjoyed a pleasant stay at the property, with it achieving a four-star rating on our website. It is therefore disappointing to hear that on this occasion, one of our properties has fallen short of meeting guests’ expectations.

‘We have apologized for the disruption. Regrettably, neither the homeowner nor Suffolk Secrets were made aware of the building works before their stay.

‘While these works are ongoing, all future confirmed and potential bookings will be contacted ahead of their stay to notify them of this disruption.

‘Depending on the schedule of works, we will offer two options — either providing a discount, which will also be highlighted on the website or transferring the booking to an alternative property, subject to availability.

‘We have also been made aware of several other concerns raised by the guests during their stay at the property. As a priority, we have taken steps to address these with the homeowner, and our managed services team has visited the property.

‘We have offered a 20 percent refund on their total stay, which has been accepted.

‘We are liaising with the guests to see how else we can best support them for the rest of their stay. This includes offering them three options: to stay at the property for the remainder of the stay; to return home and receive a refund for the remainder of their stay; or to be relocated to an alternative property.’