Sandcastle Realty

We have rented from Sandcastle Realty for many years and unfortunately experienced unethical business practices our last couple rentals. Despite taking pride in how we leave the properties in accordance with the check-out instructions and leaving it in immaculate condition we have experienced difficulty getting our security deposit back the last few years. Too many delays and lies on why the security deposit was not refunded has resulted in our conclusion that the owner Doug is running a scam operation taking tenants security deposit based on false allegations and in violation of Delaware law. To those reading this review and considering renting a house from this business … BEWARE! The security deposit you pay is most likely to become a donation to Doug unless you want to retain an attorney and file suit to get it back.

702 S. Ocean Dr., S. Bethany, DE
We had a wonderful week at this place. The updates of bathrooms and the enclosed porch and deck were great assets. We had one family member recovering from a hospitalization and the porch was a great place for him to enjoy the beach. The only problem was that the sockets in the bathrooms did not work.

I have been staying at Bethany Beach for over thirty years, since I was a little girl myself. This past summer I had the privilege of taking my own young children to Bethany Beach, but after so many years, our time vacationing there will come to an end. During the week our family was ignored by Sandcastle when we reached out to get our pool cleaned due to storming from Hurricane Erin. This rendered the pool dirty and full of debris for most of the week, forcing my children to stop swimming in the pool before the week’s conclusion. At checkout, my family and I did the final walk-through, leaving the house smelling clean, surfaces and floors wiped down and swept, and bathrooms in better condition than when we arrived at the house. Now it is October, and I learn that we will not be getting our security back due to a vague explanation that the house was left a mess.

This is grievously offensive, as we have family members with sensitive health conditions that required us all to be the utmost aware of cleanliness for the duration of the rental. In addition, the pictures and video of our walkthrough tell a different story and do not show any “mess.” Bethany Beach has been a beautiful escape for so many years, but this company has made it stressful to vacation there. What a shame.