Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates Reviews 10

I just would like to start by saying my family and I have been vacationing in the OBX for over 30 years.

We booked our house (Property 105 The Remedy) roughly 6 months in advance. After driving 10 hours and waiting to get into our vacation house, we were told the house had roaches and was probably because of the previous guests. Joe Lamb said we can stay the night for free, or have our group split into 2 houses that were 5 miles apart. We stayed the night and there were plenty of roaches. The next day we asked for additional places we can move to where our whole group can stay together, and we were told we cannot go anywhere because we could possibly bring the roaches into one of their other houses. This should have explained before. We were then stuck in a roach filled house. After doing some research on German cockroaches, it was apparent those roaches were there for probably a month before we arrived.

We tried to make the best of it, bought totes for all food to go in. We killed roaches throughout the whole trip. Roaches in the drawers, in the sink, on the walls, in the bedrooms. We asked for a large percentage of money back for dealing with the circumstance. Ruth (the owner) would only provide a 18% refund. The frustration we faced after expecting a nice relaxing week on the beach was unimaginable.
The backyard was overgrown with plants, the boardwalk to the beach had nail heads sticking up all over. There were overgrown thorns on the boardwalk as well. It was like no one took care of the place. Some lady walked into to the yard unannounced and said she was going to come back to clean it up. She never returned.
We had an issue with a bath, the workers just walked right into the house.
When all was said and done, Joe Lamb said that we left the house a mess. Blatantly lying. We cleaned that house throughout our stay. Vacuuming constantly, washing everything down. If anything, the house looked better than it did after their cleaners were done.

As I stated in the beginning, this was not my first OBX trip, but it was by far the worst. Joe Lamb Jr. doesn't care about having their guests stay in a roach filled house. They set us up knowing we had nowhere else to go. We stayed at this house in July 25', and it has taken me so long to write this review because I get mad thinking about how poorly they treated us.

If you are interested in vacationing in the OBX, steer clear of Joe Lamb Jr. There are plenty of better companies that look out for your best interest. Ones that want you to come back time and time again.

I’ve rented from them and now they manage my cottage! Great company highly recommend! But people must do their homework because all cottages are NOT created equal and this is not their responsibility.

The house we rented was fine, but the lack of communication and their process to return my $1500 security deposit was deeply disappointing. No response to several emails and phone calls. They retained my deposit for six weeks after the house was documented to be acceptable...no damage at all. Will never rent from them again.

My family stayed at Panasea the week of August 12th 2024. The house was dirty,the floors were sandy,the deck had garbage on it . There must have been mold or dirty air conditioning filters as we all got sick . I would not recommend Joe Lamb . We had many vacations at the outer banks with other realitors and this house was by far the dirtiest.

Have rented with these guys 2X year for a few years now. Great response and service, even with cancelations/changes due to storms, Covid, etc. Relatively few problems with houses they manage, none went unresolved. Now, they can't make the owners get the gigabyte WiFi I'd like them to splurge on, but whatever owners put in got fixed if needed, to the best realistic expectations.

My family and I recently rented a property through Joe Lamb Jr & Associates (Phone #: 252 261-4444) for a much-anticipated vacation in the Outer Banks. Sadly, our experience turned into an absolute nightmare due to the neglectful handling of a serious issue with the A/C unit by the rental company and their recommended vendor, Atlantic Heating and Cooling (Phone #: 252 441-7642).

We rented the property for the week of August 12th through the 19th of 2023 with high hopes for a comfortable and enjoyable stay. However, when we arrived, it was clear that our vacation would be marred by an egregious oversight: a broken A/C unit that struggled relentlessly to maintain a bearable temperature (Please see pictures below).

The top floor of the rental, where our bedrooms were located, felt like a sauna even with the thermostat set at a seemingly reasonable 72 degrees. Instead of the expected cool breeze, our A/C was futilely battling to keep the indoor temperature below a stifling 82 degrees. This issue was not limited to just one unit, as the A/C unit opposite the house also struggled to cope with the heat.

Considering the exorbitant $22,000 rental cost, one would expect basic amenities such as running water, electricity, and a functional cooling system to be a given at the beach. After all, the steep price tag should include the essential comforts required for a relaxing vacation. Even a price tag less of the rental would still be an expectation rather than an option. Unfortunately, this was far from the case.

Within 24 hours of our stay, we promptly contacted Joe Lamb Jr & Associates to report the dire situation. While their initial responsiveness was somewhat encouraging, it quickly became apparent that their actions were nothing but a facade. Two days into our stay, Atlantic Heating and Cooling representative visited the property to inspect the problematic A/C units. To our dismay, no cleaning or repair was undertaken during this visit. The vendor's lack of effort left us feeling even more frustrated and helpless. The vendor kept his interactions with the family at bay, leaving our rental without providing a summary of actions needed for repairs.

To make matters worse, our follow-up communication with Joe Lamb Jr & Associates yielded no satisfactory resolution. The rental company seemed uninterested in addressing our concerns, and we were met with indifference when we sought details about the account of the vendor's visit.

Renters, consider yourselves warned: Joe Lamb Jr & Associates may present themselves as a professional and reliable rental agency, but our experience paints a vastly different picture. Our once-anticipated vacation turned into a week of discomfort, stress, and disappointment due to their negligence and lack of accountability. The broken A/C unit was only half of the problem; the other half was the complete disregard for the well-being and satisfaction of their customers.

In conclusion, I strongly advise against renting from Joe Lamb Jr & Associates if you expect a hassle-free vacation experience. Their inability to address a critical issue promptly and effectively, coupled with their disregard for their customers' concerns, has left me profoundly disillusioned. A vacation rental should provide a sanctuary of comfort and relaxation, but in this case, it became a lesson in how not to treat paying customers. RENTERS BEWARE!

July 31 2022 my family (close and extended) stayed at Peters Cottage rented out by Joe Lamb Jr & Ass. The day we showed up there were apparently issues with the bedding, old sheets not picked up or something. As my wife child and I were pulling in (6 hours after check in) the laundry service was just showing up. The vacuum left for cleaning was clogged (my dad spent ~ 45min cleaning the hoses so it actually vacuumed), there were dirty dishes in the dishwasher and the house was otherwise just a bit, unclean. But it's a beach house on the beach at a reasonable price - for me taking my wife and toddler on their first real beach vacation was well worth the minor inconveniences we were greeted with - these are just important notes to consider, if a high turnover rental agency is missing dishes what else are they missing. In the early morning of August 2nd we were going to find out! Aug 1 was my birthday so I was up late and my wife put our child to sleep and took a late night nap with him - so when I went up to bed we ended up hanging out on the floor next to the bed watching the iPad and around 1230am August 2nd my wife see BEDBUGS scurrying across the sheets towards my toddler! In complete denial I insisted it must be something else - aka prove it. We spent the next hour stripping down the sheets, captured, preserved and ID'd 4 live bedbugs and found dozens of carcasses on the bedframe. This was not something new. So after a sleepless night we notified my Aunt (who was handling the rental) and spent Tuesday - Friday dealing with pesticide applications, maintenance crews, all of our clothes and suitcases in garbage bags on the front porch, hours and hours and hours of washing already clean clothes (you know cause you bring clean clothes on vacation expecting to not have to wash out the beds bugs multiple times), and mattresses on the front "lawn".

Saturday the 6th was our first bedbug free day in the home - check out was Sunday the 7th.

But to really underscore the despicable service provided by Joe Lamb Jr & Ass. Inc their solution to their inability to provide a BEDBUG FREE BEACHFRONT rental was to offer us money this year towards another potentially bedbug ridden rental! I'm not sure how they were able to legally get away with that… and I'm not sure why anyone would want to deal with a business like that.

Rented a home from Joe Lamb Jr in Colington Harbor last summer 2021. The pictures of the home online looked wonderful. But when we arrived the home smelled damp, had soiled and trashy furniture. We reached out to Joe Lamb with detailed pictures and didn't get a response. We also left a negative review of the home which can't be found for the listing either. Joe Lamb's customer service is very disappointing.

Over spring break this year, April 2022, my family and I rented a property through Joe Lamb Realty in the Outerbanks, NC. We ran into several issues which I will list out here and when attempting to seek compensation for the issues, we were low balled by Joe Lamb and the owners of the property. We ultimately decided to accept because it was the easy route. However, they attempted to have us sign a non-disclosure agreement - barring us from sharing our honest opinion with others or leaving any review, if it were negative. We refused and feel these are practices others should be aware of. We have rented several times (usually 2x a year) in the OBX and this is by far the worst property manager/owners we have encountered.

Property: Straight up with a Twist

Owners: Dana J. Katinas & Karen M. Katinas

Joe Lamb Employees worked with:
Jeffrey and Joseph T. Lamb IV

Sunday: Arrived late Sunday evening
Immediately run into some issues, but here is a quick list of all the issues. Besides the poor customer service.

Some bottom locks on outside doors not operational (Deadbolts were operational)
Internet did not work the entire visit
Most of the bedroom TVs did not have access to cable the entire visit
Several remotes without batteries
First drawer in fridge broken - falls out easily and has sharp edges
Urine smell at top of the stairs before top floor
Back bottom door did not have pool door alarm and was never fixed as we were told it was to be on Monday (contractor never showed)
Pool service on Tuesday; we were not notified of and in turn had items removed from the backyard by them
Joe Lamb employee (Jamie) entering the house while we were sleeping.
Nail pops and dangerous elements throughout the deck (my son actually injured himself on one)
No (available) garage access (on the listing as an amenity)
No (functioning) fireplace (notified right before arrival)
No pool access (despite most pools being open in the area at this time and despite someone being by and taking stuff)
Small fridge at upstairs bar was not working (on the listing as an amenity)

Monday: Called Joe Lamb office Monday morning
Was told someone would be by that day due to a few issues

Tuesday: Called Joe Lamb office again Tuesday around lunch
Nobody showed or called back in regards to Monday's call

The lady we spoke with conveyed:
She could not divulge who the pool contractor was or talk to them, said to file a police report ; Said to call Spectrum ourselves to fix the internet/TVs or we could wait on the homeowner to; Then, later left a message that Spectrum would be by Weds. morning to rectify the issue; That there could not be a pee smell because the house was just cleaned

Tuesday: Continued
Around 4pm Joe Lamb employee (Jamie) shows up and walks into the house while my wife/youngest are sleeping
This was rather unnerving to have someone walk into the house we are renting without us answering/letting them in. It was also not conveyed someone would be by.
Jamie attempts to fix internet, but not able. Troubleshoots and swaps out boxes at Spectrum.
o Leaves info of neighboring house wifi, but we were not in distance to connect.
o Said someone will still be by tomorrow

Tuesday: Continued
During this time Jamie was going to Spectrum, I visited the Joe Lamb office and was referred to Jeffrey.
Jeffrey looked and sounded considerably ill and admitted to being sick. Despite this invited me and my small child into his office... Odd to say the least.
Stated Joe Lamb could enter the property at any time without reasonable notice. That it's in the contract. Seems off to me and I did not see this in the contract.
To bear with them and their staff because they have a small staff and a lot of rentals
They'd get internet and TV working and work on the other issues
Jeremy did listen to my concerns, but was not helpful in having them resolved. He ultimately advised I send this email to advise of our grievances.

Wednesday - Sunday
Nobody makes contact with us or shows at the house to address any of the issues

BEWARE of Joe Lamb Jr & Associates

We stayed at the Tides Inn (212) - very disappointed
The following was submitted to the standard Joe Lamb email survey and multiple emails were sent to the staff without any response or acknowledgement. Of course this review is not posted on the Joe Lamb website because.

The unit master bedroom bathroom was clearly either not cleaned at all, or not cleaned very well. Upon our arrival the shower in the master bedroom had a long women's hair hanging on the wall of the shower and used soap still in the bath tub ledge. We were immediately uncomfortable and concerned about what else may have been missed that is not visible.

We arrived early at the house at 11am to beat the traffic and the cleaners finished sometime before 11am. We know this because we could look through windows. So obviously there was not a deep cleaning unless they started before the previous renters left.

Needless to say we were horrified and disappointed. And to think that we are in a once in a hundred year pandemic is mind boggling how this can happen. Is there no quality control? We were not comfortable in the unit knowing it was not properly cleaned and are concerned about the virus.

If we had an option to leave on Sunday we would have if there was another option.

The second major problem was the Wifi did not work. Multiple people staying were counting on that for work purposes. Our daughter is a teacher and had to be able to be on line at 8 Monday morning. She was panicked and had to call multiple people to arrange coverage. Needless to say her vacation started out not as planned. It took two days to resolve.

Other factors that contribute to our disappointment and dissatisfaction was the door on the upper level did not close, an old moldy soap dispenser was left in one of the bathrooms and was used and discovered by one of our guests.

We have pictures to document these issues. Owners should be required to make basic upgrades each year to justify the rates they charge;i.e. new shower curtain liners.

We understand that human error is possible with anything, but given we are in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, this is really unacceptable and would be the last thing to expect