Is this typical of vacation home owners?

[connorlevismom]

My final payment is not due until next month, but I paid it in full a few weeks ago. I contacted the owner about the paperwork, address and code and she told me that she would send it all a few weeks before our arrival. I would prefer it now, since I have paid for everything and because I am trying to hire transportation that needs the address. So I asked her if it was possible to get the paperwork sooner because of these things and she said that she would give me the address sooner, but the paperwork would come at the regular time. But in the email she did not disclose the address.

What is the deal? Am I unreasonable to ask for the paperwork to prove that I paid for the house and all the information that comes with it? We are renting 4 homes down there and I paid the first one in full a few months back and got the paperwork a few days later. It makes me feel uneasy that this owner is reluctant to give me the information even though I have paid for everything.

Is this a normal policy? I have never rented a vacation home before, so renting 4 at once is a little scary!

 

[Brian Noble]

Each owner is different, and handles things differently. For most of them, they only own this one house plus the one they live in, and they have "day jobs" in addition to being (very much part time) landlords---and some of them have "a system" to keep the work manageable. So, I'm not sure there is anything that is "normal". Some are also cautious about how much information they release, because in addition to a lot of honest renters out there, there are a few scammers looking for (often unoccupied) rental homes they can rob.

While I don't think you are being unreasonable in wanting the information more quickly, I'm not sure it really makes that much of a difference either way, and it is probably not worth pushing---you don't want to be "that renter," for a variety of reasons.

I know this is a little bit unsettling the first time you do it, but the vast (vast!) majority of these transactions go off without a hitch---I know it's easy for me to say, but things are almost certainly going to be just fine, and you'll love this vacation. We rent homes both in Orlando and on the Outer Banks pretty regularly, and while there are some hiccups dealing directly with owners, they have never been serious.

 

[sympatico]

Does this owner just have one home that you're renting? If so then go on the tax records site and find out the address for yourself. Each county has its own site. If it's a management company you're using then it's a little harder to find out that info.
I always know the address of the home even before I send a quote request.
It's not unusual for the paperwork to come just a week before your departure. As Brian said each owner is different in the way they do things.
One time we were down to 3 days and still hadn't received the codes and I finally got in touch with the owner. She had been on vacation and thought that she had already sent me the info.
They have to protect their interests too, some are more diligent at doing this than others. Some don't show availability calendars just because they don't want crooks to know when their home is empty.

 

[formill]

We always do a search on the tax record site as well.......and then you can go online and go on google maps and see more pictures of exactly where it is and the surroundings. https://www.osceola.county-taxes.com/public So far all villas we have rented have been in this county.

 

[JANNYANS]

Most owners I know will work different ways but they will have all the information the guests need in a format that is quick and easy to send out whether that is by e mail or by regular mail so I cannot see the problem with your owner sending it sooner than is "normal " for her if you have paid ahead of time .

 

[JANNYANS]

We always do a search on the tax record site as well.......and then you can go online and go on google maps and see more pictures of exactly where it is and the surroundings. https://www.osceola.county-taxes.com/public So far all villas we have rented have been in this county.

Checking the tax collectors site will not always show if the owner is in trouble.Most owners who decide to walk away in the end have a mortgage and the taxes will always be paid by the mortgage company whether the mortgage has been paid or not .
The better site for finding more information is the official records of the county in question