Anyone booked thru vrbo.com for townhouses/homes?

[Daisy57b]

Hi everyone!!!

I haven't been on in a while and wanted to see who all used this website - www.vrbo.com to reserve a townhouse, etc. I stayed in Emerald Island in March and loved it. We booked thru closesttodisney.com that time. However, for this trip it would be nice to pick the exact place we would be staying.

With the vrbo it seems you go thru the owner, but that seems a little risky to me. Did you give them a deposit before checking in? Can you tell me how the process worked for you? And where you stayed?

Thanks!!

 

[disneysteve]

As you noted, with vrbo you are renting direct from the actual owner. Each owner has his/her own policies and procedures so there is no way to give a generalized answer to your questions.

I have rented from private owners numerous times and have never had a problem. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again or to recommend it to a friend. Just be sure you understand all the terms and conditions before you send any money. Know what the cancellation policy is. Know where the property is located and see photos of the ACTUAL property, not just a sample property in the complex. Do your homework and you'll be fine.

 

[Mainebound]

We just booked a villa we found on vrbo in Emerald Island for March 05! It had many guest-entered positive comments with the guest's email address and full name -- a must for us. The villa had its own detailed website with lots of information. I won't be able to review it until March, but the owners (a family in England -- my preference) have responded quickly to every question.

The villa was also a "Verified" villa on orlandovillas.com, which means the owner of that website checked city records against the owner's name to ensure that they really are the owners. That website has forums which have been helpful to me in choosing a home.

We sent a personal check for a nonrefundable $350 deposit with the balance due 8 weeks prior to our arrival. This is standard from what I can tell. Because we lose the total amount of the rent if we cancel within 8 weeks of our stay we bought trip insurance. This villa asks for a credit card swipe when you check in up to $200 for a security deposit to be returned within 4 weeks, also S.O.P. from what I can tell.

We read the contract carefully and asked lots of questions before booking.

Hope this helps!

 

[torismom]

VRBO is awesome. I have used it to book home's and have our's listed there, as well. Everyone I have dealt with likes it. I am going through VRBO now looking for a cabin in Gatlinburg. I think you will be happy with your expereince using VRBO.

Have fun going through all the homes.

 

[jeffreyml]

We just returned yesterday from a stay in Florida thru VRBO. We also stayed in a house through VRBO last April in WDW. The owners are great to deal with and more than happy to accomidate you..