Have you rented a villa? Please Help

[Cheap-n-Dale]

I have found the perfect house for our group, a great price, for our exact dates. I found it through www.vrbo.com, and I have been working with the owner who happens to live in England. Seems like a very nice couple, and this seems to be the only villa they own in Orlando. Everything thing is set. Then it suddenly dawns on me, I am about to send this person in another country, who I don't know $1200. The total balance includes the rent, a $150 deposit that is refundable, and heat for the pool. Just wondering is this the way this is done? What if anything can I do to protect myself? The listing on VRBO.COM has been there since 2/2001, but other then that, I have no clue to the legitimacy of these owners. They said once they receive payement, they will send me a security code for the villa. Does that sound right? Any help or past experience would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MARCIAKAZ]

Hello We did the very same thing last August (a condo). The only differences I see are that we paid a deposit, then received a rental agreement and some more detailed info (such as the unit number) and directions and an access code to a keybox. We sent the rental agreement back signed, and the balance of the rental 30 days before our check in date. It was a problem-free experience. However, looking back, I wonder should we have gotten some references or something?? Maybe all's well that ends well, but I see no sure-fire secure way of doing this sort of rental.

 

[akearsesmithy]

Hi, We also have rented the past 3 years from a couple from England. (I found them on V.R.B.O.) Ifelt5 morew comfortable sendind c.c. number because I have never had to send entire amount until 60 days before visit. We have found the experience wonderful!! We have stayed on-site but this is by far the best for us! I agree that it might be wise to check for ref. but I guess we were fortunate that this couple has been wonderful! I did call them and discuss amentities,etc and I did find that beneficial. Hope your stay is wonderful!!!

 

[megaelch]

and yes .. this is the way it is done.. to make you feel better you can ask the owner for references of previous renters and send a mail and ask if everything went well.
If it is a "good" owner he will gladly provide the references !

Stephan

 

[kaylajr]

we have rented form the past and the owners both times were from UK
and both times we had to send a deposit and then 60 days from arrival balance was DUE

both times i sent my payment to the managament compnay here in the US and they forwarded the money to the owners

just last week we were at the second home and it was GREAT
i can't wait to go back and now that i am familiar with the owner i will have no problem mailing the money directly to her

if your nervous i say ask for references
they should be willing to give you a few without any hassle

 

[JANNYANS]

If you know the owners name and the county where the home is situated you can check on county records that they actaully own property there.Otherwise -do as Kayla suggests and ask the the details of their management company and ask questions of them .Please try not to get yourself uptight before your holiday -owners will do all they can to put your mind at rest and answer any questions you have as they want you to have a great time in their home they realise it may be a once in a lifetime thing for their guests and want nothing to go wrong.Also bear in mind that the owner doesn't know you so the trust is a two way thing although I do appreciate it is a big step if you have not done it before .Relax and enjoy your vacation -there are great onwers out there just as there great guests.

 

[Cheap-n-Dale]

Thanks to everyone for the info. I have gotten nothing but good vibes from this couple, I just needed a reality check. I will try to get some references, but my clock is ticking, for a Christmas trip. I may just have to take a leap of faith. One thing I don't really understand is the management Companies role, when the owner is doing all the renting activities. Is it really just a someone in charge of cleaning and maintenace?


Anyway, thanks again everyone. We are really looking forward to staying in a villa.

 

[JANNYANS]

The management company is your contact for any problems you might have during your stay.They will clean the home before and after your visit and do a report to send back to the owner if there is anything that would warrant the owner holding back the security.In some cases their role goes a little further but not i ways that will affect your visit.It is impossible for an owner who lives abroad to operate without a management company to look after the house cut the lawns and clean the pool .

 

[Cheap-n-Dale]

Thanks Jan,
Thats kind of what I figured. I guess I incorrectly assumed that an owner, especially over seas, would prefer to let someone else handle the bookings. I suppose that would cut your revenue significantly. I am very interested in this as an investment down the road. Do you know of any good informational web sites that kind of lay out all the costs? All the ones I find are all sales directed. I am certainly not trying to get into your business, its just that I see by your signiture you have been an owner for some time, so thought you may have that information.

One last thing I feel compelled to mention (and I am not sure why) , especially since you are from the U.K. During this process of finding a villa, I have met the nicest people from Europe. Even if they had no availability for my dates, they were always there to help or refer me to someone else. One very nice couple from Ireland, actually invited us to stay with them, if we were ever over there. I think she actually meant it Don't get me wrong, I am not surprised there are nice people in Europe, its just that since I have always dealt with resorts that really don't give a flip about you until you spend your money with them, it has been wonderful, dealing with the community of villa owners.

 

[JANNYANS]

No offence taken at all.

The reason I think that owners who deal with their homes themselves are so helpful is because they consider it a second home and not just something from which they may make a bit of money and they take an active interest in who goes in and in doing all they can to ensure their hard earned vacation goes smoothly .By dealing direct you can build up a rapport with the owner and ask question and whether this is included or is that available and many owners will move the earth to get it put in if it is at all possible .As you say a third party probably haven't got the time or the inclination to be able to do these things they are after all running a business .
As regard owning I will send you a pm as the pros and cons are too great to go into here.

 

[Mainebound]

You might want to check and see if your home is also listed on orlandovillas.com or its sister sites. The reason I suggest this is that all the homes on these 3 websites are "verified", which basically means the webmaster has checked that the owner owns the listed home at the county records office. In searching for our rental home for Feb 05 (from a U.K. family) we noticed homes tended to be listed on several sites, so it is worth a try.

Second, we purchased comrehensive trip insurance. Different policies cover different things, but you might want to check it out.

have fun!

 

[Cheap-n-Dale]

Update:

I was able to get the name of the Management Company, and confirm that everything is on the up and up. This villa, is even listed on the managment companies web site. Still a bit nervous, but nothing that will slow me down.

Thanks again to everyone.

 

[maps]

mainebound, i did exactly as you have said. I have rented from a management company the last 2 yrs but this coming feb i'm renting directly from the owner.

they were listed on orlandovillas and they even have their own website. the house is beautiful and i can't wait!

 

[PattiPB]

I know it seems kinda weird, but the system works!!!!

Since you are going this December, you are already below the normal 60 day full-payment period, which is probably why you had to forward the full amount immediately.

We can't wait! A month from today we'll be walking into our home rental and starting our vacation. We just received the final information email from our owners about the management company, security code, lock box, etc., etc., etc.!!!