Paying all up front and VRBO

[Anya22]

Should there be a hesitation if a VRBO owner wants you to pay 100% up front for a trip 7 months away, plus a $500 refundable damage deposit? This situation is actually not for Orlando, but a vacation rental in California. I have only rented twice through VRBO and both times were at Windsor Hills so I feel like my knowledge is limited and wondered if any of you have used VRBO more widely. The place gets good reviews, but how are we to know that the owner isn't just going to make off with a ton of our money? Are there any ways to protect yourself? They take Visa and MC with no mention of Paypal. Do I have more protection through Paypal at all if I insist we pay that way?

 

[sympatico]

Sometimes if the owner is giving you a good deal they'll want full payment up front. Vrbo also has a fraud guarantee that you can buy.
https://www.vrbo.com/info/ha-guarantee/travel-with-confidence

 

[alliecat523]

We paid in full for our rental in Hawaii. No issues.

 

[quagmire0]

I'd make sure they have plenty of good, recent reviews. I believe vrbo provides you some protection, assuming you are paying through their system.

 

[Dave1234]

Generally deposit is required then full payment 6-10weeks from checkin. Why do they want it all now? Unless there is a deal being offered I wouldn't think that was usual for Orlando.

 

[mrsabbott]

I have seen that quite a bit on VRBO.. before paying in full, I would make sure to read what the refund policy would be JUST IN CASE you have to cancel your trip for any reason. I put down a deposit on a rental several months in advance but our transmission went out on our main vehicle (along with about a billion other financial "surprises") that caused us to have to cancel our vacation plans. I emailed the people we were renting from to let them know. It was a good 4 months before our trip at least.. they cancelled our reservations but we did not get our deposit back.

That said, I think VRBO is a pretty good/safe place to rent from. Providing the condo/owner has had good reviews and you are comfortable with the refund policy then I would feel comfortable with paying up front.. especially if it were a good deal.

 

[hazer99]

We paid in full for our rental in Hawaii. No issues.

What method did you use to pay?

 

[J'aime Paris]

I have 2 rentals on VRBO, so maybe I can be of help. If you do the transaction through VRBO, you are protected. Find out about the cancellation policy, or buy insurance.

Owners can dictate their own rental policies....you will find a big variance among place to place.

The refundable damage deposit "tends" to be more money on larger dwellings, often including a pool. Our happens to only be $100, but we have 1bed/1bath condos.
The option to pay half now, pay $300 now, pay all now exists. We normally require $300 down to secure the reservation, but during certain festivals/high occupancy we change that.
We allow cancellation up to 45 days prior with no monetary penalty. Our places normally rebook quite easily. But this is not the case for all owners and they will set their policy accordingly.

Have you reached out to the owners? Good reviews and good communication are key! I get back to my guests very, very quickly. It gives them piece of mind to know I'm available and receptive to their questions. Good luck!

 

[dish rag]

Ive always paid a deposit then cash the day of.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

We have generally found that a deposit is required at booking, with the balance to be paid between 30 and 90 days in advance. We carefully examine and confirm cancellation policies before booking as some are pretty extreme. Frankly, I am not about to rent from someone who will keep hundreds of $ of a deposit if you cancel months in advance, and those people are out there.

We have never had a problem paying the balance before our stay, but also please read fraud protection materials carefully!!!! After many stays, we have never had a bad experience going through VRBO, even renting an apartment in Venice, Italy. Oh, that was the only place that wanted the balance in cash on arrival, once we had viewed the apartment.

 

[janicept]

There are plenty you can find that are run by management companies that will have cancellation policies. I rented one in Paris a couple years ago and the owner cancelled a month before the trip. It's not as guaranteed as a hotel but you can get a nice property for less money. Orlando has so many places to stay don't feel you have to settle if you don't feel comfortable.