using VRBO

[mjmartin01]

I just found the condo that we want to rent for our vacation in August 2012. I'm so nervous using VRBO. Can anyone calm my nerves? We usually stay at a timeshare through RCI but wanted to try some place different.... please give me the good and bad of renting through VRBO...thanks

 

[quagmire0]

I just found the condo that we want to rent for our vacation in August 2012. I'm so nervous using VRBO. Can anyone calm my nerves? We usually stay at a timeshare through RCI but wanted to try some place different.... please give me the good and bad of renting through VRBO...thanks

I'm in the same boat. Basically what I did is I found the subdivision I wanted (Windsor Hills) and searched by that. I filtered the results by # of reviews. Yes, reviews cannot always be reliable, but *usually* if there are a good number of them the likelihood that they are fake is lower. On VRBO, you should see the renters name and hopefully photo. I went to the county (I'd have to look it up again) tax assessor's website and did a search on the property address to match up the name to the address as well as see if it in any sort of default or behind on their taxes. Also, at the bottom of the VRBO page, you can see when it was published. Odds are, any fake or unreliable renters won't be around that long, so I would be skeptical of any posting from say, this year.

Honestly, aside from getting a personal recommendation from a friend or family member, that's about the best you can do. The renter should send you some forms to fill out, as well as further info about the property and who to contact. I'd expect them to ask for an initial deposit and the final payment a few months prior to the reservation.

I have to believe that VRBO wouldn't be around if the vast majority of their listings weren't legit. Just do your research ahead of time, and don't be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to. Any renter you'll want to deal with should be willing to answer any questions you may have.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[mjmartin01]

thanks that does help alot. Would you be able to find that website to check to make sure the house is current on taxes...thanks so much

 

[dchronister]

I have used VRBO several times, South Padre Island, TX, Gulf Shores, AL, Daytona Beach, FL, Perdido Key, FL. I have never had a problem with anyone that I had rented from, they have all been very pleasing and professional. Most ask for 1/2 up front and the other 1/2 30 days from your trip, but everyone I have used, I paid 1/2 up front and gradually paid the remainder off at my own pace. I have always been very pleased.

 

[bcinohio]

We used VRBO for a house back in July and it worked great. I also checked the tax records after I contacted the owners and got their name. We also purchased the insurance just in case something wasn't right. I think the insurance cost us about $30.

It was our first time using them and also renting a house. I would do it again.

Good luck.

 

[quagmire0]

Here's the tax search for the Osceloa county (should include all of Windsor Hills)

https://www.osceola.county-taxes.com/public

It will let you see the past 5 or 6 years of tax payments, names of the owners, their address, etc. You should be able to search on the address. You can throw in the unit # or last name of the owner to filter it down.

 

[sympatico]

thanks that does help alot. Would you be able to find that website to check to make sure the house is current on taxes...thanks so much

If it's in Osceola county (Kissimmee) this is the site:
http://ira.property-appraiser.org/PropertySearch/
There's also a link for the tax records on there, just above the property picture.
Let me know if you need a different county.

 

[mjmartin01]

thanks Wanda

 

[chuckml]

We've used both VRBO and lastminutevillas.net, and had great luck with both. Have fun!

 

[mjmartin01]

thanks for that info Chuck..I'll have to check out lastminutevillas

 

[Wadecool]

We have used vrbo.com many times for beach house rentals without any problems. Often, if you can make contact with the actual owner directly, you can negotiate the price down significantly.

 

[chuckml]

thanks for that info Chuck..I'll have to check out lastminutevillas

No problem. I don't know what size house you are looking for, but we rented a place in Indian Creek 2 years in a row that we found on lastminutevillas.
The owner is an English gentleman named Paul, and he gave us a great rate, and the house is about as close to Disney as you can get and still be offsite.

Its a 4bed/3bath house with a private fenced in pool.

PM if you like and I'll send you the direct website to the house. We loved the place!

 

[KayR]

One thing that might help with VRBO is that on the bottom of the owners advertisement they have a statement that tells you how long the owners have been renting / advertising for. For example

"This listing was first published here in 2005"

Its not to say that newer listings are bad, but if you have someone who has been advertising for several years, they are likely to be legitimate. (If they had been pulling a scam, they would have been removed from the site quickly!) Its just another item that can help reassure you that the owner is legit.

--Kay

 

[Mom2boys2]

I used VRBO to rent our townhouse in Windsor Hills for this June. I had a friend recommend this owner. Their website is next2disney.com.

I have personally talked to the owner several times by phone and email.

I paid $250 deposit up front, with the rest due 30 days before we arrive.

 

[ayshimama]

I am excited to be visiting disney for the first time. I have booked off site at a villa in Emerald Island Resort for July 16th, to 23rd. I have found this site very useful but I only wish I had found it sooner. I booked about 1 month ago. We ae group of 15 with 9 of them being children. Wish us luck!!
:yay

 

[sympatico]

I am excited to be visiting disney for the first time. I have booked off site at a villa in Emerald Island Resort for July 16th, to 23rd. I have found this site very useful but I only wish I had found it sooner. I booked about 1 month ago. We ae group of 15 with 9 of them being children. Wish us luck!!
:yay

Been there (Emerald Island), done that (with 15 also) and had fun. Good luck!

 

[SoonerSarah]

I have rented twice through VRBO, found out about it not even a year ago, and I have been beyond pleased. The most recent rental was for Storytime Orlando Rental www.storytimeorlandorental.com and we had a fabulous experience.

 

[rt2dz]

I know this is an older thread, but I'm going to bump it up, as it is very relevant to me right now. Looking for more info to:

Often, if you can make contact with the actual owner directly, you can negotiate the price down significantly.

Basically, HOW!?!?!

 

[bcinohio]

We used VRBO last summer to rent a vacation house at Disney for the first time. It was great. I found a few that I liked and then e-mailed the owner by using the form on VRBO and when they answered I would as them my questions. I watched for which one got back to me fast. Also once you get the address or owners name you can check their tax records and make sure they are paid up. You can also buy insureance incase the house is not what it is supposed to be. I think that cost us $29. The one we got was 4/bed, 3 bath with pool and game room.

 

[quagmire0]

I know this is an older thread, but I'm going to bump it up, as it is very relevant to me right now. Looking for more info to:

Basically, HOW!?!?!

Usually there is contact info on the page - at the very least an e-mail link. Just contact them that way and see if they will be willing to deal. There's also a link earlier on this thread with a property tax search. If you can find the address, you can search on that.

Just as a follow-up on my experience - it was awesome! I basically did a search on VRBO, eventually settling on Windsor Hills due to many comments on these boards, and I sorted them by number of reviews - figuring that places with more reviews *should* be a little more reputable. What I also like is vrbo shows you how long the property has been listed, which is something to look at. We had a great experience. Condo was actually BETTER in person that in the pictures. Everything worked. Area and unit were nice and quiet and property was pretty close to the parks.

Bottom line is do some due diligence before forking over your money. Read up on what VRBO guarantees and just be on the lookout for warning signs.