VRBO questions

[kokomos]

I found what I thinks is a good rate on a townhouse/ villa seven dwarfs lane.
Ive never rented from anyone like this before. Does anyone have any helpful information for me? What questions I should ask the owner?

I wish we could stay at Windsor Hills but we are going Christmas 08 and the prices i was quoted at that time are twice as much.

Thanks
Wanda

 

[Freaky]

Hi Wanda,

I would ask the following:

1. When were the photos on the website taken? (so you know whether to expect a bit more wear & tear)
2. Ask for details of their management company (so you can check they are the owners of the home ok).

This will be a start anyway. There are also nice townhomes at Coral Cay and Terre Verde which will probably be cheaper than Windsor Hills too

 

[alexcturner]

Hi Wanda,
I would also want to see (verifiable) recent guest comments. Make sure the comments are for the actual house you are looking at. Sometimes you are dealing with someone that owns or manages several houses and they have 5 guest comments. Those comments may or may not be about the house you are looking at.
Hope that helps!
Have fun.

 

[Freaky]

Hi Wanda,
I would also want to see (verifiable) recent guest comments. Make sure the comments are for the actual house you are looking at. Sometimes you are dealing with someone that owns or manages several houses and they have 5 guest comments. Those comments may or may not be about the house you are looking at.
Hope that helps!
Have fun.

Good point, Lisa.

You will find a few guests that put up comments on guestbooks and do allow their email address to show - these could be followed up for verification

 

[OhioDisneyDad]

I've gone through VRBO several times and one thing I do is to make sure that I can pay with a credit card. That way if the the owner/management company flake out on me I have some recourse. If you send them a check you're stuck if they've already cashed it. That being said, I've never had any problems and we've stayed at some VERY nice places for some great rates. Good luck!

 

[horseshowmom]

I've gone through VRBO several times and one thing I do is to make sure that I can pay with a credit card. That way if the the owner/management company flake out on me I have some recourse. If you send them a check you're stuck if they've already cashed it. That being said, I've never had any problems and we've stayed at some VERY nice places for some great rates. Good luck!

I agree with this 100%. I have never had a problem with any house I've rented, but I still only go with houses that take my credit card just in case I have a problem.

Recently, a friend of mine asked for suggestions with a house they rented for Thanksgiving. I told her to make sure she only did it with somebody who took a credit card. Her stay turned out to have several problems.

They had paid for pool heat, but it wasn't on. The management company told her that it just felt cold because it was cold outside (excuse me, but if it's cold outside and the pool is heated, it should feel even warmer). The second day they did acknowledge that the pool wasn't heated and turned it on.

Next, the water heater only allowed enough water for one hot shower (the house had 3 bathrooms). They would have to wait until it heated up again for the next one.

Lastly, the third day they came back from the parks, and the house was blazing hot. The thermastat actually showed the temperature as being in the 90's in the house. They called the management company who sent somebody out. The guy worked on it for a long time and then said he couldn't fix it and that they needed to call and see about being moved to another house. After awhile the management company called and told them that they weren't going to move them because "the technician said he could fix the problem". My friend told the woman that interestingly enough, the technician was still there, and he was telling her he couldn't fix it. The tech got on the line and had to argue with the person that he could NOT fix it and that they needed to be moved!

Finally, my friend got fed up, called and made a reservation at Embassy Suites, and left. If she hadn't used her credit card, she would have had a problem (she had been going to send a check for the week's charge and the security deposit). Fortunately, everything did work out due to the credit card.

 

[kokomos]

Thanks for everyone advice,
1) I called the management company to verify they are infact an owner.
2) Checked feedback from VRBO website, its all good.
3) Will pay with credit card
4) pictures are from late 2006
5) Cant find a better deal

Thanks again
Wanda