what should I do?

[4babies]

I found a pretty good deal on a vacation home for the dates I want. Only problem is the owner is from UK and will only accept checks. I am kind of leary about that. Also I can't find the address for the management company she said she uses in the Florida yellow pages. I called the number she gave me for it and voice mail came on with a british woman speaking. I wonder if she forwarded the number for the states she sent to the UK where she is at. I can't find any better deals and I am tired of looking. Does this sound legitimate to any of you or am I just being paranoid? Please advise as to what you would do and what precautions I should take. Thanks.

 

[deide71]

I had a similar situation last March with a villa in EI that I rented.

Oddly enough I never thought to be concerned about sending a check (actually I got a money order from my bank) for either the deposit or the rental fee.

I am pleased to report we had no trouble with our rental, and our deposit was returned promptly following our stay.

Good luck!

 

[PrincessBelle39]

The villa we rented late last year had an owner who was based in Scotland. I was able to pay by paypal but there was a surcharge which was significant on a four week rental. We ended up paying by cheque and I posted it from Australia. We had no problems at all. He acknowledged that it had been received in a few days.

 

[JANNYANS]

The owner has to have a local company to deal with the day to day issues that might arise so the number is probably ok -a lot of the management companies working in the area are British owned and run.As for sending a check I can't see the problem with it -maybe I can be enlightened on this ?
You can check the property appraisers or tax collectors site to double check they own the property they say they do as the info there should match with details you know .If they want a $ check can you send it to their man co or their bank which is what a lot of out of state owners work.

 

[sympatico]

The tax appraiser site for Kissimmee is: http://www.property-appraiser.org/
Just do a basic search using last name first.
For Davenport use this site: http://polkpa.org/CamaDisplay.aspx

 

[4babies]

Thanks for all the info. I looked at these sites and saw a different home and subdivision, but not the one that was offered. Should I assume they are not the owners of this property in question? Should I ask the woman more questions? Forgive ME for asking so many questions, I've never really come across anything like this before

 

[spiceycat]

sometimes the records aren't up to date.

tell her your concerns. if she just brought the property - that might be the problem.

also it might be listed under another name - maybe her maiden name?

plus some of the people you are dealing with are not the owner - but the agency.

 

[4babies]

I searched again and found a different owners name for the property in question. The owner is also in England. Is there any way to find out more information or should I just come right out and ask her about this?Sorry for being such a pest

 

[spiceycat]

i would ask her.

tell her on the property tax records another name was listed.

 

[horseshowmom]

I found a pretty good deal on a vacation home for the dates I want. Only problem is the owner is from UK and will only accept checks. I am kind of leary about that. Also I can't find the address for the management company she said she uses in the Florida yellow pages. I called the number she gave me for it and voice mail came on with a british woman speaking. I wonder if she forwarded the number for the states she sent to the UK where she is at. I can't find any better deals and I am tired of looking. Does this sound legitimate to any of you or am I just being paranoid? Please advise as to what you would do and what precautions I should take. Thanks.

In my case, I would look for another property. My policy is "No credit card, no rental". This is in no way a reflection on the many owners (both in and out of the country) who only take checks. They have financial reasons for doing so, and I don't blame them, but my primary interest is in protecting myself. If a property doesn't take credit cards (which gives me the option of filing a dispute if need be), I keep looking.

I have NEVER had a problem with any property I have rented (and I've rented a bunch of them), BUT when my friend planned her Thanksgiving 2007 trip, I gave her the same advice. She found a great house for a great price. Unfortunately, her stay was not so great (her first time ever to rent a house ). I won't list all of the problems, but they left after the second night.

If she had paid with a check, she would had no recourse. As it was, she was able to get her money back, and they finished their stay at Embassy Suites LBV.

 

[Freaky]

The bottom line is if you are not happy and still have concerns you should maybe look for another property.

An owner should be happy to answer all your questions and go out of their way to make sure that the correct information is given. The fact that they are from the UK should not make any difference as you will find most have US bank accounts and many take credit card payments via Paypal - so please don't discount all UK owners

There is no point in putting extra stress on your vacation plans - perhaps have a read through the DIS accommodation reviews for a few ideas for an alternative

Tracey