Would this worry you?

[poet123]

We found our dream villa for rental and we are now going through the booking process with the owner. He just asked for a cheque for the full amount of the rental(only 7 weeks to go!!!!) to be paid , made out to the house name and sent via a PO box.
We only have his first name, no address except that of the property and no mention of a rental agreement.
I just emailed him and asked for these and other details but if he says he doesnt do rental agreements what do I do?
Am I being cynical to think we may arive and there is no villa booked for us.
Problem is we have had so many problems I really dont want to rock the boat and we really really like this house. It is a lot of money though.
Opinions please

 

[RedShorts]

I'd be nervous too.
With so many bad stories out there you tend to forget that most people are genuine. It could be that he just cannot take Credit Card bookings and if he used a Management Agency they'd take their cut. My brother in law has been to the same villa 4 times now and each time he sends a cheque to the owner, the first time he was nervous like you - now he wont go anywhere else.
Sadly though there are many con men out there.
Have you checked the address on Mapquest, is it advertised on the usual villa websites, is it just a case of the owner avoiding taxes and management fees, ask yourself these questions and more. Then go with you gut instincts.
Good luck and fingers crossed for you.
Chris

 

[Hilary]

It's a leap of faith, isn't it?

We rented privately from a villa owner a couple of years ago and, to make matters more complicated, the owner lived in Germany. I was very nervous about everything, but did have a written rental agreement with a postal address of both the villa and the owner.

I spent a long time e-mailing back and forth with many questions and built up a picture of the owner and eventually felt I had no obvious reason not to trust her by the time I had to part with any cash. But it was still a 'take-a-deep-breath-and-hand-over-a-lot-of-money-to-a-complete-stranger-on-the-internet' moment!

In your case, I'd certainly be wary, as you don't seem to have much to go on. Maybe someone else has some ideas of how to check out the villa and / or owner a little more?

Good luck!

 

[JANNYANS]

I would be worried about renting without knowing what exactly the terms and conditions were I was renting under and I wouldn't put a guest of mine in that position either as both parties need to know what the do's and don'ts are.

As far as checking goes you should be able to look on the county website where the home is type in his name and it will tell you whether he owns what he says he owns and whether the property exists.

The point about take-a-deep-breath-and-hand-over-a-lot-of-money-to-a-complete-stranger-on-the-internet'

Is a valid one Hilary but try not to forget the owner is doing the same type of thing with an asset worth thousands .

 

[poet123]

Jannyans,
I do know the home exists becaise we were also offered it by an agent. They also confirmed he is the owner and operates his own web site. How would I go about finding details on the county website?

 

[Hilary]

The point about take-a-deep-breath-and-hand-over-a-lot-of-money-to-a-complete-stranger-on-the-internet' Is a valid one Hilary but try not to forget the owner is doing the same type of thing with an asset worth thousands .

I am absolutely in agreement - the whole process is very much a two-way thing. But, whereas I imagine most villa owners will have insurance to cover any damage caused by clients (and I appreciate that this is probably very expensive), I don't know that travel insurance would cover the client if a rental arrangement fell through because the villa didn't exist. I may be wrong about this, but fortunately I've never had to put it to the test.

At the end of the day, a bogus owner can walk away with a cheque but it would be pretty difficult for a bogus client to walk away with a villa. Or would it?

It seems as though the whole question of trust between supplier and buyer has become much more prevalent in the electronic age. I remember my parents sending off cheques for holiday accommodation in the 1950s and I doubt that it ever crossed anyone's minds that the deal might not be all it appeared. Nowadays (does this make me sound completely ancient? ) internet transactions call for an element of trust with every transaction. I guess we'll have to get used to it!

 

[JANNYANS]

Poet you need to know what the county is which is Lee i believe

http://www.leecounty.org/Services/RecorderServices.htm

there is probably a record of your owner and his property there but if you know he already owns it then i 'm not sure what you will discover that will help you.
I would still be wary of not having any signed terms as a rentor just to be sure where I stood .

Hilary I understand what you are saying and appreciate you can see it from both sides

 

[poet123]

just had a reply from the owner--------does not have a rental agreement to send will leave home unlocked and key on the counter on the day of arrival!!!!!!!!! still not given me a full name or contact address despite my asking specifically for it . Feeling very uneasy about this and not sure how to proceed.

 

[martina857]

Poet,

You need a rental agreement, I am sure the owner is OK but what if anything does go wrong... What about a security deposit, have you paid one ? if so what does it cover. I have rented off private owners for the last 6 years and have always had a rental agreement... It seems odd as it protects both parties.

 

[UKDEB]

poet,

We have rented privately many times and have never had a hitch of any kind. However, like Hilary, we always take time to 'get to know' who we are dealing with and take as many precautions as possible. Whilst I'm sure this guy is genuine, is it worth the tiny risk that he may not be? Will you fretting from now until the time you are actually in the villa? Is he willing to provide a contact telephone number so that you can chat things through with him?

I know you have said that you're very taken with this villa and I also know how hard it is to find exactly what you're looking for, but I have hundreds of links for villas, so maybe there is something very similar out there. I'm more than happy to try to help, so please feel free to PM me.

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Poet - this is just my humble opinion.

I am a worrier - I worry for the world - but seeing your comments here make me think you are going to ruin the run-up to your holiday by being so unsure about this villa.

There are, like Deb says, loads more villas out there. I know it must be so frustrating to find exactly the one you want, but the uncertainty of the renter is a problem which doesn't look as though it can be overcome for your peace of mind - something I very strongly agree with.

I worry that the hotels I've booked aren't going to be good enough and have been known (more than once ) to change them, and each time my gut reaction has been good.

Hope you sort something out, you should be looking forward to your holiday

 

[poet123]

I have just emailed a tactfully worded reply to the owner asking him to reassure an uptight Brit that it will all be OK!!!
If he doesnt respond with some facts then we will pull out. Our main problem is that we need wed-wed rental and sat-sat is the norm on the Island so! but we do have a reserve choice, not nearly so nice but at least we will have peace of mind. Like you Mrs Dazzle I worry for England so really cant spoil the run up to the trip with all this/. We have actually had enough trauma with illness, cancellation of original villa by the agent as the roof came off! etc. This is just the latest in a long line of problems we will overcome!!!!!!!!!

 

[angel659]

hI

I would also be very worried. Even if he is genuine you still run in to many problems not having an agreement in place i.e if he cancels on you, you cancel, you turn up and something happens because for any reason the property has some safety issues (none of these you will be able to claim on). In order to claim you will have to have a signed agreement. If anything happens you will not be able to take him to court. This probably sounds to legal, but I would really look for other property's.

I found a website that maybe able to help you. It is Orlando Villa's and they have a forum aswell. I have used the forum for other reasons other than to rent a villa (tut tut).

http://www.orlandovillas.com/

Good luck I hope you find what your looking for. I wouldnt book anything unless there is an agreement signed.

Michelle

3 Days To Go - Wahoo!!!!!

 

[poet123]

Sadly no-one on the forum/ villa site you mentioned has a villa on Captiva!!
Have a great trip

 

[Lemur]

What I would do is offer to take their bank details and do a direct funds transfer.

At least that way, If you have bank details you have a traceable path if they DO rip you off.

Personally .. I'd be nervous and find another option having been ripped off by people dealing through PO BOX numbers in the past ( not property but eBay and the like ).

 

[SimonV]

Why not look at a big, reputable company like ResortQuest, who offer villas all over the States. Check out this link: Here!

 

[chucklechops]

Sorry, but I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.
We have rented the last 3 times always private rentals and have always had an agreement, address etc.
Yes this might be 100% kosher but are you willing to part with that amount of money on something that could be an empty promise.
I would be asking why dosen't he want to give out any details?
I know you said that the villa is perfect, but there are loads of beautiful villas out there, try Daltons, Internet etc and you will find people more than happy to give you aggrements, address's,the whole shabang
Best of luck whatever you decide to do

Chucklechops

 

[SidB]

PO Box ? Don't touch it with a barge pole. The whole rental process is a matter of trust. Why don't they trust you with a name and address ? Go elsewhere.

ps Bear in mind the effect stress has on everybody in the trip, especially anubody who's been ill. Even if everythings OK it'll take some days to get the adrenalin rush in your system back to normal.

 

[poet123]

next instalment!!!! email from owner giving full name and addresss,and stating on arrival he will require sec dep by cc. So why if he has these facilities can we not pay by cc? he has refused this offer obviously we would be protected if we could use cc. Resorquest have nothing for our mid week dates next time we fly on a sat!!
Still no rental agreement though!
awaiting response to further query re cc will keep you informed!!!!

 

[angel659]

Hi

I would still be cautious. I have done a search on Google and have included some of the links and also the search link. I am not sure if these are suitable, I thought it give you some comparison.

http://www.unusualvillarentals.com/us/florida/captiva2/index.shtml

http://www.rentalo.com/l/us/fl/captiva/captiva_villas.htm

http://www.unusualvillarentals.com/us/florida/captiva1/index.shtml
http://www.sanibelisland-fl.com/

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Captiva+villas

Goog luck, let us know what he sais.

Michelle