Would you do this? WH Rental question

[connorlevismom]

We are booking a home in WH for next October. The person we are renting from is from the UK and we are here in the states. Her home is lovely and it has good reviews on VRBO. She wants me to go to a Bank of America and deposit funds into her account which I am a little leary of. But this is where i have a problem. She wants me to deposit the full amount into her account. Normally people ask for $200 or so to hold the reservation and the the remainder 90 days out. She wants the full amount now. Being that it for over a year from now, I am not really comfortable with it. The house could go into foreclosure or any number of things could happen to it and she could walk away with all my money.

So would you have a problem with this? Would you move on to a different house?

 

[BrerMama]

I wouldn't do it. There are too many people out there with better rental terms. I just wouldn't feel comfortable depositing directly into her account for something that won't be used for a year. I wouldn't be comfortable paying in full a year out... even without the depositing directly into the account. Probably nothing hinky going on, but I just wouldn't do it.

 

[mikkiwikki]

would NOT do it..I am staying at WH over January 12 nites...and just had to put down 200 bucks.

Doesn't sound right.

 

[sympatico]

No, I don't think I'd do it either. Most owners only want a deposit and then the rest within 6 or 8 weeks of your dates. Was she giving you an extra discount for paying all up front

 

[sjanus]

Definitely would not do it...cannot understand why she wants the full amount more than one year ahead of time? Depositing the money into her account would not bother me, but you should just be paying a deposit, certainly no more than 20% of the rental cost.

Sandy

 

[hjd0411]

I agree - don't do it. I have also just booked a townhome for October 2012, but I have just today paid a deposit (less than $200) through PayPal. Balance is due July/August. My owner is also in the UK. I would be very wary of paying in full this far in advance.
Hope it all works out for you.

 

[JANNYANS]

Payment in full this far out is unusual as already most owners will only ask for a deposit.To me bells are ringing -maybe-I say maybe -the owner needs cash in hand -property taxes will be due soon .
As for paying directly into the bank -that in itself is not rare -it is easier for both parties .

 

[connorlevismom]

Thanks so much for all your responses!

I ended up emailing her and telling her that I was not comfortable giving her the full amount over a year in advance of my vacation. She then emailed me back and told me that she was thinking it was for October of THIS year making it within 6 weeks, thus the full payment. Makes sense.

HOWEVER, she then told me that she will not honor the price that she gave me because she thought she was "fitting me in" a spot that was not filled and she will not give me that price for next year. I moved on......

I think it is absolutely rude to tell someone one price and then take it back because YOU messed up and were looking at the wrong dates.

Kristine

 

[mikkiwikki]

Thanks so much for all your responses!

I ended up emailing her and telling her that I was not comfortable giving her the full amount over a year in advance of my vacation. She then emailed me back and told me that she was thinking it was for October of THIS year making it within 6 weeks, thus the full payment. Makes sense.

HOWEVER, she then told me that she will not honor the price that she gave me because she thought she was "fitting me in" a spot that was not filled and she will not give me that price for next year. I moved on......

I think it is absolutely rude to tell someone one price and then take it back because YOU messed up and were looking at the wrong dates.

Kristine

I would definitely move on too! Wow...it was her error...and it would indicate things to come IMHO...Ive always found the disboards to be a wonderful resource of info/ advice.

We booked with vacationcentralflorida.com for January - I will report back how it goes. The owner so far has been VERY VERY responsive..and there are lots of condos to choose from although no 4/5 bedroom homes like you are looking for...I wonder if http://www.allstarvacationhomes.com/ might be good?
I've heard good things about them?

 

[JimMIA]

Thanks so much for all your responses!

I ended up emailing her and telling her that I was not comfortable giving her the full amount over a year in advance of my vacation. She then emailed me back and told me that she was thinking it was for October of THIS year making it within 6 weeks, thus the full payment. Makes sense.

HOWEVER, she then told me that she will not honor the price that she gave me because she thought she was "fitting me in" a spot that was not filled and she will not give me that price for next year. I moved on......

I think it is absolutely rude to tell someone one price and then take it back because YOU messed up and were looking at the wrong dates.

Kristine

I don't think it's rude; I think she simply misunderstood your original request.

If you like her home, I'd see what the price and terms would be for the period you really want, and then just compare that to other options.

I know you're disappointed at this point, but if you like the lodgings otherwise, don't let a simple misunderstanding stand in the way. As you noted, she gets good reviews, so she's probably pretty straight-up and reliable.

You've contracted for nothing at this point, so see what she has to offer and then shop around. You have absolutely nothing to lose.

 

[connorlevismom]

I don't think it's rude; I think she simply misunderstood your original request.

If you like her home, I'd see what the price and terms would be for the period you really want, and then just compare that to other options.

I know you're disappointed at this point, but if you like the lodgings otherwise, don't let a simple misunderstanding stand in the way. As you noted, she gets good reviews, so she's probably pretty straight-up and reliable.

You've contracted for nothing at this point, so see what she has to offer and then shop around. You have absolutely nothing to lose.

I went over the dates a couple of times in my emails with her. We exchanged emails for over a week. I sent her my booking form with the dates on it and even then she did not catch it. So it was not like I asked her once and she made a mistake. She was not paying attention.

I am moving on from her as her price is way above what others are charging.

 

[mdmetromom]

I think I know exactly who you are talking about, as I also communicated with a lady from the UK with a "designer" home who asked for the same Bank of America payment terms.
I moved on. There are so many other beautiful and convenient houses there. I found one equally as nice, and they take Paypal, both as a deposit and for final payment, without charging any extra fees for accepting a credit card. We go over Thanksgiving so I will leave a review once I return.

 

[JimMIA]

I went over the dates a couple of times in my emails with her. We exchanged emails for over a week. I sent her my booking form with the dates on it and even then she did not catch it. So it was not like I asked her once and she made a mistake. She was not paying attention.

Which is quite different from the info you gave in your initial post.

In any rental scenario, if you're not comfortable with the person you're renting from, I'd certainly move on.

She may be a wonderful person to rent from, considering the good reviews you mentioned...just not for you.