Renting from stranger?
Worried about renting from stranger?
If this is your first time renting a vacation home you may be nervous about sending money to a stranger - afraid that the home may not exist and worried that your dream vacation will be ruined.
Everyone has heard of the nightmare reports and scams but these are rare and get sensationalized in the media. Talk to the vacation rental owner that you are interested in renting from - they may also be nervous about renting to you! Are you who you say you are, will you look after their Disney World Vacation Rental home investment, will you be a good guest?
You are entrusting your family vacation to a stranger, they are entrusting their vacation home (which can be worth in excess of half a million dollars) to a stranger. It really is a two way street.
So how do you know that you are getting what is being presented?
Make sure you deal with an owner that you feel comfortable with:
- Talk to the owner, they should know details about the home, are they open, honest and up front with you?
- Are there testimonials from previous guests that you can see?
- Did you get any recommendations from people you know?
- How long have they owned the home?
Honest vacation rental owners will offer ways to help alleviate your fears, they could:
- Suggest that you talk to their local property manager, caretaker or other service provider
- Offer to show you their vacation rental license
- Offer another way to help you feel comfortable that their home will be available for your magical vacation
- Ask you what they can do prove to you that everything is in order
There may be public records that you can find online that will show you that the owner is doing business. Use your favorite search engine to find local county records for property purchases as well as business licenses and taxes.
