VRBO - do we need to push for a rental contract?
July 6, 2015 7:24 AM Subscribe
We found a place to stay while visiting Venice but the owner has not requested we complete a rental contract or pay a deposit. Do we need to worry?
My sister and I are using VRBO for the first time to book a few places for an upcoming trip to Italy. Our first stop is Venice. We contacted several possibilities, got replies back from some saying they preferred longer stays (we're only staying three nights) and didn't hear from others - all expected. One response was positive and the rate was acceptable. The woman asked for a scan of my sister's passport. What with hotel people in Italy always checking them anyway, it didn't raise any alarm bells, so she provided one and asked about a rental contract to sign. The woman told her everything was good, and she'd see us in October - no request for any sort of partial or complete payment and no rental agreement.
Being completely new to VRBO, we're not sure if this is all appropriate or if we're going to get there to find she's given the booking to somebody else who paid more, or something. We were expecting to at least pay a deposit if not the whole chunk right away. Should we push for a signed rental agreement and offer to put down a deposit?
My sister and I are using VRBO for the first time to book a few places for an upcoming trip to Italy. Our first stop is Venice. We contacted several possibilities, got replies back from some saying they preferred longer stays (we're only staying three nights) and didn't hear from others - all expected. One response was positive and the rate was acceptable. The woman asked for a scan of my sister's passport. What with hotel people in Italy always checking them anyway, it didn't raise any alarm bells, so she provided one and asked about a rental contract to sign. The woman told her everything was good, and she'd see us in October - no request for any sort of partial or complete payment and no rental agreement.
Being completely new to VRBO, we're not sure if this is all appropriate or if we're going to get there to find she's given the booking to somebody else who paid more, or something. We were expecting to at least pay a deposit if not the whole chunk right away. Should we push for a signed rental agreement and offer to put down a deposit?
Sister here: Yes, there were 14 reviews on the property.
posted by PussKillian at 8:27 AM on July 6, 2015
posted by PussKillian at 8:27 AM on July 6, 2015
I can't speak to the passport scan/no deposit, never having booked vacation rentals abroad, but I will give you one small word of advice/warning based on my domestic bookings through VRBO and Vacasa: these are private individuals listing their properties through the website, they can, from what I understand, cancel the booking if the owner decides they want to stay at the property during that time, or I guess for other reasons so you are never fully assured that your stay is certain, even if you have signed a contract.
However, as sprezzy mentioned, the more reviews, the better off you are. Personally, I like to see 50+ for something that absolutely cannot fall through, and if I were renting this I would make sure there were alternate accommodations available (local hotels) if it fell through, especially since all you have is a verbal agreement. YMMV, but I would personally book somewhere else or have a backup plan in place.
posted by nanook at 9:06 AM on July 6, 2015
However, as sprezzy mentioned, the more reviews, the better off you are. Personally, I like to see 50+ for something that absolutely cannot fall through, and if I were renting this I would make sure there were alternate accommodations available (local hotels) if it fell through, especially since all you have is a verbal agreement. YMMV, but I would personally book somewhere else or have a backup plan in place.
posted by nanook at 9:06 AM on July 6, 2015
(I work there)
My advice:
Call the customer support line and ask them to verify the listing and your booking.
posted by Annika Cicada at 9:10 AM on July 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
My advice:
Call the customer support line and ask them to verify the listing and your booking.
posted by Annika Cicada at 9:10 AM on July 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
If you decide against VRBO, I can recommend Cool Apartments Venice. I used them for a two-night stay last year and they were quite good.
posted by neushoorn at 11:35 AM on July 6, 2015
posted by neushoorn at 11:35 AM on July 6, 2015
Have called the customer support line and unfortunately got a weird, patronizing dude who wasn't much help at all, beyond telling me that the person has been with VRBO since 2012. (Also he asked me a lot of questions about why I'd sent a passport scan, which made me nervous. I do still think that was legitimate, though.) I think I'll just email the lady back again and ask her for a contract and...I don't know, make her take a deposit from me, or something.
posted by PussKillian at 12:18 PM on July 6, 2015
posted by PussKillian at 12:18 PM on July 6, 2015
Sorry to hear you got that kind of response :-(
Can you memail me?
posted by Annika Cicada at 2:44 PM on July 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Can you memail me?
posted by Annika Cicada at 2:44 PM on July 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hi - Experienced Host and Property Lister in Europe. First, times have changed. In the old (haha) days for reliable rentals it was common to ask for a FAX scan and a bit later or a email with your passport ID etc to confirm a reservation.
This was in direct response to a lot of scams/false bookings at the time. Premise was very simple - you show ID, it matches when you get here, you have a place to stay. As we all are aware (mostly) now, a passport, a credit card or anything else could lead to identity theft etc.
This method of verification is still in use today for a minute number of persons renting out their houses/apartments/condos in Europe and some other regions people tend to forget. For me, it reminds me of my grandmother stamping envelopes to send across the world rather than the elaborate system of communication we have at this juncture.
The best part as an experienced host - if I feel uncomfortable with a guest, I will always take a copy of their passport to make sure my liability is reduced. Some things never change.
VRBO has good standards and was the go to for all types of travel prior to the invasion of Airbnb and other actors.
I wouldn´t be too worried about the passport scan - unless you don´t have a telephone number, physical address or other information to confirm the validity of your reservation. With VRBO you should have the possibility to verify everything.
posted by Funmonkey1 at 4:22 PM on July 6, 2015
This was in direct response to a lot of scams/false bookings at the time. Premise was very simple - you show ID, it matches when you get here, you have a place to stay. As we all are aware (mostly) now, a passport, a credit card or anything else could lead to identity theft etc.
This method of verification is still in use today for a minute number of persons renting out their houses/apartments/condos in Europe and some other regions people tend to forget. For me, it reminds me of my grandmother stamping envelopes to send across the world rather than the elaborate system of communication we have at this juncture.
The best part as an experienced host - if I feel uncomfortable with a guest, I will always take a copy of their passport to make sure my liability is reduced. Some things never change.
VRBO has good standards and was the go to for all types of travel prior to the invasion of Airbnb and other actors.
I wouldn´t be too worried about the passport scan - unless you don´t have a telephone number, physical address or other information to confirm the validity of your reservation. With VRBO you should have the possibility to verify everything.
posted by Funmonkey1 at 4:22 PM on July 6, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sprezzy at 8:13 AM on July 6, 2015