Has anybody used VRBO rental homes?

[Claudia1]

My husband found the website of Vacation Rentals by Owner.

Does anybody know anything about them?

Thanks!

 

[Diz]

Claudia,

I can't answer your question, but I am very close to booking a home through vrbo.com as well.

I've been told that they are on the up and up.

 

[FLeisure]

vrbo.com is a collection of homes from individual owners through to management companies who rent homes out.

Each owner/mc pays an annual fee to have their home featured on vrbo. From the comments I've seen people like to be able to talk to the homeowner directly.

 

[PattiPB]

Used them, loved them, would do it again in a heartbeat!

It was great being able to deal directly with the owner---especially when they negotiated a price for well below the published price on vrbo!

Patti

 

[Robinrs]

I did a search on them when we had a search function (curses!) and found lots of great responses on this site.

 

[Diz]

To get a feeling of comfort, I emailed the owners/webmaters of vrbo.com and told them about my fears. I listed the home owner I was thinking about dealing with and they replied with the dates the owner joined and any complaints registered by previous renters.

Here is the email in full:

>Hello,
>
>I am inquiring about property #xxxx. Do you keep a
database of "good
>owners" to rent from? I have never rented over the
internet and have some
>worries. I've been in contact with the owner of #xxxx
and I am close to
>sealing the deal, but I am not 100% sold if it is a
good business move on
>my part.
>
>Thanks, xxx

Dear xxx,

The owners of #xxxx have been with VRBO since 10/00,
and in that time we
have never received a complaint from a renter
concerning the owner or the
property.

Below is some information that might help you feel
more at ease about
renting over the internet.

Frequently asked questions regarding "By Owner"
vacation rentals.

Dave and Lynn Clouse - Webmasters of Vacation Rentals
by Owner are
supplying the following information to help you
determine if renting direct
from the owner is an option you wish to pursue. By
following a few simple
suggestions, we believe that you to can reap the
benefits of renting direct
while at the same time minimizing your exposure to
risk.

First, we must remind you that Vacation Rentals by
Owner operates strictly
as and advertising medium - please read our disclaimer
at:

http://vrbo.com/vrbo/disclaim.htm

That being said, by far the vast majority of
properties you will encounter
on the Internet (especially those listed on services
such as Vacation
Rentals by Owner) are indeed legitimate.

Vacation Rentals by Owner currently lists about 5000
properties all over
the world and we have yet to be contacted by anyone
who indicates that they
lost money to someone who only claimed to own a
property they wanted to
rent. That's not to say that something like that
won't happen in the
future, it fact the chances are that at some point it
will, so we do
recommend that you reduce your risk by using judgement
and
caution. Remember that these suggestions apply when
dealing with anyone
you don't personally know, whether a business entity
or an individual.

It is very unusual that an owner will reserve a
property for you without a
deposit and typically they will expect full payment
BEFORE YOU
ARRIVE. Remember that the owner is turning over to
you property that is
typically worth hundreds of times the weekly rental
rate.

Since they normally only have one or maybe a few
properties to rent, when
they reserve it for your use, they will most likely
have to turn away other
renters who want to rent the same time period. The
owner needs to insure
that you do intend to occupy the property during the
time interval that you
are reserving, that is why they ask for your deposit.

We recommend that you satisfy yourself with the
legitimacy of the ownership
claims PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR DEPOSIT.

1. Ask the owners for referrals from previous
renters...

2. If the property is a part of a homeowners
association, contact the
association to verify that the person you are
corresponding with is indeed
an owner.

3. Ask for the name of the company who does the
maintenance or cleaning and
contact them for verification. You might also wish to
inquire regarding
the condition of the property.

4. Ask for references from anyone else who services
the property. For
example, pool service, snow removal etc...

5. If the owner accepts payment via credit card, by
all means, use this
form of payment. Using your credit card does provide
you with certain
remedies that are unavailable via other forms of
payment.

6. If you provide us with the listing number of the
property in question,
we will be happy to provide you with the date that the
owner listed the
property with our service. The longer someone has
been with our service,
the more likely that they are indeed legitimate.

By protecting yourself, you can be confident that you
and your family will
indeed enjoy a truly unique and affordable vacation
experience.

Happy Travels!!!
Janet Stout

David and Lynn Clouse e-mail:
webmaster@vrbo.com

Vacation Rentals by Owner
http://vrbo.com
PMB#308 Fax - 603
590-7424
4255 South Buckley Road
Aurora, CO USA 80013-2900

Why rent direct?
http://vrbo.com/vrbo/advantages.htm
Happy Members
http://vrbo.com/vrbo/owner.htm#Testimonials
Vacation Rentals by Owner e-mail:
webmaster@vrbo.com
Janet Stout http://vrbo.com

PMB#308 Fax - 603
590-7424
4255 South Buckley Road
Aurora, CO USA 80013-2900

 

[momm2four]

We used them for a trip to Gulf Shores, AL, and we were very pleased with the condo we ot. Great deal!

Lori P.