Safe Renting Tips

It's rare, but not impossible to find a vacation rental web solicitation that's a fake. The scammer creates a listing, gets your money and reservation and disappears. Here are some tips on telling the bad guys from the good guys.

Where did you find the ad?

If the home is on a paid site like Homeaway or VRBO, it's a good sign. These web sites work to remove scammers. Plus, scammers don't like to buy ads. These sites also show how long an owner has been advertising. It would be pretty hard to run a scam over many years of advertising on these sites - longevity usually equals legitimacy. If you only find a listing on a free site, that could spell trouble.

How to you communicate with the owner?

Can you call them at home? (My number's at the bottom of every page.) Is there a physical address? (Like "187 East Street, Hingham MA 02043"?) Being able to find signs that the owner is a real person at a real address is a great sign. Go on. "Google" your homeowner!

Deals too good to be true?

Making a quick payment to an unknown person to take advantage of a "great" deal is a warning sign. Big discounts are rarely legitimate. (It's actually cheaper for us to leave the house clean and unoccupied than give a 50% discount!)

Professionalism?

Legitimate homeowners are ready to explain all charges, taxes, cleaning fees, cancellation and security deposit questions. Scammer don't bother. You should expect to receive written terms and an owner willing to take any steps necessary to prove that they own the home.