Be Careful When Renting Homes for Vacation

Monday, July 19th, 2021 -- 8:00 AM

(Raymond Neupert, WRN) Before you put down big money on a vacation rental this summer, be sure you're going to get what you asked for.

Before you put down big money on a vacation rental this summer, be sure you're going to get what you asked for. State consumer protection administrator Lara Sutherlin says you should take your time finding a good place on trusted sites or through trusted brokers. "So what you need to do is just be really cautious when someone is trying to get you to pay quickly, pay up front, pay in full."

Sutherlin says that if you're using a website like VRBO or AirBNB to find a vacation home, be sure to continue using that site, even if someone's trying to claim you can get a better offer if you pay in cash or up front. 

"Sometimes the fake listens will want to take you off this site, right? They're going to take you out of these protocols and that's when you know you can easily be taken advantage of."

Sutherlin says that people should stick with trusted sources for rental listings, and then stick with it, even if someone says you can get it cheaper by paying in cash or some other method.

"Using that payment mechanism that gives you that extra safety net, that credit card, that PayPal, that allows you to check for fraud in case in fact you do find yourself a victim of a fake listing."

Vacation sites like VRBO and AirBNB offer protections against scammers, and if you do run into trouble, contact your bank to see if you can get charges reversed.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.