Holiday rental scams are never far from the headlines as a new scam or new victim is unearthed. These kind of scams are cruel in that they not only steal your money, they also ruin your holiday. A double blow that can easily be avoided by renting a holiday cottage from holidaycottages.net.
The big difference between holidaycottages.net and many other websites offering holiday home rentals is the fact we do everything by hand. We don’t have automated forms that allow anyone to advertise a holiday cottage. To advertise on holidaycottages.net, owners have to contact us directly.
This not only allows us to build relationships with our property owners, it also allows us to check them out too. While it’s no guarantee of reliability, it’s certainly far above what many other holiday rental websites offer!
If you don’t use holidaycottages.net to find your dream holiday cottage. Here are some tips on ensuring your holiday rental is genuine.
Talk to the property owner
While many of the holiday cottage arrangements can be made via email, it’s always a good idea to speak to the property owner over the phone. You can ask them questions about the property, the area and the local amenities as well as get a feel for them as people.
Most scammers won’t know anything about the local area or amenities, so it’s a good way to sort the real from the not so real.
Check references and feedback
Like any professional arrangement, if a business offers you references, take the time to check them. Whether it’s a plumber or a holiday cottage, asking others for their opinion is a great way of finding out about the reality of the transaction.
The holiday industry is one that benefits greatly from feedback. It’s always worth checking out your potential holiday cottage on feedback sites.
Do your research
Once you have a good idea of what and where your holiday cottage is, check it out on the internet. Search the property name, the address, check Google Street View and the owner’s name or business name.
Also look for negative feedback, scam reports and any other negative press. Don’t take it at face value as people tend to say anything online. Verify everything and bear it in mind when making a booking.
Get a contract
Each holiday cottage owner works slightly differently, but most will want to confirm in writing the dates, cost, who will be staying and when you will be arriving and leaving. Some will do this by email, others will issue a booking contract.
Check everything before signing and ensure you’re paying the owner directly. Not all holiday cottage owners will accept credit cards, but use one if they do.
We do everything we can to ensure every single holiday cottage on our website is real and that they offer great value. While we would always recommend using our site to book your next holiday, at least you now know what to look for if you don’t!