samata73

We're looking into renting an apartment in Rome in March, but are a little concerned about paying the balance in cash upon arrival. Do all apartment rentals require this? Does anyone have any suggestions about having this much cash on hand? Thanks so much!

shelly_m

I had the same fear, but it wound up being no problem at all. Don't know who you are renting from, but if it is RealRome, don't worry a second over it. The transaction was very smooth.

It does take some planning however, to make sure you have the correct amount of euros upon arrival.

We arrived after a week in Paris. While we were in Paris, we withdrew 200E at a time, until we had enough for our payment. My mom and I split up the cash and carried it with us at all times in our money belts.

Upon arrival in Rome, we reserved a car to take us directly to our apartment, so there was no concern about being pickpocketed on the train/bus.

Enjoy your trip to Rome. It's wonderful!

charnees

Shelly's right -- that's the way they do things there. Don't worry. Just be sure to hit an ATM before you go to the apt. (and tell your bank you are going to Italy and see if they will increase the daily limit for withdrawals from your account.)

nancy

I had to do the same thing about 2 yrs ago and looked into making a wire transfer but didn't get the proper info. I just bought the amount of Euros I needed at the bank and saved myself worrying about it. Granted I paid more but not that much. Defintely worth it.

I use a money belt to carry all my cash/credit cards so was not concerned about safety.

Marija

Withdraw the cash using your debit card or cards once you arrive. Cash seems to be what all apartment owners want because it can't be traced for tax purposes, unlike wire transfers.

MelJ

We have to pay the balance on our Rome apartment when we arrive in November (RomeCapitolApartments). We've done the same in Paris. It's not unusual.

Make sure before you leave the states that you have your dialy ATM withdrawel amount upped as high as possible to allow you to do this.

SusanP

I have to disagree with nancy that you won't pay much more by buying the Euro in the US before going. You will pay quite a bit more. As others have said, withdraw the cash from the ATM when you get there. If the ATM machine will only let you withdraw 250€ at a time, just do multiple withdrawals from the same machine. If your bank won't increase your daily limit, either find a new bank or open a second account so that you can withdraw from both accounts to get the necessary amount.

samata73

Thanks for all the great ideas! It makes me much more comfortable.

iamq

We rented a Rome apartment through ItalyPerfect and were able to pay in US dollars with a credit card in advance as we have with other rentals in other parts of the world.

sandi_travelnut

There are many threads here asking the same question. We all have to do the same thing. Get your ATM withdraw balance raised by your bank, if needed, for when you arrive to get the money you need.

luvtravl

We are renting through RomanReference in November and they will allow wire transfer with the approval of the apartment owner. The nice thing though about cash on arrival is that if you have to cancel for some reason you only lose your deposit.