Apt Rental Dilemma
 

Please help -- am I in the wrong here and is what I want to do wrong?

I rented an apt and paid several months ago and am not comfortable at all with the person I am renting from.

First it took several emails to get a straight answer as to what floor it was on and whether there were steps leading to the apt --a make or break for me which I explained. Some of my other questions were never answered--I was told once I paid O'd get the information.

There is no feedback on VRBO.

I had heard no word from the owner since paying in March. Finally, I made the time to email her about keys (the owner lives in the states not in the country). I emailed this weekend and it took 3 emails to get a response. The response now is that the keys are in a box outside the door. I asked who the contact in the city is, or apt manager in case there is an issue and for the address. I was merely told all the info I needed was on the public website. Indeed the address is on the website, but no word on a manager.

I am increasingly uncomfortable about this arrangement and just want to scrap it and try to find a different flat--I leave in a week.

I had googled the owner and perhaps she is just a flighty artist, but still. I also get that this is a trust thing on both our ends--she is trusting us with the apt, which in the photos does look nice, but I am completely unclear as to who is doing the upkeep on the place, who is the contact, and just generally uncomfortable about the whole thing with lack of communication.

My gut tells me to back out and find something else, but at the same time I feel that is a douche move and bad karma.

Any thoughts are appreciated--even if they are flaming me for wanting to back out. FWIW, I paid via paypal on Amex--not cash.

Thanks!!

This is all about you and your gut feeling that you had since day one apparently. There are hundreds of reviewed apartments out there..was this one of them? Had you read anything about it beforehand? No one can tell you what you need to do in this situation; either go w/ your "gut" and back out knowing you may lose your money or hope for the best and have a plan B when you get there if your gut feeling turns out to be true.

the parenting advice I ever got was 'trust your instincts'. I think this holds true in this instance.

I would:
a) review possible backup plans - either other hotels or apartments

b) email her that you want a phone conversation in the next 2 days. If she's in the states, that should be easy. Tell her if you can't have this conversation, then you are backing out. Be prepared to do so. Be prepared with a list of questions.

c) be prepared to take a financial hit should these things not work out.

d) have a backup plan in case you get there and aren't happy. even have phone numbers of other apartment rental agencies that may be able to do something on the fly if need be.

I'd be wary... sounds like you already are.

The whole instinct thing is what is getting me. I posted about the apartment here prior and no one had stayed there but the feedback I received was along the lines of they don't know who you are either--which is fair.

I just contacted another apt to check availability and if it is available am inclined to take it and just tell the initial person that our plans have changed due to an injury--which is true--my knee is blown out and I am back in a brace. While I am not canceling my trip, just going to wreck my knee to the fullest extent possible, I'm not lying either.

I have not been contemptuous with this person and would prefer not to even if it is being fairly passive-aggressive. I don't think she is trying to rip us off--it just seems like she does not know what she is doing and is new to the whole apt rental business, it is just a crappy situation and I don't know if I am being paranoid or "wrong" about the way I want to handle this...

It's not a matter of right or wrong. It's a matter of what you're comfortbel with.

The only question is - are you prepard to take the financail hit. Obviously, at this point - she can't rerent the apartment and you will have to pay for it.

ttt for any other thoughts, especially from someone like ncounty who does rent out.

Can you please post a link to the apartment so that we can all take note of which one it is, thanks

I would be nervous. For one thing, there is no manager listed on the website and therefore, they told you an untruth and, more important, there may not be a manager so you are in trouble if something goes wrong. What happens if you lose the keys, or if a fuse blows?

This looks like an agency to me, and not a private rent-by-owner. The place looks unlived in on the pics..but perhaps they are just great cleaners!

Just my own opinion, and there is a good chance that all would be well but if you have other options I would explore them. Cas you get a refund from the cc company?

Hi cherry,

i really understand your dilemma. for our rental in Venice this year we went through an owner rental site, [prices were the most reasonable] and I had a few qualms. we ended up going for one owned by a Brit with a bank a/c here - so I could sue easily if it all went t---up. [it worked out well with the euro exchange rate too as it happened].

our owner wasn't the best at replying to e-mails either and I had to get a bit insistent at one point- jist before i paid the money. After that though he was fine and very helpful, unlike your person.

what exactly did the web-site say about the key? cleaning? management?

is the owner in breach of any essential terms of the contract which might allow you to cancel and get your money back?

the bottom line is how uncomfortable do you feel? and how big a hit will you take if you go for somewhere else? - you might of course get a good last minute deal which will sweeten the pill a bit as there must be some renters out there who want to rent out their vacant properties.

AT the very least, I would book a hotel with a "kind" cancellation policy - even if you forfeited the first night's lodging, it would be worth it for the peace of mind.

good luck,

regards, ann

PS - you asked for feed-back from renters on this site - I can definitely say that we try to answer queries from our customers promptly and make sure that they understand about the key, cleaning, management etc.

PPS - i just looked at the web-site. strikes me as odd that there are no bookings after the end of May and there are no reviews at all. I'd definitely book a hotel!

I don't see anything about the ad that makes it look like an agency.

Okay, let's say it's just someone who doesn't care about customer service, not someone who is making up a website and photo to get money -- that's what you get when you book from a private owner you don't know. They are private owners, and not necessarily professionals, and an agency often is better, at least they are a business.

IN any case, if you paid for it, I don't think anyone can blame you for wanting to back out because you won't get anything and will lose all your money, right? Since it looks okay (and I assume you know the location is fine), I'd go and if something is wrong, move to a hotel, I suppose. Maybe everything will be fine, after all. I'd just go with a list of at least six hotels I'd checked out.

The owner never said there was a manager, so they didn't lie to you. She just told you everything you needed to know what on the website. That's her attitude.

YOu are probably wondering this yourself, but why would you rent a place from someone without asking simple questions, like who is the manager, or what to do if a problem. I wouldn't imagine all apts with private owners do have managers on location.

The owner lists a phone number, so what happens if you call it? Does she hang up on you? It's in Calif (and is a Verizon cellphone number).

I know--for Berlin though, there is only one apt on the site that actually has rental dates filled in on the calendar. She is more of a question avoider rather than anything else--there is no contract. She answers what she wants and doesn't answer other questions. I have to just ask over and over until i get a response. I'm at the point of just not bothering to email and wait, email and wait, and so forth.

I had some issues at first with her non-responsiveness and then wanting payment in full up front 3 months in advance which I thought was weird, but other posters here said that was normal. Gah--this vacation is supposed to relieve my stress, but it is just getting worse.

I super paranoid at this point--like, has it been cleaned paranoid. I have no clue when the last person stayed there as the calendar has never been blocked out that I noticed save for my dates.

I emailed another rental that cost more, but lists as design luxe and it's my birthday trip so I don't care. I am waiting for a reply on the other rental. If I cancel I will get refunded through Amex...I just want to be ethical and not a bad renter. Then again, if it were a hotel, I'd cancel in a second.

Christina: You are correct--I do not think this is an agency, but a private owner who is kinda flaky. In out initial correspondence/agreement I was told there was a manager in the city and that I would have keys mailed to me and the contact once I paid. Now no answer on the manager ("everything [I] need to know is on the website" and the keys will just be hanging out. I'm not all worked up about the keys, rather--who is taking care of this place.

I can imagine walking in and it being like some Fire Island share where we have to do laundry and clean the place upon arrival.


Yes--my bad for renting it to begin with.

Haven't read the full tread - but just one cautionary tale about another vrbo booking.

An acquaintance asked me for advice re a vrbo flat in London. It was also a new listing w/ no feedback from other renters. I told her that the flat looked lovely, was in a terrific neighborhood, was very cheap for the size/location and that no feedback wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Afterall, the owner has to start somewhere.

But I also told her to REALLY question the owner about all the details/arrangements and to decide based on the "vibe" she felt after corresponding w/ the owner. She hemmed and hawed, didn't feel totally secure but at the last minutes wired a sizable deposit. W/i 12 hours she got an e-mail from vrbo saying the listing had been suspended and the situation was "under investigation".

Seems the flat simply does not exist - at least not for rent. She lost her deposit.

So if you have a bad sense about this - I'd go w/ your gut feeling.

To go with flaky--I was charged in euros so that we both could get dinged on the exchange rate! After she asks me if I am in the states after 3 emails that state that i am in NYC and list my NYC cell number on the emails!

Have you tried to call the renter? There is a phone number on the website, and then if you google the phone number you get the artist's studio, address and all.

I'd try to call them before backing out.

Yes, call the owner, the telephone is right there in his website...he apparently lives in San Francisco and from a google seach, he seems to be a sculptor.

How will phoning the owner prove anything one way or the other?

The artist/owner might be totally legit, but talking to him won't solve cherrybomb's dilemma of having a "bad vibe". In my example, the woman exchanged many e-mails and a few phone calls.

the "pay before getting additional information/description" would be a red flag to me.

oops! I meant owner not renter. Dur.

Still think it's worth it to try to call. :)

I wouldn;t assume you can get your money back. What does your contract say? Can you cancel for no reason without penalty? (At this point you have a bad feeling - but no proof there is anything wrong - and I doubt AmEx can do anything for you.)