Oh dear. I am really sorry that you hadn't seen my post about Tuscany Now & More, a really monstrous rental agency. They are interested in profit, not service.

If there is any opportunity for you to get out of your rental arrangements, take a look at Invitation to Tuscany, a rental firm based in London, that we used this past July. This company, unlike the former, is really on its toes and eager to make the renter satisfied. They followed through on everything, including having someone here in the US telephone to make certain all was well prior to our departure. In fact, that person recommended a book to read about the area where we were headed, even offering to send us his copy in case our local library didn't have it.

Carol

Does anyone have sites to recommend finding rentals? We are looking for a home for 12 family members. I am looking on airbnb etc. but am wondering if a good local realtor would be a good way to go.

Welcome to Fodors. You've tacked your questions on to a 2+ year old thread warning about a specific rental agency. It would be much better if you started a topic of your own asking for recommendations.

janisj is right, but if going to Italy always look at agriturismo.it. Many of these places can rented as one and staff/support is easy to sort out

Kevin:

This past July we rented a house through InvitationtoTuscany.Com and found that to be a reliable and responsible agency.

Good luck!

Carol

The complaints registered here about the rental service Tuscany Now & More resonated with us this year, unfortunately. Imagine planning a flight across the ocean to spend a week at a rental in a truly beautiful part of Italy and -- just before leaving -- getting a detailed contract listing the property's address so it can be readily found. And then arriving in a car at the property address listed in the contract, being deposited at the gate, and then being told by someone who comes out from the house that the address you have been given is incorrect and that that house is his rental, not yours. And then being told by Eleanora -- an Italian employee of Tuscany Now and More that "I did not intend to suggest that the address provided was entirely correct." Just a disastrous handling of customers by a company that clearly takes no serious interest in ensuring they have a good experience. The house itself that we rented in late June, called Casalta, could be reached easily only by four-wheel drive, but no warning of this was provided. And the interior of the house had not really been improved in -- shall we say? -- 100 years or so. The kitchen was a joke for anyone who likes to cook, and bugs were everywhere. The laundry machine was tiny even though the house supposedly accomodates 8 or more. The upstairs bathroom had enough hot water for one single shower in a period of several hours, even though five people were in that part of the house. So every single one of us was inconvenienced every single day. Mosquitoes were everywhere, inside, and it was a daily chore to kill more than 10 in the bedrooms before turning out the lights and then still hearing their buzz. And the ants in one of the upstairs bathrooms were really impressive -- easily more than 100 came in at a time, night after night, climbing every wall of the shower. So this was just a great place to stay if what you have in mind is spending more than $5500 for a week of really unpleasant camping. A nice place to stay? Hah. Nothing at all like what Tuscany Now and More advertised. We tried to be away from the house as much as possible, but were still delighted to leave. Beware, beware, beware, beware. Easy to sit in London and collect the checks. It takes a bit of work to be sure the rentals are decent, and some are evidently not willing to put in the time.