I found a couple of places to rent on Homeaway - however, should I be nervous if the places I'm looking at do not have reviews? Not as concerned with false advertising as I am with sending my money off to an "owner" that is a scammer... Thoughts?

You should be nervous because vacation rentals in Paris are illegal.
You should be nervous anytime you plan to send money to a perfect stranger.
You should book a room in a hotel, or an apart'hotel, if you need kitchen facilities.
Then you wouldn't have to be nervous and could enjoy your vacation.

Ok, well then for London? I'm thinking of a rental in London and many suggest Homeaway on these boards..

I suppose you can be nervous although reviews dont guarantee anything, either. I'd be more concerned if it had been rented a long time with no reviews but someone has to be in places when they are first rented, of course. I have rented several apts and never once did they have a review, actually, I base my opinion on whether it has what I want, the location and the reputation of the agency. Of course, I have never used places that are just ads by owners like Homeaway or VRBO. No one can say what you should do, you'll have to decide for yourself. The problem is if a place has been online a long time, that means it likely isn't a scam but I suspect you are talking about a place that is fairly recently listed? Then no reviews might be normal. One might say don't deal with any place you are sending money off to, only those who take Paypal, etc, but I think I read someplace that those credit card guarantees don't apply abroad, not sure.

What other sites would you suggest? A management company? I saw some possible listings on Magic Rentals which I'm gathering is a management company.

I have rented several times, I would not rent a place with no reviews.

Understand that homeaway is not a rental agency, it is simply a site that brings together someone who wants to rent and someone with a place to rent.

You "might" be better using a professional rental agency company.

Well, we let a flat in London through Onefinestay. It's very popular, and is booked months in advance. I have never found a review online about it, even though it's been let to dozens of different families, and nearly all leave glowing messages in the guest book.

With Onefinestay you do not deal with the owner, and you pay by credit card. They do not have a review section on their site, but I suppose people could review on Tripadvisor if they wanted to. And if there is a problem, I would hear about it from Onefinestay.

Rental agencies for Paris: Vacation in Paris, Paris Perfect, Guest Apartment Services

For London: A Place Like Home, Coach House, Farnum & Christ

These are agencies I have dealt with or heard lots of good things about. I am sure there are others.

I prefer agencies that vet their apartments. These companies have been in business for while, and I can pay by credit card, a form of insurance.

I just found this on their site: Currently available to owners and managers who list on HomeAway.com or VRBO.com, and are residents of, or have bank accounts in the US, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, UK.

HomeAway Payments* (Recommended)
Paying online with credit card or eCheck through HomeAway Payments is the most secure way to book a vacation rental on our sites. When the owner or manager sends an email invoice via HomeAway Payments, you are able to make immediate and secure payments by Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards or an eCheck (US residents only). When you use HomeAway Payments, your payment is 100% guaranteed up to $10,000 against internet fraud. Ask the homeowner or property manager if you can pay with HomeAway Payments.

While that is helpful, it still doesn't eliminate the problem of apartment without reviews. You might get there, find issues and then what?? You might get your money back but what do you do for accomodations at last minute?

Good reviews, professional agencies help but are no guarantee. I have had 2 less than great situations in the past few months. Dealt with well know and much touted agencies [both here and on TripAdvisor].

Agencies can choose not to post bad reviews or they might not even bother asking you to review an apartment if they know there are issues.

Thanks Mirmar, will try those also.

We had issues with Vacation in Paris apartment. They never asked us to do a review or gave us the option to do one.

We also had issues with Habitat Apartments in Barcelona. They had us do a review, but never published it.

I've done multiple vrbo rentals here in the US all with excellent results. All were as shown, all owners easy to work with. I've returned twice to one of them and would return to all if it fit my plans.

I also did a homeaway rental on Lipari in Sicily where the owner and I traded multiple e mails, she was flexible when it came to not requiring a money wire from the US which has a significant fee, and we even traded voice mails between Utah and Germany. The property was even better than advertised and all went perfectly.

Just good experiences, thankfully. I know sometimes things don't turn out as well.

I have rented from HomeAway twice in Paris but I would not rent from a place with no reviews. Although if no one ever takes a chance , then it will never have a review. You may want to email the owner and ask for additional information . I have also rented from Vacations in Paris, they are a good company. I have just put a deposit on an apartment for Christmas from Frenchy Rentals , they seem to be a good company and are very responsive

I may have a different view. I've rented over 40 properties throughout Europe, mostly from owners, and sometimes without reviews.

I'm also now the owner of a place in Provence that we've had a little over two years and have listed for two years. When we first opened up for rentals in early 2013, we didn't have any reviews. Fortunately some people took a chance on us and have had a great experience.

If you like what you see and read on the Homeaway listing, 'd encourage you to strike up a dialogue with the owner. Ask lots of questions, and call on the phone if it makes you feel more comfortable. You can ask them to provide references or even send you more photos.

The owner is taking a chance on you too... counting on you to follow through on the reservation and to take care of their place while you're there.

I know there are scams out there and also agencies that may provide some sense of security (though the worse place I've ever rented was through an agency). Fingers crossed... I've never encountered a scam and I've developed some great relationships with owners.

Good luck in finding a rental that finds right for you.

Kathy

I did in fact use a VRBO in Paris with no reviews. We were lucky in that someone from TA was willing to go check it out for us. It turned out well, and we stayed there twice. Sadly, the owner couldn't deal with the short term rental demands and went with a long term renter.

I have also done airbnb in San Francisco and Hilo with no reviews, but again, was lucky enough to have friends in the area check them out for me.

I know, someone has to be the first, I'd just prefer it wasn't me.

Trying googling the apt name, identifier etc and see what you can come up with. I had a rental in Rome that didnthave reveiws on the site (it was with an agency) and googling brought me reviews, several by Fodorites.

I just used homeaway but was booked two of our days. The owner is renting us a new place in same building but sent me tons of references. I did a paypal deposit. The place has no reviews because it is new. I have rented many times and have been lucky so far. I have used flip key the most.

Travel and leisure 2/15 have a great article on renting. Trip Doctor, The Micro Hoteliers.

I would be very cautious about a short term apartment rental in Paris. Most all of them are illegal and scores of them are being pulled off the market due to a recent crackdown by city government. I am seeing a lot of furnished, one and two bedrooms apartments currently for sell particularly in the 4th, 5th, and 6th arrondissements.