Moondoggie - can you help me with a Paris apartment?
 

I saw your recommendation in another thread for VRBO rental #35715, and I'm looking a possibly renting that apartment for this December. I have a question or two about it, though, and I was wondering if I could ask you? My email address is robinlyn at gmail dot com. I'd really appreciate your help!

Are your questions of such a personal nature that it isn't fit for anyone else's eyes or ears?

If you have questions about a specific apartment, it would be nice if they were asked and answered here. That way next time someone is looking for information about that apartment, it will already be here to be read.

No, it's not so personal, I just didn't think anyone else would be interested. But I'll expand on it, just in case someone else has some input.

I realize this is probably fairly common, but the owner of this apartment is asking for $500 (or 500E, whichever I prefer) CASH for a security deposit. The apartment rental fee would be paid in advance via paypal, but he wants cash in hand upon arrival, which he will return at the end of the stay. As the only reference to that apartment I can find was from moondoggie, I though s/he could give me a little insight into her/his experience with this apartment and its owner.

Carrying around that much cash makes me nervous all by itself, and handing it to a stranger is even more unnerving. I paid cash in advance for an apartment in Rome, but I was not required to pay a security deposit there, so I wasn't worried about getting it back.

Does anyone else have any experience or advice with this?

Ah, yes, I might have an answer for you. You might see if the owner will accept traveler's checks as "cash", which they really are. He would be able to deposit then into his account if you defaulted on some aspect. That way you aren't carrying cash and when you get them back you can use them or better yet, return home with them and deposit them like cash into your account to help pay off your trip. Since he says he'll accept the cash in either $ or euro, I'd get them in $ which won't cost you anything, and you can deposit them at full value when you get home, still not costing anything. This is actually even 1% cheaper than most ATM transactions would be getting the proper amount in cash when you get there and then ending up with all that cash when you leave.

I'm not a fan of using TC's normally, but they do come in handy as deposits or security.

I had a thought similar to this. I thought I'd ask if he would accept a Cashier's Check made out to him for the $500. It would still cost a small amount to get the check, but it would be the same as cash to him, and less risky. I don't know if he is willing to do that, but I may ask.

I'll just tell you about another couple of apartments and you can completely trust these owners. We have enjoyed ourselves during our stays. www.lacigaleparis.com is the website that will lead you to at least 3 apartments. You can compare their policies to the one you are interested in, as regards paying.