hi everyone!
I'm hoping someone could help me. I'm planning a solo 2 month stay in Rome. I was speaking with a rental agency to book an apartment in rome and they have told me that I would owe them a deposit up front and the balance in November...I am going in February! I have never heard of paying the entire balance before even getting there and I've been doing some research.

Am I correct in questioning this?

They have also said the hefty deposit is non-refundable. Is this something travel insurance would cover in case of an emergency trip cancellation?

I really appreciate anyone's help!!!
And I love reading these posts, they are so insightful!!

also wanted to add, I'm a single female traveling solo for the first time and I've been reading about apt. scams on the net so I never know if I'm being too paranoid

I had to pay half as a deposit when I booked (few months in advance) and the balance on the day I arrived (after I had the opportunity to check out the apartment). The deposit would have been partially refundable if I had cancelled,depending on when I had cancelled. This was in Paris last March. It's my only personal experience with apartment renting, but I have several friends who have rented apts, including in Rome, and their experience was similiar to mine. I would question it too.

I rented an apartment in Paris/St. Germain des Pres last May. I paid a fifty percent deposit initially and was required to pay the remaining fifty percent six weeks before arrival. I had no concerns about doing that, since the apartment owner would have been at risk of me being a no-show if my loss was limited to the original deposit.

I have just rented an apartment with sleepinitaly and all they require is a 100€ deposit and the remainder to be paid on arrival.

In October we are renting a VRBO apartment in Lisbon and the same is true. Our apartment in Nerja required that we make the full payment sixty days before our arrival.

We always get trip insurance but have never had a claim. Insurance will pay for an emergency trip cancellation but be sure to insure for the entire amount you would be out.

I don't know about Rome, but those terms don't sound that unusual to me, with the exception that the entire balance due may be a bit early (3 months), but not that much. 30-60 days before arrival isn't that unusual. I think a lot of apartments require the balance be paid in full before arrival, that isn't unusual to me. Deposits are often completely nonfundable if you cancel close to the date (perhaps within 30 days), that's what they are for, so people don't just book things and then cancel later on. Travel insurance should generally cover that for emergencies, if you buy it during the correct time period and can document a real emergency, according to the terms of the policy.

There are lots of different legit rental requirements - Many require full payment well before arrival, some not until arrival, and a few even let you pay a day or two after you check in.

Absolutely nothing unusual about having to pay 30-60 days in advance. I'd guess about 1/2 of all agencies have those sorts of contracts.

As someone who manages rental properties in France, I want to confirm that pre-payment is the norm with apartments/houses. In our case that's 8 weeks before you arrive.

Unlike hotels, if you didnt come, we would not be able to rent the property to someone who just walked by. Similarly, if you don't like the house when you get here, it's not likely tha that you are going to find another one on a Saturday afternoon.

That's why it's important to have confidence in the person/agency you deal with. Ask for references, which we are always happy to give. Ask for their booking conditions/contract.

We always recommend that people take travel insurance (which few people do, but which is readily available on the Internet.) We refund payment if we are able to rent the property and state that clearly in our conditions - if your agency doesn't do that then you should investigate insurance.

You also need to keep in mind that you are renting an apartemtn for 2 months. It's likely that they may be requiring early payment since you are locking in the apartment for so long.

After all - if someone backs out of a 1 week rental it may be relatively easy to rerent - 2 months would be a huge loss of income for them. I think they just want to make sure how serious you are.