I wouldn't worry. If she took your money and ran, she would never be able to list her condo on VRBO again. We have rented properties for at least 15 years on VRBO and never had a problem. We did buy insurance on our last rental. The fee was non refundable and the insurance was very inexpensive.

Leave a message on her machine. Most owners are pretty good at returning messages

I've found that true owners often respond much slower than rental agencies. I wouldn't start worrying unless a whole week went by. And in my experience, I usually don't get the passkey info or parking pass until about a week before my rental begins. Like others, I've rented thru VRBO lots of times without a problem.

B_Goolsby - Maybe the owner is away on vacation? Relax, I agree owners can be slow to respond but they always have in my experiences.

mclaurie - Thank you! It's kind of like asking: "Are the cars listed for sale in the Miami Herald classified well maintained?"

VRBO is just a place where owners can list their properties - every owner (and house) is different!

B Goolsby,
I had a VRBO rental in Croatia where I sent the check and the owner went on a 2 week vacation before the check arrived. She told her son to watch her email & contact her renters, but he didnt get back to me until a few days before I was set to leave...whew

Thank you all very much for your replies. And LindainOhio, that's really good to know - thank you. Update: I sent her another email today and she responded, saying she thought she had emailed the packet already, would be home in about 2 hours, and would send it asap. It has been 4 hours since then, and I still haven't received, but maybe she is just really busy. So I will give her today and if I still haven't received it tomorrow, contact her again. The (kind of) strange thing was that she still never would actually call me. Is that odd? I guess email is fine, as long as it's legit, but wouldn't it have been easier to call me rather than keep replying to email after email?

FrankS - oh wow, I would have been freaking out!!!

Were there reviews on this vrbo, B_Goolsby? How many? My biggest fears are with units that have no reviews.

I think it is important to call and speak with the owner or manager. I can then ask specific questions and get a better "feel" of the whole situation. I have never had an issue with vrbo. I send lots of emails with questions and several phone calls to make sure I understand what I am getting.

DebitNM - There were 3 reviews, but the most recent one was from December, 2010. :( At the time, I wasn't aware the vrbo didn't allow negative reviews, so since they were all good I just assumed that most people don't take the time to leave reviews.

Still no email packet, as she promised today. I also left another phone message. I am remaining polite but I have a sick feeling in my stomach. Hopefully I am just a worrywart, but I really don't understand why she won't call me.

What are my options if a week goes by and she still doesn't email the info, as promised? BTW our trip is the week of July 14th.

I am not sure that you comment about vrbo not allowing negative reviews is 100% accurate. I have found similar items online as in this article that says either an owner has to allow ALL reviews, or cannot have ANY reviews.

http://www.bargaineering.com/article...om-review.html

I wish you good luck.

Ah, sorry..........was just going off of some earlier comments. Well, that is good news if they have to allow all reviews! Thanks DebitNM.

I am happy to report that the owner emailed me all my info tonight. Yay! :)

Thank you all for your helpful advice.

A private condo, with kitchen, especially when kids are involved, is a much better experience than a hotel room. Eat, nap, what/when you want, take picnics, and save lots of money.
Have a wonderful time; Maui is wonderful.
We've used VRBO all over the U.S. and in Costa Rica, and never had a bad experience.

Great news B Goolsby

Have a great trip

Thank you FrankS! We can't wait!

I just used it for a place in Bequia - no worries, S.

Nice post portia - up to the point where you advertised your property, S.

When I rented from vrbo, I googled the local registry of deeds to confirm that the listing party was in fact the owner of the property.

Also, there have been scams in the Bosotn area on craigslist where someone has coopted a very real vacation listing and simply changed where to send the check - leaving both the owner and the renter screwed.

Sorry you disapprove SAnParis2. Don't click the link!