VRBO.com--any use them??
 

has anyone booked a condo in Hawaii with vrbo.com?? Any tips/advice/warnings are appreciated.
Linda

I have rented from owners on vrbo.com many times, including Hawaii and even Europe. I always ask for references and email or call at least 2 just to be sure the place is as advertised and the owners are ethical, responsible people.
You should ask if there is on-island representation, just in case something goes wrong during your stay. We lost the key to pool area once and couldn't reach the owner. We weren't able to use the pool for much of our visit.
Since then we only rent if there is a local managment company or maintenence person to contact if needed.

Linda,

Do you realize that your have several responses on your earlier post? Click on your name and it will show you your other post. No need to repost.

-Bill

yeah I know. I posted one under Hawaii, and then one under general interest. Just wanted to get as many responses as possible.
L

LindaSus

FYI - ALL post go on General Interest. When you post and want it to go under a specific state, highlight both General Interest and the state name in the drop down list.

Debi

We used VRBO this past spring, found a condo in Waikiki, stayed a month, no problems whatsoever. Remember, the deal is ultimately done between you and the landlord. Our story came out great, but we had excellent communications all during the transaction, there was a rental contract signed that specified what each party was to do.

I've used VRBO at least ten times including a condo in Hawaii and Kauai last June without any problems. In fact, Aloha Amauloa Condo (http://www.vrbo.com/61165) was our favorite VRBO rental of them all. We would stay there again in a heart beat.


The key to VRBO is to contact the owner by email and by phone. Ask lots of questions and try to get current pictures. If something doesn't sound right, back out before you send money.

Asks lots of questions and you will be rewarded.

The one thing I wished VRBO did was some sort of feedback system so renters could rate the properties.

Mike Honeycutt

Hi Linda! My family and I rented a house in Yellowstone this past summer from a vrbo.com owner. It was wonderful and even more beautiful than the pictures on the website. I also have booked two condos in Hawaii this coming summer from vrbo.com owners, one at Kaanapali Royal on Maui and the other at Kanaloa at Kona on the Big Island.

My one suggestion would be to choose owners who have left feedback on their vrbo website. Not all have them, but some owners have a spot at the bottom of their ad for "guest comments" and I usually look for a lot of positive feedback.

Good luck and have a great vacation!

On your other thread I posted advice posted here by Marvin Floyd, the GM of VRBO.