JackieA

We rented an apartment in Paris last year and I keep wondering if we were over charged or if it works like this. We wired a 30% deposit at the owners request as he didn't take credit cards. It cost me, as I remember,$40 at my bank to do the wire. Upon arriving in Paris and meeting the owner at the apartment we paid the remaining balance and also were charged an additional $40 as he was charged at his bank for the wire. Shouldn't he have absorbed that cost as it was he who requested the wire transfer?

N2it

Hi. We rented an apartment last year in Paris that did not take credit cards. We used Western Union, per the owners request, to wire the money and there were no additional charges when we met the owner. The owner told us not do a bank wire even though it was mentioned in the rental contract as an option. He gave no reason so maybe there is an additional charge for a bank wire at the other end. You might call the bank you used to wire the money to see what they have to say about it.

Budman

A similar thing happened to me in Austria. When we checked out he charged us for the cost to cash the bank draft in Shillings that his bank charged him to cash it. I thought it was BS, but let it pass, chalking it up as experience and not to let it happen again. It was a bank draft that I had mailed to him, and the cost was about $5-8.

Christina

no, I don't think he should have absorbed it, as it was a cost for you to rent the apartment. He didn't require you to do that, it was the most convenient thing for you. I'm sure he would have accepted cash or some other arrangement if you could have paid him in person, for example. This was your cost for your rental. Besides, any extra costs are yours by contract unless the rental agreement stated they weren't.

Betsy

As I understand it, there are charges to send and to receive a wire transfer. Who pays for what is negotiable, I guess. On our recent rental in Italy, I paid to send the funds and the owner paid to receive them.

cocofromdijon

Hello, as a owner I don't want any transfer wire anymore. For a 600€ my future guests(from US)had to pay 631€ (+ change rate on that) and I received only 576€. I won't make her pay the difference, but I won't do that again.
with a banker draft the owner has no tax.
what about sending a 25% (or 30%) cheque deposit kept until your arrival and you pay cash with ATM so you would have less charges? Do you think it is a good idea for guests?
$US is low and I don't want my guests to overpay their stay! so I'm trying to figure out what is best for both parts
corinne

Jocelyn_P

Hi coco,

That's exactly what our renter did--we sent in a deposit in the form of a personal check. We will pay cash for the apartment when we arrive, and at the end of our stay the check will be returned to us. Very easy for us.

ira

Hi coco,

>what about sending a 25% (or 30%) cheque deposit kept until your arrival and you pay cash with ATM so you would have less charges?<

You are a very nice landlady.

I suggest that you ask for a cheque that is large enough to cover the deposit plus your cost for depositing it if something goes wrong.

cocofromdijon

thank you Jocelyn! I knew I was right to do that, and I'm glad I suggested it to my next guests. But why do you have your cheque back at the end of your stay and why not when you pay on arrival? is it considered as a security deposit?
thanks again.
corinne

cocofromdijon

I'm not nice Ira, I just don't want banks to make money on travellers' back! why pay more?

cocofromdijon

BTW I didn't thank you for the idea of a bigger cheque, I'll think about it ;-)

Jocelyn_P

coco,

Yes, it acts initially as a booking fee, then security deposit. We will pay the full amount of the rental in cash. The fee for the rental is 640E, and we wrote a check for $600 US when we booked the apartment. Very convenient as long as we don't back out.