Booking apartments in Rome

I have found the same thing when trying to book on VRBO in Rome (no problem in other areas). I did end up booking an apartment for this summer that is through a lead on VRBO, but not actually listed there. I think it must cost to list apartments, so in order to save money they only list one and then give you other options - that is why they still have the apartment listed "available" - because they want you to email them and then they can give you another option. I was leary, and feel that I have checked it out as well as possible - I used paypal for the deposit and everything looks legit. Try googling the persons name, apartment name...whatever you can think of - if it is a scam something should show up. Good luck :)
Donna

Can't comment on VRBO as I've never used it. When I visited Rome I used Romeby.com and was extraordinarily pleased with the apartment I rented in Rome's Old Jewish Ghetto. You could also peruse the airbnb website. Used airbnb in London last May. Found two outstanding properties that met my criteria and budget needs. Lastly, a friend always uses cross-pollinate.com when he travels and has never been dissatisfied with his accommodations. Simply, 3 other apartment rental options to consider.

I only use vrbo in Italy. You might be getting pushed to another site because they pay a higher commission? Anyway, try looking around Piazza Navonna. I'd give you the number for the apartment I always rent but I'm travelling and don't have it with me. Through experience I trust vrbo but if I get pushed off to another site I get skeptical. Good luck. A bad rental experience can really ruin a wonderful trip.

Thanks everyone! I think I'm going to go with an apartment through cross-pollinate. I've been very impressed with their responsiveness! Is the area between the Collosseum and Termini Station a good one? She said its about a ten minute walk to the Collosseum. Cannot wait!!

Hi Celeste
We were in rome in 2008 and booked thru freereservation.com got an apartment in piazza navona area. had no problems with owner, in fact she was great. just did a deposit online then we got cash euros here in the states and paid her when we arrives. so much easier than woorying about taking from ATM in Rome. spent a few extra $$ (US) but no stress. please be very careful when you book that it is not many floors up and no elevator, and you have to climb lots of stairs. do your research and your vacation will be fun. dont let the small things interefere with your vacation. enjoy and have a great time. another site to look at is homeaway.com

A lot of rental agencies have realized that there is a lot of traffic on VRBO and Homeaway so they are posting ads there as if they were private rentals. Homeaway at least will show you that it's being rented by a management company (they specify "Contact manager"). This is happening more and more on these types of sites. Just be careful to check references on any rental.

We wound up using Airbnb and booked an apartment right across the street from Vatican City. Less than 80 euros/night. Location was great though the place was a little run down.

Celeste, VRBO, and their partners; Homelidays and Homeaway, sent us a notice in January about people that are "capturing/spoofing" the owners Email link in their ads, and then redirecting all Emails. It is VERY important for you to call the owner directly and verify any Email. The crooks have not found a way to "spoof" phone numbers.....yet. Yes, you always best to use a known org or website; but sometimes the local city will list rentals that cannot be found elsewhere. Your best bet is to pay with a credit card; the most that you can loose is $50......and a nites lodging. That is why we always buy Trip Insurance.

Ooh thanks, Steve!! Something just didn't sit right with me about the whole deal. I'm going to book with Cross-Pollinate as they were recommended in RS book AND they just require payment when you get there; no deposit required ahead of time. Has anyone used them?

Celeste, there is nothing wrong with VRBO.(and any of its sister agencies.) Many times owners will have their own web site that they may reference. If you get re-directed to another web site, etc, simply call and talk directly to the owner. This will let you verify any directions that you may receive by Email. Yes, Cross Pollinate is a wonderful rental agency in Rome, but the same thing can happen to them that has happened to others; they can get their Email hi-jacked. Again the simple solution is to call the listed number and verify any Email conversation that you may have. And the final "safety check" is to use Pay Pal (only with your VISA) , or VISA directly.