Cash request from villa owner

Sounds like a big problem. Pl don’t do it. Be mentally prepared to not get a refund.

Cheapest to get it from an ATM if your limit is that high, or you can stash up for a few days, or have several people with ATM cards.

Getting cash here, at the best rates will cost you 5% (~$55), most banks there will not deal with you, exchange counters could run 10% (~$110)

If all else fails, you could look at your Credit Card Cash Advance options at an ATM, I have one card that charges only a 2% fee, then you pay it off immediately to avoid and interest charges, but even at seemingly high 25% APR, on $1000 that is about $20 in interest for the month.

Maybe worse, is at the end you will be stuck with $1000 euro in cash, not bad if you will be doing other things in Europe, a problem if you are heading right to the airport.

This is not unusual in Italy BUT that does sound like a-lot of money. Hopefully our poster Roberto will chime in.

As far as ATM’s in Italy, simply find a bank. Bank ATMS are where to go.

You say 8 adults + 8 children are traveling staying in the house for 14 nights in your other posts. 1000 euros does not seem like a big deal

Recommendation - just to be on the safe side review the terms and conditions of your rental agreement. Does it stipulate for or against cash deposits or side agreements. Some rental agencies may not help you secure a promised refund if it falls outside of their terms. Notwithstanding, you may lose the villa. Determine what your downside is and be prepared. I was asked for a $200 cash damage deposit from a “hotel staff member” in a huge Manhattan establishment. I insisted on speaking with a manager. It turned out to be an inside scam. Two individuals were immediately fired.

I’ve dealt with hotels that do hold damage deposits via credit card. Always refunded.

Cash can be secured upon arrival if your bank is set up for such a withdrawal. Best to contact them before departure for details and possible adjustments.

It's really not all that unusual; we had to pay cash up front for our 3-night stay at family owned hotel in CT some years ago.

I think in your case, the 1000 euros up-front amount is because your villa might be very large? You mention in a previous post that you are traveling with a big family that includes 8 minor grandchildren, and staying for 14 days? An accommodation that can house all of you for that amount of time would not be inexpensive; 1000 euros probably covers less than 1 night. As you are traveling with other adults, I'd ask them to pony up part of the fee so you don't have to come up with the ENTIRE amount in cash yourself.

I'm assuming they're fine taking a credit card for the remaining part of the bill?

With so many companions, the cash deposit can be drawn from several accounts to stay within any limit. I travel solo but always have at least two ATM accounts from different banks for security, or in case an ATM machine is feeling obstinate. Never carried all in the same wallet, either.

That amount is not out of line for a security deposit on a large expensive property for that amount of time, assuming a reputable owner or agent and contract.

You should withdraw it from ATMs there, not bring it with you, but you may have to spread the withdrawals over several days, depending you your bank’s daily limit. The “day” for this purpose is figured midnight to midnight at the home bank location, not your location in Europe.

I had to get 500 euros for a cash payment in Chamonix a few years back, with a daily limit of $250—so it had to be spread over three days. My home bank ( a small credit Union) is on the west coast, on Pacific Time, 9 hours behind France. So midnight there was 9 am in France. I could make 2 sequential withdrawals of €200 on the same day, one before 9 am and one after. Then a third on the following day, after 9 am.

Probably prudent to add, as many are saying, an ATM is best, but that does depend on your card, if your bank charges a 3-5% Foreign Transaction fee, then not a great deal, you may want to review other options.

Then of course, obligatory DCC warning, if you don't know what it is, do a search, or ask.

with 8 adults, each only has to carry 125€ to pool on arrival. Should be easy. Much better than one person carrying 1000€ even if in a money belt.

Are you paying the all stay in cash? If so, The owner is a tax cheater. In this case it's up to you to decide if you can trust him or not. I wouldn't.

try to find an atm in Italy

It's quite easy, we don't hide them. You could even find one at the Airport!

You'd better avoid ATMs in Italy and look for a Bancomat. Just like you should avoid restaurants with menus written only in English and not In Italian. There is a reason if they use a world (ATM) whose meaning is a mystery to locals, but it's well known by English speaking tourists: Conversion fees.

We had to pay all in cash upon arrival at a rental in Italy. We used both my husband’s and my bank cards to get enough cash to pay in full. I much prefer using a wire transfer.

I like Nigel’s idea. Everyone contribute their share of the cash.

Dario, I believe it is a security deposit, as they mentioned that they will get a refund at the end ( assuming no damage is done to the house or furnishings).

In Croatia we paid with cash at our B&B but the hotels all took a credit card. The cash was agreed upon when we made the reservation. They accepted either Euros, Dollars, or Kunas, our choice. He isn’t cheating because he did take our passports and registered us with the appropriate agency.

Just because a landlord gets a copy of your passport does not mean he's not cheating the taxman. He (or she) is. That is why s/he wants to pay in cash. There is no cross-check between tax authorities and reporting and the requirement to register with the police the name of guests (which is done for anti-terrorism purposes). Tax authorities in Europe cross-check payments through banks (credit cards) and reported revenues. If a transaction is in cash, it is easily concealed and it is not reported, or, more likely, it will be underreported. So for example if you pay me in cash Euro 3,000 for a vacation stay, I can easily report only Euro 1,000 in revenue. Or if I ask you for Euro 1,000 in cash and the remaining Euro 2,000 in credit card, you can rest assured that s/he will report only Euro 2,000 as revenue to the taxman. That's how many Italians do things.

He isn’t cheating because he did take our passports and registered us with the appropriate agency.

He is a good confidence man

I have been renting vacation places in Europe for 40 years -- started back when you used catalogues. We have given cash deposits, credit card deposits and checks. Have never lost a deposit and have had landlords hand the check or money back on check in i.e. we hand them the deposit and they just hand it back. Others hand the cash back on check out, refund it to the card, or destroy the check. But I know people who have lost deposits and I think the unscrupulous landlords are becoming more common as more and more people get into the business for a fast easy buck. I would look for reviews, preferably not just on the owner's site and look for discussions of deposit. And then you have to if you have confidence in the landlord take a leap of faith.

You really have to have confidence to wire money. With cash at least you can see that the apartment exists and is more or less what you expected from the ads. Paying all cash suggests tax fraud; paying the deposit this way does not.