Our family of 4 is traveling to Rome in April. On 'craigslist' we found an apartment that looks lovely. It is in the San Giovanni area, on Via La Speza, t's called 'crsitahome' and very reasonable. To reserve the apartment the owner is asking for 20% deposit by bank transfer or Western Union and the balance in cash when we arrive. Is that unusual? How can I be sure this is not a scam?
Posted by
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
1127 posts
The deposit and payment terms are standard for an apartment rental. Are you dealing direct with the owner or an agency? Ask them to provide references.
Check to see if the apartment is reviewed on SlowTrav: http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/list.asp?r=Rome
Posted by
Malaga, Malaga, Spain
410 posts
The simple answer is - you cannot be absolutely sure. It is not an unusual payment arrangement but if you are nervous, ask for references or stick with an agency who has good reviews - see www.slowtrav.com.
It sounds to me as if the owner is simply protecting him/herself that you are serious about the booking - if you put yourself in their shoes it is logical. Payment in cash - either the balance or in full - is very usual in Europe - in our experience anyway.
Posted by
Hendersonvlle, NC
486 posts
When we rented a place in Florence, the agent wanted a CC number to hold it and full payment by wire or cash at the time of rental. We were really concerned about doing that; about whether we would get full value on a wire transfer or if she'd shave a little on the exchange rate; and whether we'd get our breakage deposit (€200) back without a hassle.
Since we would find it difficult to exchange enough to come up with the nearly upfront €1000, we hesitantly did the wire transfer.
As it turned out, the agent provided us with the bank deposit notice which showed the actual amount she got and upon arrival, she immediately returned our €200 deposit (probably because she realized we were seniors, not young kids who might party and cause problems).
The only thing I can suggest is to deal with someone who has references or who is recommended. Our place was recommended by Paula Frommer's Italy book.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
We went through VRBO (upon recommendation of our travel agent) and the owner of the apartment that we're renting requested that we mail a check for $500 (US) that she will be keeping (not depositing) until we arrive in Rome with cash (euros) on hand for the full amount. Then she'll hand us back the check. If we cancel, she deposits the check. I know that we could do a stop-payment on the check if we wanted to, but there's a certain level of trust to be assumed here.
I'm not a big fan of wire transfers because of the large fees I associate with them. The downside in our case is that we'll have to travel with almost 1000 euros in cash when we fly to Rome. Payment in cash especially in Italy is fairly common.
But since you're talking about craigslist, I don't know if my experience is helpful.
Posted by
gaston, oregon, usa
842 posts
Craig's list? Caveat emptor! We also used VRBO.com for our Rome apt and were quite happy. ( We have used VRBO for Italy, Portugal, US, etc)
(VRBO # 13150; $100 US nite/, w/ balconies overlooking a river and a park, on two express bus lines to town, 1 block from the Nomentana train station)
Posted by
Henson, Florida, USA
466 posts
Check out www.cross-pollinate.com it is a bed and breakfast and apartment booking agency owned and operated by and American couple living in Rome. They are fantastic and only charge a deposit of 15 euros per night. I have stayed with them many times and highly recommend them. They are also recommended in Ricks books.