I rented an apt through an agency, paid them a hefty commission, paid the owner a deposit (1/3 of the rent) back in the fall by bank wire transfer, and then piad the owner the rent balance upon my arrival with Travellers Cheques (which was an option given to me by the agent). I didn't want to carry cash, obviously, and don't have checks in euros (all payments were made in euros). Here's my question: did anyone ever have to pay bank transfer or Traveller Cheque fees that the owner incurred through her own bank? I've been yelled at, accused of dishonesty, etc, b/c I said that the contract doesn't say I have to pay her bank fees (totalling about 80 Euros). The agent is telling me I have to pay them, too. And yet, no one can tell me where in the contract it says I have to pay random/additional/unnamed fees. I'm going to have to pay it b/c she'll just keep my security deposit otherwise (plus the stress of having her yell at me isn't worth it). I'm wondering if this is a cultural difference??? Anyone have any experience with this? One last question: did those of you who rented an apt get your sec dep back the day you left or later (the owner has 1500 Euros in travellers cheques for my sec dep).
Posted by
Ardmore, PA, US
225 posts
We went through roughly the same process, but with much better results. We did wire both the management fee and half of the rental upon signing the contract and then paid the remainder upon arrival. The apartment owner made the same assertion about the wire fee that his bank charged him, but I politely stated that I paid my fees and he should pay his. There are other (slower) methods of payment if you don't want to pay fees at both ends, like a mailed check.
The difference in our two situations appears to be the attitude of the owner. When I arrived, I had forgotten my check book which I had planned to use to write him a check for the security deposit. He was more than willing to accept US currency to hold as the security deposit. He returned this deposit to me immediately upon our leaving the apartment. He also even loaned us his own family's travel crib for our daughters use.
Your contract should be the final answer on all of your questions, but if the owner is going to be difficult, then they could keep part of your security deposit or just generally make your life miserable.
Good luck and I hope you got traveler's insurance in case you want/have to cancel the apartment. I was told (and I believe correctly so) that you MUST have renter's insurance when renting an apartment in France. This insurance also covered cancellation.
Posted by
St. Louis
239 posts
Hi Rebecca--We used Vacation in Paris. We got our deposit back after we got back home and returned the key, which had to be mailed back to the rental company. As for the rest of your question, our experience was different; we paid for the apartment by check in US dollars because the company is based in New Jersey, so we didn't have to convert fees to euro or pay banking fees. I don't think charging hidden fees or yelling at people is a cultural difference; sounds like it's just the people you were dealing with. From other transactions I've made in Europe, I do know that if you use a US credit card it's not unusual for a seller to add the price of the bank fee into your purchase price (or to say it a different way, give you a discout if you pay in cash). They have to pay the fee, so naturally they would add that to the price of the item. It does not surprise me that the renter would pass the bank fees on to you but it does surprise me that the contract doesn't say that.
Posted by
Anaheim, CA, USA
1455 posts
Wow Rebecca, that sounds terrible!!
I was fortunate and didn't get that much harassment. In fact, my transaction was extremely smooth.
I paid my 50% deposit online with a credit card, and signed a contract (returned via a pdf file, but you can fax the contract also). Then a few weeks prior to my trip I paid the balance. He did ask me to bring 500 (euros or dollars) in cash for the security deposit. On my last day the manager inspected the apartment for any damages (which there were none) and he promptly handed me my envelope with the $500 cash inside.
My person returned all of my emails within 24-48 hours, was very personable, knowledgable, and I was 100% satisfied.
I am sorry to hear that you were charged her fees, and experienced stress on your vacation.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
2775 posts
WOW!
I thik I would have walked over the 1500 Euros security deposit. Mine was something like a few hundred on my CC with Vacations in Paris. I think with Rent Paris it was the same. Plus you paid a comision to the agency?
All in all this sounds like a bad deal. Hope it works out!
Posted by
OP
Memphis
32 posts
Thanks, everyone. I am supremely irritated at the apt situation and have never had such a thing happen in the past, though I've rented several times via an agency, etc. I used LODGIS this time, paid their fee, signed their contract, and then another company has been emailing with me. All very confusing. On top of everything, the ad said the apt had a/c and it does not. This wouldn't have been a problem except that a) the bedroom window does not open and b) I paid for an apt with a/c. Argh. The compromise we've come to is for me to pay 1/2 the commissions. I just couldn't deal with the owner harassing me anymore!
Posted by
USA
349 posts
The one good thing about my Paris Apt was the fact that the owner was fine with me paying him cash from the ATM. No fees, and we paid on the last day.
Posted by
Mars, PA, USA
213 posts
Rebecca- Glad you were able to get them to compromise. I researched a ton of places/agencies before we booked, incl. Logis, and found a wide variety of deals with regards to fees. Almost all places based over there I looked at charged any bank fees back to you, and this included wire transfers (but I assume that would have been in the contracts as well, but I asked each place if there were any other fees as I went). I figured this all into my costs when comparing places (wire transfer fees, fees for getting a check made out in Euros here, etc.) Personally, I wouldn't have booked a place with a 1500 Euro sec. deposit; period. We ended up booking one through Vacation in Paris and had the same experience as the person above, and the other through VRBO (each owner makes their own contracts with this one so you'll find lots of extra fees from some like we did, and some that don't really have much of a formal contract like we're used to, so I asked LOTS of questions. Our VRBO owner had a pretty informal contract, but he let us pay a deposit through PayPal and then the rest in cash-USD (or Euros) upon arrival. He even waived the security deposit when we arrived since it was just one adult in that place (guess he didn't think he could do much damage).