We are traveling to Barcelona September 7 thru 10. We have seen many, many apartments on various websites available during these dates. We have waited this long as we felt we may get a better rate since there are so many apartments available on these dates. I have found a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath apartment in Barcelona that I feel would be good for our group of 4 people. I found the apartment on the VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner)website. I have not used VRBO before nor have I rented in this fashion before. As I have been the victim of Identity Theft more than once, I am very (or perhaps overly) apprehensive about sending money to people I don't know. I sent an email to the owner and he returned a message stating; "The way to confirm the reservation is to pay 30% of the amount. I have an account at the Bank of New York because most of my clients are from USA and it is cheaper and more comfortable for them to send the transfer to an American Bank than to a Spanish one." The owner is charging $900 for a 3-day stay which means I would send him $300. He is also charging a Cleaning Fee of $75. He says the deposit is refundable at check-out if there is no damage. The apartment is located on Carrer de Balmes between Carrer de Pelai and Carrer de Tallers. Or, at least that is what his map on the website shows. I read comments on his Guest Book; they were all positive. I tried to include all the information I could think of. My Question: Is this the normal way to make reservations? Is it offensive to make an offer that I would like to pay? Are these owners agreeable to holding reservations on credit cards until you arrive (such as hotels do)?
Posted by
Overland Park, KS
48 posts
Lorraine, We have had very good success renting apartments in several locations and have used VRBO a few times (three I think. We never had a problem with VRBO but there never was a "standard" method to secure the reservation. Some PayPal some credit card (with an actual charge) etc. I think you should always be careful about your information and money but some risk is possible with a transaction like this. I believe that I have always paid some portion in advance. Once, to get comfortable I emailed a previous renter with some further questions. You may want to ask for a reference from the owner.
Jim