What To Look For In A Vacation Home Overseas
Aug
8
2009
Searching for a rental apartment in a country that you know little or nothing about can be a challenging undertaking. Knowing little about the owners and the exact place where the rental home is located certainly poses some problems.
Although a number of the vacation home sites provide detailed descriptions and exterior and interior photos, words and pictures may only be rough approximations of reality. Unfortunately, many find this out only after they arrive and have made a financial commitment to rent the apartment.
Is there anything that you can really do to insure that the rental home that you are renting over the internet in anyway corresponds in in reality to the website information that the renters of the property have published at their site? How can you know that they are honest, ethical folks that are not just out to make a some money off some unfortunate foreigner who knows little about the city{/spin}, or about the[spin]immediate area where the property is located? In the United States there area number of sites that one can consult to gather information about the particular neighborhood where a rental property is located. These sites offer demographics on neighborhoods and blogs from people who have actually rented the apartments. One such site is http://www.apartmentratings.com .
At this site you will discover recommendations from former renters about the particular rental home, how it is managed, the amenities, and the overall condition of the rental units; you will also discover facts on the number of registered sex offenders in the immediate vincinity.
Of course, you cannot expect to uncover facts at sites that offer specific demographic information on, let’s say, neighborhoods in Casablanca, Morocco,Beijing, China,or Lima, Peru. You will have to depend on information from those you know who have traveled there, or you will have to rely on the information you are receiving from the owners of the vacation homes, whose perceptions about various things, especially about safety, may be quite different from your own. So what can you do to assure yourself that the property you will be renting conforms to your expectations?
I have a few ideas that may be helpful when you are trying to find an apartment overseas. Searching Google for blogs about the particular area where you plan to rent may be a good starting point. Many people publish experiences about their travels and places where they have stayed. A Google search in which you enter key words about the area should turn up a number of blogs that will offer reflections on the particular area you have in mind.
The blogs can provide you with ample information about theneighborhood, though rarely anything about the rental apartment. Secondly, look for websites that post recommendations of former renters. This can be very helpful in supplying you with particular details about the building, the immediate area, and the apartment itself. Thirdly,
It may be worth it to talk directly with the person who is renting the apartment. Today, most international business is conducted in English, so it is very likely that you will find someone who is fairly fluent in English. It’s great when you actually find someone who did notjust pick up English, but actually is an American or native speaker.
Lima Accommodations, for example, is owned and operated by an American expat who has worked and lived abroad for many years. Finding someone who speaks the same lingo can definitely give you a better idea of what you will be renting most likely a view of key issues like safety that correspond more or less to your own. Lastly, be very careful sending more than the deposit money to hold the apartment. Usually, owners ask for $100 to book an apartment and this $100 becomes part of the security deposit when you arrive. Never pay the full month’s rent in advance. Be very cautious of anyone who would ask you to pay a month’s rent before you arrive.
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