Sunday, May 30, 2010

“Verify Rentals for Summer” plus 2 more

“Verify Rentals for Summer” plus 2 more

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Verify Rentals for Summer

Posted: 29 May 2010 06:06 PM PDT

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Vacation rentals can be a way to save money on your summer getaway. Just be sure to do some due diligence.

Local real-estate agents, especially in resort areas, typically have summer-rental listings. And they do all the vetting.

You can find some properties through third-party rental sites, such as HomeAway.com. HomeAway offers payment protection in cases of misrepresentation or fraud on the part of the landlord.

Check with the Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) for any complaints against third-party sites. And sites like TripAdvisor.com may have user reviews of rental companies and landlords in popular rental spots.

If dealing directly with the owner, you may be able to verify a property's ownership in public records listed on local-government websites. Or, ask the landlord for proof of ownership, such as a utility bill. And be sure to request references. Use Google Maps Street View to verify a location.

A contract should outline what's included in the rental price, such as utilities, Internet and cable, as well as rules for security deposits, pets and refunds, says Alison Southwick, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau.

Don't make a payment until you sign a contract. Individual landlords likely won't accept credit cards. If you don't want to pay by check, they may accept payment through PayPal, for a small fee.

Write to Jonnelle Marte at jonnelle.marte@wsj.com

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Watch out for vacation rental home scam

Posted: 21 May 2010 01:30 PM PDT

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By Ivan Penn, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Saturday, May 22, 2010

Single-family home, townhouse and condo vacation rentals are a popular way to spend leisure time these days — and scam artists know it all too well.

Real estate and identity theft experts say scam vacation rentals advertised over the Internet are popping up all across the country.

And with Florida as one of the popular destinations for vacation rental seekers and the summer vacation season upon us, I thought it important to issue a warning: Beware of the online offers.

"People tend to do things more online than going in person," said Adam Levin, founder of Identity Theft 911. "They tend to assume they're dealing with honorable people."

But Levin, whose company serves some 450 businesses nationwide in the prevention of identity theft, says the online vacation rental scam to the con artist is "low-hanging fruit." He says he is seeing instances of it nationwide as we move further into the vacation season.

Here how it works:

First a scam artist copies a photo of a property up for sale and portrays it as a vacation rental property on sites such as Craigslist. Then an unwitting victim contacts the scammer and secures the rental with a deposit or even the full amount requested without verifying that legitimacy of the property. And the scammer is never heard from again.

"It's not uncommon," said Kevin Jackson, chief investigator for the Hillsborough Consumer Protection Agency. "They're just flat-out posing as a landlord on a property they don't own."

Ann Guiberson, president and chief executive officer of the Pinellas Realtor Organization, said she did not have any specific statistics about the problem, but she said Realtors have been talking about the issue.

The vacation rental scam is the latest version of the scheme. Joanne DeMase, a property management manager with Alliance Realty in Spring Hill, discovered that her name and several of her company's properties in Hernando County had been listed on Craigslist under a rental scam.

"There are an awful lot of people out there who want to profit off us," Levin said. "It's a scary world we're living in."

So here's the Edge:

• Contact a real estate agent before you rent the property. You can minimize the likelihood you will become a victim of a rental scam by verifying the legitimacy of the property with a professional.

• Search property records for the actual owner. Many property records, in particular in Florida, are online and searchable. Find the owner and contact the person to ensure the home is a vacation rental.

• Consider using a nationally recognized vacation rental agency. This might be a more expensive way to secure a vacation rental, but in the end, you won't lose all your money.

• Visit the home. Either go to the house or have a friend check it out for you before sending any money.

Ivan Penn can be reached at ipenn@sptimes.com (727) 892-2332. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/consumers edge and find Consumer's Edge on Facebook.


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City pondering vacation rentals

Posted: 24 May 2010 12:23 AM PDT

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The city of St. Helena is following the county's lead by reconsidering its regulations pertaining to vacation rentals.

According to City Attorney John Truxaw, the city's municipal code contains no clear prohibitions of vacation rentals — defined as residential rentals for a period of less than 30 days without a use permit — but the reading of several code sections together makes it clear they are illegal.

Property owners who rent their property for less than 30 days must obtain a use permit and pay the city a 12-percent transient occupancy tax. But as the county has discovered, violations are widespread and enforcement is difficult.

On Tuesday city staff asked the planning commission to consider revising the municipal code to more clearly address vacation rentals.

"This has been an issue in the past," Planning Director Carol Poole told the commission. "People have gone online and looked at our code and haven't gone away with the conclusion that they can't rent their houses out (for less than 30 days)."

City staff periodically troll the Internet for illegal vacation rentals.

In 2004 the city filed an enforcement action against Peter and Paulette Story to abate illegal vacation rentals at a house on Pratt Avenue. The city won and got a lien on the property for collection.

Another enforcement action on South Crane Avenue ended in a settlement out of court.

Commissioner Alan Galbraith suggested that the city farm out enforcement duties to an attorney from the private sector. Violators could be forced to cover the legal fees for enforcement, which would give the attorney a financial incentive to ferret out violators.

Meanwhile, the city could make special permits available to property owners who wish to offer short-term rentals but don't fit the rubric of a traditional bed-and-breakfast, Galbraith said.

Planning Commissioner Sandy Ericson proposed that people who have a primary residence in St. Helena could rent out their rooms short-term to help people who can't afford a hotel.

Poole will discuss the commission's ideas with the city attorney and report back at a future meeting.


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