View Full Version : Problems having Villa deposit returned
roseberry2503
05-06-2020, 12:05
Hi folks
I would be grateful if anyone could provide any advice please.
we cannot travel abroad for our holiday due to the ban on non essential travel. we have explained our predicament to the villa owner and have asked for our deposit back. they are refusing and to be honest it's a substantial amount of money to lose as there were a number of us going.
we have travel insurance for the flights only
do we have any recourse ? its very upsetting under the circumstances and I don't know what to.
Any advice would be appreciated
thank you
They may have said claim from your Full travel insurance Or through your Credit Card
and have you read their Terms & conditions in your booking with the owner.
Note .... They have the villa waiting for you for those dates and maybe they are unanle to rent it
out again
Gerry Reed
06-06-2020, 06:50
I am sorry you have found yourself in this difficult situation. Just to let you know I am speaking as an x villa owner.
We always strongly advised guests to take out full travel insurance at the time of booking to cover unexpected events like this and if a guest decided to take the risk of not doing this then it was their decision and risk.
You don't say when your booking was for but I believe that rental villas are now opening up again and as said it is not the owner's fault that you can not travel - for what ever reason. When booking the villa you will have agreed to the owner's terms and conditions - a legal agreement and these do usually state that the deposit is non-refundable. The owner has kept the dates available for you and not taken an alternative booking, they will still have costs to pay for your booking, booking commissions etc and they would be out of pocket if they refunded your deposit.
Most owners are agreeing to re-book guests in this situation for a later date- maybe next year. Have you asked the owner about this? They are at no obligation to do this but most will.
There are many people suffering financially from this situation both guests and owners. Most owners will be really struggling to pay the running costs on their villas during this period as these continue even when the home is empty. Owners are usually just normal families, not big companies with deep pockets so please try to understand their situation too. There are no winers from this situation.
I hope you manage to come to some arrangement over this but please, please learn from this and always take out full travel insurance when booking a holiday in future.
Sue
Laurel Oak
06-06-2020, 08:29
As a villa owner, as Sue has said I still have all my running costs but no income when lockdown was imposed. I am just a normal family guy who just happens to have fell in love with Florida and bought a villa for my family holidays and rent it out to fund the cost.
If you had booked with me you would have accepted my T&C which clearly state that the deposit is non refundable and those terms strongly recommend that you take out insurance.
Despite my T&C stating that the deposit is non refundable I am, under the circumstances we find ourselves in, allowing guests to move their bookings to next year subject to availability. If the guest is unable or declines the offer then I will let them have a Cancellation Invoice so that they can claim on their insurance if they have taken it out. However that’s a personal decision on my part and it’s up to individual owners to make their own decisions depending on their individual circumstances.
I hope you manage to come to some arrangement and I know it’s difficult for you but it’s also very difficult for owners as well.
Katys Grandad
06-06-2020, 17:47
It's impossible not to have sympathy with both the OP and the owners of rental properties who have all been badly hit by this unprecedented event.
On a related subject, I have just received my annual travel insurance renewal quote which has gone up slightly but their web page carries a very prominent warning that they will no longer cover losses of any kind relating to global pandemics or cancellations due to FCO advice not to travel anywhere in the world. My assessment is that the policy cover has been hugely downgraded and, while I understand the reasons for it, the result is that it is hardly worth having and I certainly have no intention of renewing or indeed booking anything without a significant degree of certainty that I won't have to cancel. We are entering a future where pre-booking any form of travel will become a risky exercise.
In case anyone is interested for themselves or future guests both Staysure and AXA insurance now offer cover for Covid 19 if you are taken ill while travelling.
They do NOT offer any form of cancellation insurance but let you have medical cover if you are going to the U.S.
Regards Dave
Laurel Oak
07-06-2020, 07:49
In case anyone is interested for themselves or future guests both Staysure and AXA insurance now offer cover for Covid 19 if you are taken ill while travelling.
They do NOT offer any form of cancellation insurance but let you have medical cover if you are going to the U.S.
Regards Dave
That’s very helpful Dave. We are covered for our November trip as it was booked before the pandemic but I suspect they will not cover medical cost on future trips so may have to switch insurers. More concerned about medical cover than cancellation.
Thanks
How strange that your insurance should cover for flights but not accommodation. This is the email which has slightly changed as time has gone on I have sent to my guests and all but one have had their insurance pay out
On research the critical wording needed by them is consequential loss
To Whom It May Concern.
I confirm that Mrs xxx has paid in full the sum of £xxxx.00 in respect of rental of our Florida villa from 22nd June to 6th July 2020
My Terms & Conditions clearly state that guests are required to arrange travel insurance cover for the duration of their stay.
As this amount is non refundable as per our terms and conditions and we have refereed them to seek redress from their travel insurance
As a result of the recent FCO ruling, Mrs xxx and her family are now unable to travel to Florida through no fault of their own or mine. They have suffered consequential loss as a result of the flight ban.
Yours faithfully
Hi Dave, that's good to know. One of my guests were able to get a successful claim through Royal Bank of Scotland who use AXA to underwrite their insurance
In case anyone is interested for themselves or future guests both Staysure and AXA insurance now offer cover for Covid 19 if you are taken ill while travelling.
They do NOT offer any form of cancellation insurance but let you have medical cover if you are going to the U.S.
Regards Dave
Madabouttigger
28-06-2020, 10:35
Again, I sympathise with both parties, we had booked and paid for our villa in full, and lost the full costs as the small print in our Posts Office Travel insurance didn't cover us for global pandemic. We didn't expect a refund from the villa owners, as its clearly stated in the T&C's that a refund would not be available so close to the travel date, and I fully understand the rational behind this. However, for future bookings, I am wondering if more owners are available to accept payment by credit cards as there is an extra level of cover, rather than pay pal?
Again, I sympathise with both parties, we had booked and paid for our villa in full, and lost the full costs as the small print in our Posts Office Travel insurance didn't cover us for global pandemic. We didn't expect a refund from the villa owners, as its clearly stated in the T&C's that a refund would not be available so close to the travel date, and I fully understand the rational behind this. However, for future bookings, I am wondering if more owners are available to accept payment by credit cards as there is an extra level of cover, rather than pay pal?
The problem with credit cards it firstly it costs the Owner a percentage of the payment and secondly while it gives some protection to the booking party there is no protection for the Owner.
Quite a few of us do accept credit cards, you just need to ask the specific villa owner. Personally I don't have a paypal account but do accept credit cards. My credit card account is in America so all payments for credit cards are in dollars and are at my fixed dollar price, not related to the exchange rate so frequently you would pay extra but it would give you peace of mind.
I have heard that Trailfinders are now offering insurance for both medical and cancellation - haven't checked yet, but if so am sure more will follow
Katys Grandad
29-06-2020, 11:32
I have heard that Trailfinders are now offering insurance for both medical and cancellation - haven't checked yet, but if so am sure more will follow
I've been looking for new cover and was pleased to read your post about Trailfinders so I called them this morning about what's on offer.
They will only cover pre-departure cancellations relating to Covid where anybody due to travel is diagnosed with it, has been required to self-isolate or in the event of the death or serious illness of a close relative resulting from the condition. They specifically will NOT pay out if any of those covered are unable to travel due to the kind of circumstances we are discussing on this thread.
As you say, hopefully there will be some insurers who will cover other types cancellations but I haven't yet been able to find one.
EDIT: By coincidence this subject has just been discussed by Martin Lewis on Radio 5 Live. He confirmed that some insurers are offering the Trailfinders type of cover but he and his team have not found any that will provide what many of us are looking for.
Madabouttigger
05-07-2020, 13:05
Quite a few of us do accept credit cards, you just need to ask the specific villa owner. Personally I don't have a paypal account but do accept credit cards. My credit card account is in America so all payments for credit cards are in dollars and are at my fixed dollar price, not related to the exchange rate so frequently you would pay extra but it would give you peace of mind.
I think that’s very fair, and I would be happy with this arrangement.