Securing a Villa

[Twiglet]

We have pretty much completed our search for a villa, and tonight I spoke home to my family in UK. The biggest worry they have is booking a villa through the internet. They are concerned that it isn't through a travel agent/company, and so therefore you are more vulnerable to losing your deposit, or flying to Florida and finding the Villa is not available, or not even owned by the person you paid the deposit too!

I was kind of stuck with an answer to those questions, and wondered how we can guarantee the booking, what do I do, and how can I find answers to these very important questions? I said maybe I can get the owner to give us details of past guests, but they said they could just give me friends/relatives details, which is true!

How legally binding is a contract, and how secure is a booking?

What is normally required deposit wise, our booking would be for late 2008?

[Lynnes]

If you booked through any of the 3 sites above then all the villas are validated. As an owner i have had guests with the same worries and I give them details of my Management company so they can contact them . I also have a prevous guest (not a relative) who offered to speak with anybody who had worries.

[aarkley]

Theresa

The villas you find on these pages have to be verified by the owners before we can advertise. This is by way of documents showing the villa exists and we actually own it.
You would normally give a sum of about £100.00 per week to reserve the villa. We make sure that the terms and conditions are correct in law and binding on both sides.
To be fair if you book villas with some of the travel agents you are shown the type of villa you will get but not the actual villa. There can be a huge difference in what and where you will be located.
I can only speak for myself to say once booked it remains booked unless the rentors tell me otherwise and I'm sure other villa owners will say the same.

Hope this helps

Alan

[blott]

Thee's absolutely no way an OV advertised home doesn't belong to the person you're booking with - just make sure that you've been given their OV reference number and that their advert is live on any of the three OV sites.

A contract is legally binding (on both sides) once the deposit has been received and cleared, so no problems there.

How do you know, if you booked with a travel agent, that the house you've chosen will still be on their books when you arrive and you won't be given a different one? You can't know that but with a private owner you at least know that they own the actual home you'll be staying in and can build up a trust relationship with them in between your booking and your check-in date. You can also ask them any questions you like about the home that they'll be happy to answer for you - try doing that with a travel agent!

[Twiglet]

Thanks guys. I am not saying I don't understand the verification process here on the forums, I do, and that's why I have been so keen to book through here.

However, the family are nervous, understandably, about taking this leap of faith, outlaying a considerable amount of money to hold the booking, for a holiday two years away. I just wondered what owners usually do to ease guest minds, do you send out confirmation letters, deposit receipts, etc etc?

The weight of responsiblity is on my shoulders at the moment!

[Cruella DeVilla]

Theresa you have been on the forum long enough to be able to convince the family that any villa booked through the three OV sites is solid and we are a trustworthy bunch..

Another option is tell them they have to remember that, if for example the were renting say my house I am entrusting them with over $500,0000 worth of villa which is more than a couple of thousand dollars, so it goes both ways.

Hope this is of a some help

[Aiminghigh]

Teresa, like CDV says, you've used the OV site for a while and at least you know how it all works. I am not a villa owner, but have no hesitation whatsoever in booking a villa on here-I am so much happier to see the actual villa and be able to ask questions. I booked one for an extended family holiday a couple of years ago. Everyone was thrilled with the choice and it all went very smoothly.

[wrpac00]

Theresa, I can sympathise completely. I can remember the first time I booked a holiday via the internet, I was as scared as anything. It turned out to be unfounded and everything was great, I now do everything via the internet.

As far as feeling safer via a travel agent I don't think this is totally true. I have heard of loads of stories where people have booked villas via a travel agent only to find out they are dumps when they turn up. When you book off of a place like this site at least you have seen the property and you know who the owner is.

Try not to worry, look forward to your trip and enjoy planning for it.

[chrissb]

Theresa, the question I would like to ask you and your family is what would reassure you? You know how things work on this site and you will have told your family but obviously they still have concerns and it is no use us repeating what you already know. I can understand why you are concerned when you are planning a family reunion but like many others I'm not sure that booking through a travel agent will be any better. There have been several occations when people have booked a villa through travel agents only to find out when they arrive that the villas have been overbooked. This can happen at busy times like Easter and the summer months and the guests are left with nowhere to go. They were never given a specific villa, and are just told there is a problem. I very much doubt that you will be able to book a villa through a tour company 2 years in advance as they will not know what villas are available and what the prices are going to be. At least booking direct with a villa owner you will have chosen the villa that you like best and are able to ask any questions that you have. By the time your holiday arrives you will have had 2 years for the villa owner and you to have got toknow eachother. You will be feeling much more relaxed, have the villa that you want and will be able to really enjoy your holiday.

[blott]

Yes, I think you'll find that most owners will send out a booking confirmation letter when the deposit has been paid and cleared. Ask the home owner of the house you choose/have chosen if they do this if you want to put your mind at rest - they should be very happy to explain their own booking processes with you.

In our case, this letter sets out how many people there will be and their names, the dates booked, how many nights that is, the deposit paid, what's left to pay and when and also if people have booked other options like pool heating, etc, what price this is and when it's to be paid as well as anything else relevant, ie answers to any specific issues the guest may have raised.