Problems if villa sold

[micheller33]

I am new to this forum and I am looking to rent a Villa for the first time in August 2008. I need to book in advance because this is a very busy time and I don't want to end up without a place to stay. My dilemma is that whilst securing a villa with a deposit and signing the contract, how would that protect me if the owner has to sell it because of financial difficulties? Would the new owner still honour the booking? If not how can I be sure that I would get my deposit back? These contracts that we sign are they really legally binding? I mean normally when you go on holiday you will always look for a travel company that is ABTA bonded to protect you.
Also do the management companies help in situations like this?

[pieman790]

Welcome to the forum.
Unfortunately you do not have any cover if the owner does decide to sell. I do know that if owners do sell they normally transfer the booking onto the new owners if the home is been used as a short term rental or look to other villa owners with similar type villas to take over the booking.
It does not happen very often and at this stage i would not worry too much about this happening.
As for the contract it is normally binding in a court of law subject to the terms and conditons within it.

[caroline]

Before you decide to book a villa read the T&C's thoroughly they should protect the villa owner AND the guest - Nobody has a crystal ball but we, like many other owners have it written into our T&C's that if fr any reason we have to cancel a reservation we refund all money that has been paid to us (except if we are cancelling a reservation because of non payment of the balance).

[TonyBlenk]

Hello & welcome to the forum.

If you take out Travel Insurance, which is highly recommended, you should be protected under this policy.

You will receive confirmation from the Villa owner that you have paid for the accommodation and if for any reason you have any problems you can claim against your insurance.

I really would not worry at all. If the owner does sell before you stay, I am certain that there will be at least 2 positive scenarious;
The new owner will take all responsibilty of bookings held or your booking will be offered to many other willing owners.

All Villa owners on OV are proud of our reputation and quality product - you will not find yourself without an excellent luxury Villa to enjoy.

Just think positive and look look forward to your trip.

[fiona]

Michelle welcome to the OV forum. You can rest assured that any owner on here if they sold their property would make every effort to either transfer the booking to the new owners or find you a comparable villa, ideally on the same community. Most of us have friends with similar villas. The owners of the OV sites expect us to behave professionally in our dealings with our guests.

The popular dates are often booked the year before, and occasionally people book a couple of years in advance.

[mizzy]

Hi Michelle

i have had this happen to me where the villa owner (advertising on OV) sold just after we paid our balance, we did get our holiday as the booking was passed over to the new owner but there was a few problems with the old owner taking away some of the extras such as the pool bbq and the playstation system and had disconnected the telephone line, the new owner did honour our booking but didn't wan't to give back our security deposit because we had paid it to the previous owner and the old owner said no she had it all passed over with the sale, we eventually got it back but not without a lot of hassle[msnsad]

with 9 weeks to our next trip we are now in the same position again and i must admit i am worried but trying not to get too stressed and hope for the best, the villa owner has offered reassurance and also offered us the chance to speak with fairly recent guests, i have no option but to go ahead or lose a substantial deposit which i cannnot afford to do so i am trusting this owner to provide me with the holiday villa i am expecting and to do everything he possibly can to not to let me down at the last minute

so with extremely good faith i am putting my trust in not just the villa owner but also in the management of this site who i'm sure will do everything to assist me should i not get the villa i have booked and paid for

will watch this topic with interest

Mizzy

[ShirleyD]

Hi Michelle, welcome to the forum and have fun choosing a home for your holiday. As others have said, owners on this site would do their best to protect your booking and pass it onto another similar priced villa or the new owner, so don't worry oo much about this. Before you book, you could ask the owner what they would do with your booking, if they decide to sell.

[micheller33]

Thanks very much for all your expert advice. I think I will take the plunge. Now all I have to do is sort through the minefield of villas available!

[mizzy]

i had to dash out for a little while but just wanted to add

that along with everything i have allready said, i still wouldn't hesitate booking another villa through OV and i would, and have recommended them to other people looking to visit florida[msnsmile]

Mizzy

[Ruth]

We sold our villa last June. I gave all our future guests a full refund so they could either rebook with the new owner or book a different villa if they preferred that option. There were some who decided to rebook elsewhere and I helped them find a comparable villa through the contacts I hadI don't think it caused any of them any problems at all