Vacation rentals are alluring: They typically offer some combination of more space per dollar than you get in a conventional hotel room, attractive location, and kitchen facilities that let you cut the cost of some meals. They’re also great for accommodating large families or groups that want to vacation together.
Unfortunately, vacation rentals can be riskier than conventional hotel accommodations. The main problems are (1) you usually have to pay the entire rental in advance and (2) the rental may not turn out to be what you thought you were getting and (3) in the event of a problem, you may find dealing with an owner or manager might make it difficult for you to resolve the problem. Even minor misrepresentations and glitches can be major annoyances: a bedroom the size of a closet, a backed-up toilet, Wi-Fi that doesn’t work, AC that doesn’t work, too many “steps” to the beach, and you may not be able to contact anyone to fix the problem quickly. A foreign rental can be especially risky: You have essentially no legal recourse if it goes bad.
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