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Step 1
Booking a self catering house or flat, especially if it's located in another country can be rather daunting. There's nothing nicer than arriving at your holiday rental house, being greeted by a caring owner and feeling very pleased with your choice.
Firstly I suggest using google to search for rental properties in your area. Keywords popular for UK destinations are 'self catering' and for USA destinations 'Vacation house'. There are many Holiday Let websites which offer a large selection of rentals as well as private websites. Some listing sites charge the owner a fee if you book through them so you may wish to find privately run websites first as prices may be cheaper if you book direct. For this you should be more specific with your search. If its a 4 bedroom holiday house in Edinburgh that you're hoping for, type that entire sentence in your search. -
Step 2
Photos are very important. If theres little to none on a website, move on. A well designed and maintained website with photos of the property is encouraging. Websites that have not been updated for months on end or show limited and/or poor pictures may provide clues as to what type of service will be provided by the rental owners. Those that really care about their properties care about their websites too!
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Step 3
Friendly e:mails from the owners should be expected. They are after all wanting your business. Run away from properties who's e:mails are full of grammar mistakes. You want to feel comfortable that the person you are dealing with is treating you in a professional manner. There should be a Terms & Conditions document. Read it before forwarding money. This is created to protect both you and the property owner, you'll know your rights if you have to cancel.
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Step 4
Each property owner has their own payment schedule. Payment in full is generally expected 2-3 months before check in. A deposit to 'hold and confirm' at the time of booking is quite normal. Before forwarding money you've hopefully been in contact with the owners quite a few times and feel comfortable talking to them. Cheque, Paypal and Bank transfers are the common options for transferring of funds. Credit card via Paypal may be the safest option but the holiday rental may charge more for this.
