Your family is excited about the trip to Fort Lauderdale you have planned for them; They are looking forward to spending quality time together in the “Sunshine State”. You have every detail of the trip meticulously planned, researched and reserved.
1. House sitter – check!
2. Airport parking – check!
3. Airline tickets – check!
4. Car rental – check!
5. Luxury Fort Lauderdale vacation home rental on the beach – check!
6. Dinner reservations – check!
7. Venue tickets – check!
You can already picture everyone having a wonderful holiday in your mind…
Or will they?
After spending countless hours online looking through postings of vacation rental homes in Fort Lauderdale, you finally found the perfect beachfront home to accommodate your family. You contacted the owner, filled out an application, sent in your deposit and received a rental contract. What could go wrong?
The big day finally arrives – a family vacation in Fort Lauderdale. Thanks to your careful planning, travel to Fort Lauderdale goes smoothly and your family is all smiles and laughter. You even get to take a moment to dwell in the happiness that warms your heart.
Everyone piles into the rental car and you head towards the beach, where your luxury beachfront rental house awaits. The trip to the rental home goes smoothly because you loaded the address in a GPS ahead of time.
You get to the house and it looks just like the pictures online. Magnificent! As you head to the front door, with your rental contract in hand, you hear the waves of the ocean gently crashing on the shore in the distance. You can’t help but to think to yourself, “life is good.”
You ring the doorbell and a pleasant looking gentleman answers the door. You introduce yourself, present the rental contract and ask for the keys. The gentleman tells you he is the owner of the home and what he says next continues to repeat in your mind, “my home has never been for rent.”
Suddenly your well-planned family holiday has just become a nightmare.
Unfortunately, this has happened to countless people. Check out this recent Sun Sentinel story to learn more: Renters knocking on wrong doors in Internet scam.
How to Avoid Vacation Home Rental Scams (according to the news article):
1. Pay with a method that can be tracked, such as a credit card.
2. Never wire money or send a check.
3. Check with the local property appraiser to verify the owner’s name and address.
4. Call the owner and request references.
5. Read previous customers’ reviews.
At Luxury Living Fort Lauderdale, we don’t want you to be a Fort Lauderdale rental scam statistic. Your visit to Fort Lauderdale should be enjoyable from beginning to end.
