20/02/2024
Book Direct Day - continued thoughts and some additional tips...
The graphics below with abbreviated points are all good… but… I wondered if publicity of fraud attempts (that exponentially increased during pandemic) have caused hesitancy to book direct. I suspect I’d need a bit more information to feel confident if I wasn’t familiar. Fraud has existed on both sides of the equation for a long time and has definitely escalated the past 4 years but there are steps you can take to help protect yourself.
Reserving through an online listing service/OTA is likely costing you 15-20% more than booking direct (re: service fees to the listing service) and although some listing services provide protection for bogus listings by offering refunds or alternate accommodations in that event, they generally do not require proof of ownership, nor proof of the right to manage a property when a listing is posted, which seems to me to play a part in the overall problem. If something went wrong you may be shifted to another property, or a motel, for which you would be grateful for any assistance during a stressful occurrence in the event of a fraudulent listing or natural disaster etc. I’m not saying that’s without merit, just be aware you’re paying extra for that. Some listing services are so fraught with unpleasantness that owners are compelled to increase their prices to cover the issues that are certain to arise periodically... so you’re paying even more.
If you feel the need to speak to an owner prior to reserving here are some tips… even if you prefer to reserve through a big presence online listing system it’s still nice to be able to speak to an owner first (especially for a place like ours).
Check the person you are dealing with legitimately owns and/or manages the property. I believe any honest owner should be glad to offer assistance in confirming and be glad you were doing your part… as we’ve been forced to elevate due diligence regarding outright fraud (stolen credit card data) and even more alarmingly in my opinion… “friendly fraud” (an oxymoron if ever there was one…).
Property Ownership Records - This may feel a bit complicated for those never involved in any sort of real estate records search on a regular basis and jurisdictions have different systems and formats and ideas about public records so it may prove to be a bit difficult but definitely helpful.
Utility Bills - A decent secondary approach, but would be easy enough to fabricate so I’d not rely on that alone.
License Or Registration Numbers - Most jurisdictions are now requiring license or registration and the listing services to provide owner's a designated data field to post their STR (short term rental) license/registration etc (and most owners will also post this their on their websites). For instance... the City of Folly Beach requires such and you can call or email them to check out who is authorized to rent/manage a property and get and/or confirm contact information.
Call The Owner/Manager At Least Once… apparently it’s easy to spoof outgoing phone numbers…
… AND be aware if an owner has published their phone number on the internet… as we all did back when things were friendlier... they likely have had to rearrange their phone service and implement call filters… you may have to leave a voicemail or jump through a hoop to connect… during first quarter of 2020 spam calls became outrageous here... something had to change… it’s difficult to get anything done if the phone is ringing 80 times a week with bogus calls… so... don’t let call filtering alarm you.
Listing Title - Owners who began renting after the "by owner" sites transitioned to allow (and actually offered preferential treatment to management companies) were often savvy enough to designate the name of their website as the title of their listing.
Google Image Search can also be a useful tool.
Breadcrumbs... may be found in listing verbiage… read it all.
Name - Sometimes even just a simple name search of the owner or manager will get you the information you need.
Payment - ALWAYS PAY BY CREDIT CARD if you choose to rent direct... (not a debit card).
