Paying for holiday rental via bank transfer

onlyroz
onlyroz Posts: 17,661 Forumite
First Post Combo Breaker First Anniversary
in UK holidays, days out & entertainments
I want to book a week in Bournemouth for Easter. I found this property on the holidaylettings site:

https://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/bournemouth/94503

It has good reviews on Tripadvisor over the space of the last few years. The owner doesn't accept payments directly via the website and is asking for a bank transfer. As a private individual I expect that they don't have the facility to accept card payments.

So would you go ahead and pay with a bank transfer as requested? Or is there some alternate more secure way that I could pay instead?

You do read about people paying out large sums for what turns out to be a fictitious holiday rental, but this one does seem legit as far as I can tell...

Comments

  • essex_boy
    essex_boy Posts: 2,213 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic First Post
    They dont want you paying via the website as they want to use their service but dont want to pay their commission
    Question is are they the real people or scammers and also if they are real is this the sort of people you want to do business with, any problems they will go out of their way to give you money too
  • happyinflorida
    happyinflorida Posts: 807 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Wouldn't trust it in a month of Sunday's - this sort of thing is often featured on BBC 1's show - "Holiday Rip Off's" and basically it means you risk losing your money and holiday.

    I wouldn't do it.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 7,323 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    Whether its a scam or not, if anything goes wrong, you won't be able to get your money back through the website. Normally they offer some guarantees.

    An owner who does not allow payments through the website is at best, unprofessional. At worst a scam. I wouldn't want to be involved in either.
  • Cash-Cows
    Cash-Cows Posts: 413 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post
    I!!!8217;ve booked direct before without on line protection and all was fine. If they!!!8217;ve been with the site a while and plenty of reviews then it!!!8217;s fairly reassuring. I wouldn!!!8217;t book this way for a property recently listed but that!!!8217;s not the case here. Any scammers quickly get exposed and details removed so those with history tend to be OK.

    You could ask for a draft contract and owners details. If legit they won!!!8217;t have a problem giving you these.
  • vikingaero
    vikingaero Posts: 10,920 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    There's even a link on that booking page:

    Never pay for your holiday rental by wire transfer. Learn more about paying safely.

    https://blog.holidaylettings.co.uk/travellers-can-ensure-booking-safely-holiday-lettings/

    It can still be OK. Does the bank details of the owner match the listing on TripAdvisor. She is called S***y T. Does the bank sort code have a Bournemouth/South Coast branch?
    The man without a signature.
  • Jaymie_kate
    Jaymie_kate Posts: 65 Forumite
    I'd say better be cautious about it. Make sure to counter check it's legit. I agree with the other comments that there's little you can do to refund once you made the payment. Cliche as it may sound but better be safe than sorry.
  • isplumm
    isplumm Posts: 2,204 Forumite
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Caroline_Parker wrote: »
    Its quite fishy that they don't accept any other payment options other than bank transfer in a techy world. What about a draft or something similar?

    Hi

    Completely disagree - I have a gite in France that I rent out - normally people pay via direct bank transfer - the point is that the OP needs to do their own research to satisfy themselves that this is a valid rental.

    Do they have a website? Do they have reviews on TA? Maybe search for some of the photos online. Can you phone them?

    Thanks Mark
    We’ve had to remove your signature. Please check the Forum Rules if you’re unsure why it’s been removed and, if still unsure, email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
  • isplumm
    isplumm Posts: 2,204 Forumite
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    essex_boy wrote: »
    They dont want you paying via the website as they want to use their service but dont want to pay their commission
    Question is are they the real people or scammers and also if they are real is this the sort of people you want to do business with, any problems they will go out of their way to give you money too

    Absolutely - using holidaylettings will cost OP quite a bit more, as well as the owner - BUT the OP will lose the protection if go direct.

    For example my gite costs £825 direct, but HL will charge about £905.

    Mark
    We’ve had to remove your signature. Please check the Forum Rules if you’re unsure why it’s been removed and, if still unsure, email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
  • knightstyle
    knightstyle Posts: 6,989 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary
    What about PayPal? The owner raises an invoice and the client pays this. So the client is protected.
    Yes some fees but worth it.
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 608K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173K Life & Family
  • 247.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards