Summer is in its first blush. School is about to let out, and everyone’s thoughts are turning towards warmer weather… and summer vacation! Most families will take the opportunity for a getaway during the warm months, and many already have booked their accommodations. In this day and age, lodgings have evolved far beyond hotels, motels, and the Holiday Inn. A lot of travelers will book vacation homes for their holidays, generally through Airbnb or a similar site. When booking a vacation home rental, it’s important to know the signs of a scam so that you don’t get cheated. The following are signs that you should run, not walk from these rentals. 

The photos are mind-blowing for the price - or there aren’t enough.

It’s like the old adage goes… if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you have spotted a rental for a great price and the pictures look like something out of a luxury show-book, you book at your own peril. It’s way too easy nowadays for scammers to digitally manipulate photos to make a dump look like a palace, or just to flat-out use fake pics. 

Alternately, beware of a listing that isn’t generous with the photos. Most vacation-goers want to be absolutely bombarded with pics that show off every gorgeous angle of the rental in which they’ll be staying. If there are just a handful of snapshots (say, less than ten), you have the right to wonder whether the owners are trying to hide something. After all, you want to know just what to expect. 

There are no reviews.

While it’s true that every new rental has to establish cred somehow, don’t be the one who falls for a listing that nobody else has written about. The best-case scenario is that the property is a scam (see above); the worst-case scenario is that it doesn’t even exist. To differentiate between a property new to the market and a fake, reach out to the owners, who should have their contact information listed. Ask for more information, and whether the owners have other properties that are well-reviewed. 

The listing is all over the web.

Be wary when you find a vacation home listing on more than one platform, especially if it is on three or more. This is a major red flag that could mean a shady owner is trying to escape bad reviews on one (or more!) site and therefore is bouncing around everywhere looking for fresh bait. The way to quickly suss this out is to copy and paste the rental’s description into Google and see if it pops up elsewhere. Be diligent looking for hidden ugly reviews. 

These are a few signs to watch out for when booking a vacation rental for your summer vacation. Don’t allow yourself to be scammed… keep a few things in mind as you search, and you will hopefully be rewarded with a tasteful, clean, wonderful rental that you’ll remember long after the summer fades!