paypal and international rentals

[rsonc]

Sorry, my post should have said paypal and international renters not rentals....

I have some of my units that I rent out when I am not using them. All of my rentals have been either been with people who live in the US or Canada. I just got my first person that is interested in a unit for the first week of June that is from the UK (email is yahoo.uk)

I normally have the renter call the resort and pay the all inclusive directly to them and then send me the rental fee but since they are not in the US I am not sure if the phone number will work so I would have to pay the all inclusive for them and then have them reimburst me.

Is paypal the safest way to make a payment, if they want to send a certified check is that safe? or would an escrow company be better?

I haven't gotten into the payment with them so I wanted to check how others have handled it. I will have almost 2 months before they go..

I also know if they want to send me more money to run.

The total is $3288 for both of the rooms with the all inclusive fees for everyone so it is a lot of money to lose, if they can call the resort then it is $950.00 for both rooms.

Any suggestions? or should I just say sorry that I dont rent to anyone that is overseas?

TIA,
Susan

 

[johnmfaeth]

Escrow strongly recommended in this situation. Certified check may be bogus.

I would get their phone number and call them first. Scammers never give a phone it seems.

Also get an address in the UK and look them up in an internet based UK phone directory. Again if the name address and phone match, MUCH more chance they are legit.

 

[Talent312]

Egads. For that kind'a money, they could buy a TS. But I digress...
I have a relative who rents a house in Orlando to for'ners using paypal.
He has a group coming from UK next week. They paid a deposit using paypal.

 

[JoeMid]

There is a non-toll free number for your payments, get it, and give them that number if you have had a 'system' that works for you.

Sorry, my post should have said paypal and international renters not rentals....

I have some of my units that I rent out when I am not using them. All of my rentals have been either been with people who live in the US or Canada. I just got my first person that is interested in a unit for the first week of June that is from the UK (email is yahoo.uk)

I normally have the renter call the resort and pay the all inclusive directly to them and then send me the rental fee but since they are not in the US I am not sure if the phone number will work so I would have to pay the all inclusive for them and then have them reimburst me.

Is paypal the safest way to make a payment, if they want to send a certified check is that safe? or would an escrow company be better?

I haven't gotten into the payment with them so I wanted to check how others have handled it. I will have almost 2 months before they go..

I also know if they want to send me more money to run.

The total is $3288 for both of the rooms with the all inclusive fees for everyone so it is a lot of money to lose, if they can call the resort then it is $950.00 for both rooms.

Any suggestions? or should I just say sorry that I dont rent to anyone that is overseas?

TIA,
Susan

 

[teepeeca]

If they could use Western Union, you know that you are getting "good" $$$.

Tony

 

[rsonc]

Thanks everyone,

I will see if I can verify their address and phone number and I will call my resort to see if they have a number for people outside of the country.

I thought if they wire the money it is a scam... isn't western union a way to wire money or was it if was wired to a bank?

I am thinking since we are 90+ days away if there was a scam then it would show up by then and I could cancel the week and still get a refund... is 90 days enought time to figure out if the money is bad?

TIA
Susan

 

[teepeeca]

To use Western Union to send $$$, the sender has to use "real" cash at their end, to give to Western Union. They don't take checks, money orders, credit cards, etc, just "real" money.

That way, when it is sent, you "know" that Western Union is going to give you "real" money. I think it is one of the safest ways to receive $$$.

Tony

 

[BocaBum99]

Paypal works great for international payments where paypal is accepted. It's safer than a certified check since those can be bogus. Paypal won't release funds to you unless they've cleared.

International bank wire is the safest. That's what I would do. But, it's the most risk for the renter.

Escrow works okay, but you won't get your money until after check out. I did that a couple of times and I won't do it anymore since there are plenty of renters who will pay you upfront.

 

[rsonc]

How do you know where paypal is accepted?

How do you do an international bank wire?

TIA
Susan

 

[BocaBum99]

How do you know where paypal is accepted?

How do you do an international bank wire?

TIA
Susan

Where Paypal is allowed

Click the link above to see countries where renters can send you money from. The grid is broken down into 5 sections. The first 4 is where they can originate money. The last one is where you can send money. If they have a credit card in one of the main countries supported, they can use that, too, even if they are not in one of the listed countries.

International bank wires can be tough. Many bank employees don't know how to do them properly. So, the best thing to do is to contact your bank and have them give you their bank wiring instructions.

 

[johnmfaeth]

DO NOT TRY AN INTERNATIONAL WIRE IF DOUBT EXISTS. By giving you bank info and your account number to make awire, you have now enabled a scam artist to get fake checks with your legitimate bank routing number and account number printed on them. Such things are frequently done to perpetuate scams where an overpayment is made which clears so the scamster can get the overage returned via Western Union.

Your account # should never be given unless a trusted relationship exists.

Here is a link to the Federal Trade Commission which recommends escrow when questions exist:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/12/checkoverpayment.shtm

 

[BocaBum99]

DO NOT TRY AN INTERNATIONAL WIRE IF DOUBT EXISTS. By giving you bank info and your account number to make awire, you have now enabled a scam artist to get fake checks with your legitimate bank routing number and account number printed on them. Such things are frequently done to perpetuate scams where an overpayment is made which clears so the scamster can get the overage returned via Western Union.

Your account # should never be given unless a trusted relationship exists.

Here is a link to the Federal Trade Commission which recommends escrow when questions exist:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/12/checkoverpayment.shtm

You raise a good point about giving out account numbers. What I have is a special account that is provided free of charge by my bank that I only use for bank wires. Incoming and outgoing. As soon as money goes into it, I move it to another account. When I need to wire money out, I transfer money to it. All done online.

If a scammer gets my account number and prints checks on it, they aren't getting any money. The sigs won't match and any attempt to draw upon it will yield a bounced check.